Kushiel's Scion - Jacqueline Carey [262]
"Fine," he snapped, grabbing Helena by the wrist. "Then I will make a cuckold of him."
"My lord…" The priest's protest trailed off. Gaetano Correggio looked sick and did nothing; he had made his devil's bargain. Deccus Fulvius looked like he wanted to be elsewhere, like facing an angry mob in Tiberium. Claudia turned her palms up in a helpless gesture; she had done what she could. Eamonn caught my eye and moved to ward my back, and I heaved another inward sigh.
"Lucius." I interposed myself between him and the girl. "You don't want to do this."
There was no Lucius there. His face bared its teeth in a battle-grin. In an eerie echo of Valpetra, he kept a tight hold on Helena's wrist, while she attempted to squeeze herself behind me, trapping me between the two of them. In a deceptively casual gesture, he raised his free hand and clamped it around my throat, hard enough to bruise. He had a strong grip. I'd noted it the first time we'd met, though I'd never expected to find it crushing my windpipe.
"What the hell do you know about what I want, D'Angeline?" he grated.
We were pressed close together, so close I could almost feel his heart thudding in his chest. His breath was hot on my face. I kept my hands at my sides, the fingers of my right hand brushing the hilt of the dagger at my belt. If worst came to worst, I was reasonably certain I could plant it in his belly before I blacked out. Behind me, Helena trembled, and I felt her rise on her toes, her soft breasts crushed against my back.
"Please don't kill him," she whispered in my ear. "He's Lucius, too."
I would have laughed, if Gallus Tadius hadn't been throttling me.
" 'O, dear my lord,'" Claudia said unexpectedly, " 'let this breast on which you have leant, serve now as your shield…' "
With a disgusted sound, Gallus thrust me from him, releasing Helena.
We both stumbled and fell. I landed on her and drew in a ragged gasp of air, then scrambled off Helena and onto my knees. Both of us were in Eamonn's way. Too fast for him to prevent it, Gallus Tadius drew his sword and wedged its point beneath my chin.
"You know," he said in a conversational tone, "I almost like you, D'Angeline, but you're a far sight more trouble than you're worth. Give me one reason not to kill you."
I tried to speak and burst into a fit of half-choked coughing.
Gallus laughed.
"I'll give you one." Eamonn moved into view in the corner of my eye. His face was calm. He'd drawn his blade and held it angled for a sweeping blow. "Do it, and your head rolls on the floor before you can draw breath."
"Will someone call for the guard?" Deccus Fulvius muttered to no one in particular. "This is absurd."
I felt the tip of Gallus' sword pierce the skin as he applied pressure, and a trickle of blood ran down my throat. Like sister, like brother. It was absurd.
"Lucius!" Claudia faced him. "I'll give you a better reason. If you kill Imriel, you'll bring the wrath of Terre d'Ange upon you, upon me, upon all of Lucca. He's third in line for the throne."
"He is?" It was Deccus, dumbstruck.
Helena made a small sound.
The sword's point withdrew to hover beneath my nose. I breathed slowly, struggling against the anguished protest of my abused windpipe. Gallus Tadius glanced between me and Claudia, looking confused. "How do you know that?" "You told me," she said steadily. He blinked, the lines of his face softening. "I did?" "Yes." Unlike Helena, Claudia lied well. "His name, his full name, is Imriel nó Montrève de la Courcel, and he's a Prince of the Blood. You told me he wanted it kept a secret, Lucius, and so I have."
"I don't remember that," he said, but he lowered his sword. Eamonn moved swiftly, hauling me to my feet and thrusting me behind him. The priest, his acolytes, Gaetano Correggio, and Deccus Fulvius all stared at us with varying degrees of astonishment. Gallus Tadius shook his head, and the tip of his sword began to rise. "No," he said. "I don't believe it. Any of it."
"Lucius," I croaked. "The Bella Donna's son. Remember?" There was a soft thud behind me as Helena Correggio slumped