Two for tragedy. Volume 2 - стр. 33
– He gave me a tour of the castle, and then he told me that there was something very interesting in his dungeon… We went there… And there it was! I was terrified! Those girls! Those screams! – She covered her face with her palms, and her voice changed to a trembling soprano. – And then he locked me in the cell and I…" Susan stopped talking and broke into tears.
– And you, Lourdes? – I turned to the Spaniard, who was tearfully listening to Susan's story.
– I was like her, too," Lourdes answered me briefly. – But his friends were here when I came with him. I curse this maniac!
– You didn't see anything else? – I questioned, finding joy in their grief that, thanks to their ignorance, I had an argument for the vampire to let them go.
– No! What could we see? We were trapped in those barns! Wait… How did you end up here? And why didn't he put you in a cell like the rest of us? – Susan asked quietly, instantly calmed down and stopped sobbing.
– Just like you," I lied, grinning, so as not to disturb their souls, and besides, Grayson could hear every word we said.
– We're all fools! – Lourdes said sadly.
– But why didn't he lock you up? – Susan persisted with her question.
– I don't know! – I shrugged my shoulders. – But he will let you go.
– And what will happen to you? – Lourdes asked, looking at me sadly with her beautiful dark eyes.
– It doesn't matter," I answered quietly. – The important thing is that you will be home.
– Why are you so protective of this maniac? – Susan asked, apparently unhappy with my words.
– I'm not defending him… No, never! I mean, he's caused me a lot of suffering, too! It's just that if I don't stay here, you will stay here, because Grayson needs a victim! – I answered her reproach fervently.
– Why do you say that? We can all go together! – Susan exclaimed hotly. – You don't have to sacrifice yourself for us!
– Believe me, it's not a sacrifice. I want to stay," I lied tearfully, shuddering at my own lies. – You have no idea what I've done… Yes, I want to stay… I belong here.
– If that's your decision… But it's all very sad," Susan whispered.
I didn't answer her, and went to the open window and stared longingly out, thinking that soon the girls would be home, and I would be here. But I did not envy them in the least: I was glad for them, glad that they would be saved. My longing was only for my fate.
It was raining hard outside the window. So hard that I could not see anything because of its grey blanket: the strings of rain were not even and moved, changed direction, whipped the leaves of the trees and sighed noisily, hitting the ground and shattering into thousands of small liquid fragments.
– Ready, beauties?
I turned around: Grayson was standing in the doorway. The beautiful killer.
The girls cried out in fright, running to me and hiding behind my back.
The vampire slowly approached us.
– Viper, silly, you can't be so heartless," Brandon said to me, grinning an unpleasant crooked grin.
– I feel responsible for them! – I replied to his lunge.
– Everyone is only responsible for themselves," he countered.
– You'll never understand that! – I said quietly.
A thousand curses, taunts, and sarcastic remarks about Grayson were stuck in my throat-he disgusted me more than ever. He mocked us mortals, but he was a true monster himself. But I swallowed it, remembering that he'd promised to let the girls go, which meant I couldn't make him angry.