"Laurell K. Hamilton - Anita Blake 15 - The Harlequin" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hamilton Laurell K)

"Wrath, lust, and pride, then?"

I nodded. "I guess, if we're keeping score."

"Oh, someone is keeping score, Ms. Blake, never doubt that."

"I'm Christian, too, Malcolm."

"Do you worry about getting into heaven, Ms. Blake?"

It was such an odd question that I answered it. "I did, for a while, but my faith still makes my cross glow.
My prayers still have the power to chase the evil things away. God hasn't forsaken me; it's just that all the
right-wing fundamentalist Christians want to believe he has. I've seen evil, Malcolm, real evil, and you
aren't that."

He smiled, and it was gentle, and almost embarrassed. "Have I come to you for absolution, Ms. Blake?"

"I don't think I'm the one to give you absolution."

"I would like a priest to hear my sins before I die, Ms. Blake, but none will come near me. They are holy,
and the very trappings of their calling will burst into flames in my presence."

"Not true. The holy items only go off if the true believer panics, or if you try vampire powers on them."

He blinked at me, and I realized his eyes held unshed tears, shimmering in the overhead lights. "Is this
true, Ms. Blake?"

"I promise it is." His attitude was beginning to make me afraid for him. I didn't want to be afraid for
Malcolm. I had enough people in my life that I cared for enough to worry about; I did not need to add
the undead Billy Graham to my list.

"Do you know any priests that might be willing to hear a very long confession?"

"I might, though I don't know if they're allowed to give you absolution, since technically in the eyes of the
Church you're already dead. You have ties to a lot of the religious community, Malcolm; surely one of the
other leaders would be willing."
"I do not want to ask them, Anita. I do not want them to know my sins. I would ratherтАж" He hesitated,
then spoke, but I was pretty sure it wasn't the sentence he started to use. "Quietly, I would rather it be
done quietly."

"Why the sudden need for confession and absolution?"

"I am still a believer, Ms. Blake; being a vampire has not changed that. I wish to die absolved of my sins."

"Why are you expecting to die?"

"Tell Jean-Claude what I have told you about the stranger or strangers in my church. Tell him about my
desire for a priest to hear my confession. He will understand."

"MalcolmтАж"