An excerpt from Fire and Water, Chapter 35:
Malachi closed his sightless eyes. "You have changed."
"Yes. We all have."
"No. We change with you." The ghost of an old hurt echoed in Malachi's voice.
Gabriel hesitated. "Malachi..." The thought had been hiding in the back of his mind for months now. With the Council's binding gone and after Eri's birth, the specter of the Wild Hunt no longer loomed so strongly in his mind. "Malachi, what would you do if you weren't a Hound?"
"I can walk," Malachi snarled, twisting out of his arms. "Put me down."
Gabriel lowered him to the ground. He felt no sense of Stefan yet, and he wanted to gauge Malachi's reaction to the question before he posed it to the others.
Malachi stood, using a nearby tree for support. His breath hissed out from between clenched teeth. Gabriel stepped forward, concerned, but Malachi waved him away.
"You don't know what you ask," he finally whispered, his voice rough.
"Yes, I think I do." Gabriel deliberately closed the bond between them, leaving Malachi alone with his thoughts. "You are not some... disposable thing for me to use at my pleasure, Malachi."
Malachi's shoulders shook. "We used to be."
"Yes. I know." The dark memories pained him, but he could not wipe away the past. "But what was once accepted might not be..."
"Do you realize what you ask?" Malachi covered his scarred face with one hand. "My lord..."
"Answer me freely, Malachi. I will not lose my temper." Gabriel held his hands loosely by his side, ready to catch Malachi should he fall.
Malachi rested his forehead on the tree trunk. "Once I... I wondered what life would be like outside the Hunt."
"And?"
"And Stefan almost got me killed for believing he could free me from the Hunt. After that, I did not wonder anymore." He sighed. "I didn't have to think, as a Hound."
Nathaniel had said something similar to Lucas in the Council library.
"And now?" Gabriel asked. "Now that you've lived through the binding and now that the Hunt is free..."
"If I live through this..." Malachi raised his head and carefully turned around. "If we live through this, then ask me later and I will give you an honest answer." He did not need to brush his hair out of his eyes, and the realization pained Gabriel's heart.
"I will ensure Stefan is punished for what he did to you," Gabriel whispered, and tucked the errant strand of hair behind his Hound's ear.
Malachi shivered at his touch and closed his eyes. "I have no doubt you will."
Copyright 2002 Jennifer St. Clair
Malachi closed his sightless eyes. "You have changed."
"Yes. We all have."
"No. We change with you." The ghost of an old hurt echoed in Malachi's voice.
Gabriel hesitated. "Malachi..." The thought had been hiding in the back of his mind for months now. With the Council's binding gone and after Eri's birth, the specter of the Wild Hunt no longer loomed so strongly in his mind. "Malachi, what would you do if you weren't a Hound?"
"I can walk," Malachi snarled, twisting out of his arms. "Put me down."
Gabriel lowered him to the ground. He felt no sense of Stefan yet, and he wanted to gauge Malachi's reaction to the question before he posed it to the others.
Malachi stood, using a nearby tree for support. His breath hissed out from between clenched teeth. Gabriel stepped forward, concerned, but Malachi waved him away.
"You don't know what you ask," he finally whispered, his voice rough.
"Yes, I think I do." Gabriel deliberately closed the bond between them, leaving Malachi alone with his thoughts. "You are not some... disposable thing for me to use at my pleasure, Malachi."
Malachi's shoulders shook. "We used to be."
"Yes. I know." The dark memories pained him, but he could not wipe away the past. "But what was once accepted might not be..."
"Do you realize what you ask?" Malachi covered his scarred face with one hand. "My lord..."
"Answer me freely, Malachi. I will not lose my temper." Gabriel held his hands loosely by his side, ready to catch Malachi should he fall.
Malachi rested his forehead on the tree trunk. "Once I... I wondered what life would be like outside the Hunt."
"And?"
"And Stefan almost got me killed for believing he could free me from the Hunt. After that, I did not wonder anymore." He sighed. "I didn't have to think, as a Hound."
Nathaniel had said something similar to Lucas in the Council library.
"And now?" Gabriel asked. "Now that you've lived through the binding and now that the Hunt is free..."
"If I live through this..." Malachi raised his head and carefully turned around. "If we live through this, then ask me later and I will give you an honest answer." He did not need to brush his hair out of his eyes, and the realization pained Gabriel's heart.
"I will ensure Stefan is punished for what he did to you," Gabriel whispered, and tucked the errant strand of hair behind his Hound's ear.
Malachi shivered at his touch and closed his eyes. "I have no doubt you will."
Copyright 2002 Jennifer St. Clair
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