"But I want to help, if I can, to not make this harder for you." “可我想要帮上忙，如果我可以的话，不让情况变得对你来说更难熬。”

"Well..." He contemplated for a moment. “嗯……”他沉思了片刻。

"It was just how close you were. “这只取决于你离我多近。

Most humans instinctively shy away from us, are repelled by our alienness... I wasn't expecting you to come so close. 大多数人类都会本能地躲开我们，被我们的异己性排斥着……我不希望你靠得太近。

And the smell of your throat." 还有你的喉咙的味道。”

He stopped short, looking to see if he'd upset me. 他突然停下来，想看看自己是否吓到我了。

"Okay, then," I said flippantly, trying to alleviate the suddenly tense atmosphere. “好吧，那么，”我轻率地说道，试图缓和忽然紧绷起来的气氛。

I tucked my chin. "No throat exposure." 我收起下巴。“不让喉咙露出来。”

It worked; he laughed. 这起作用了。他大笑起来：

"No, really, it was more the surprise than anything else." “不，真的，这比别的任何事都要更惊人。”

He raised his free hand and placed it gently on the side of my neck. 他抬起那只闲着的手，温柔地放到我的脖子上。

I sat very still, the chill of his touch a natural warning—a warning telling me to be terrified. 我僵直地坐在那里，他的触碰带来的寒意是一种本能的警告——警告我应该感到恐惧。

But there was no feeling of fear in me. 但我却一点儿也不害怕。

There were, however, other feelings... 但是，却有另一种感觉……

"You see," he said. "Perfectly fine." “你看，”他说着，“好极了。”

My blood was racing, and I wished I could slow it, 我的血液在奔涌着，我真希望我能让它平静下来，

sensing that this must make everything so much more difficult—the thudding of my pulse in my veins. 我能感觉到，这会让每件事都更糟——我的脉搏在血管里砰砰作响。

Surely he could hear it. 当然他能听见这一切。

"The blush on your cheeks is lovely," he murmured. “你脸颊上的红晕太可爱了。”他喃喃低语道。

He gently freed his other hand. My hands fell limply into my lap. 他温柔地抽出了另一只手，我的手无力地落在膝盖上。

Softly he brushed my cheek, then held my face between his marble hands. 轻柔地，他拂过我的脸颊，然后用他宛如大理石般的双手捧起我的脸。