Axel…
"You were a boy, and my father defended you to me. That was a long time ago," she said, looking at his pain-stricken face.
"Do you forgive us?" I asked her.
"Certainly. You are forgiven. Now, I want to rest."
Jonathan frowned. "You cannot absolve us of our guilt that easily."
"Can I not? Why not? Or has it not occurred to you that I simply do not care if you are sorry?"
"You are still angry," Jonathan guessed, nodding, as if that explained her strange behavior.
"We cannot blame you. But we will make it up to you. We will be married, and we will take good care of you," I promised.
"I will not marry you," I interrupted quietly—too quietly.
It was their turn to stare hard, then to explode.
"You must marry one of us in the eyes of humans, and we will marry you in our own way!"
