"Sandy, we should get together sometime and go shopping. I'll be hanging out here at Pallo's for the next couple of days. You should stop by. We could have some girl time. Only if you're not too busy supplying his next meal. I wouldn't want to run you ragged before he gets a chance to."

Her eyes lit up. "Does this mean I can come back?" She said it like she was about fifteen. From the looks of her, she was older than me. The phrase being rode hard came to mind. I now knew who it was coined after.

Pallo shot Sandra a nasty look and said no. That made me smile even harder. He didn't have any feelings for her at all. She had been used as food, and to try to get under my skin. It had almost worked. Almost.

Pallo had James show Sandra out, and came to sit by me. I could feel the anger stirring around him.

"What, are you going to attack me again? Should I be prepared or something?" I know that provoking an already mad vampire probably isn't the best idea, but what else was new? He clenched his hands. Little drops of blood fell from them. I was on a roll now, why stop? "So what? You want to hit me so bad you have to inflict pain on yourself to avoid it. Oh, please don't do that on my account, really."

He released an ear piercing yell, rising to his feet. I stood with him. He was going to have to deal with me or kill me, whatever it took. I placed my hand on his chest and pushed him softly.

"So, big guy, are you going to bite me again, or better yet, rip my arm out of its socket and tear my throat out? I don't have a baby in my arms, so that may take some of the fun out it for you! But hey, there could be one in my belly, and that is what's got you so p.i.s.sed off, isn't it! It's the fact that you got left with a possibly knocked up wh.o.r.e! Ha, but this wh.o.r.e never did you!" I was on the verge of screaming-okay, maybe I was screaming, just a little. It was taking everything I had to keep control of my volume level.

Pallo's eyes flashed to black, and he grabbed my wrist. I didn't try to pull away. I stood on my tiptoes and put my face near his. "Go ahead, kill me. You've been dying to do it since the moment you laid eyes on me. You acted like you cared so much about me in the beginning. You know, I almost bought the idea that maybe there was more to the story than meets the eye with us. I almost believed you were a nice guy." I touched his chest to push him away. "You took me to Caleb! You took me there and left me. Don't get p.i.s.sed off with me for having feelings for him. I met him because of you. This park was more important than me and...." I let my hand slide over his bare chest and touched the tiny scars under his right nipple. "I love you. Him ... I love Caleb."

The blackness in his eyes seemed to spill forth brown. He was calming down. He pulled my wrist and wrapped it around his waist, leaving my body pressed to his. He kissed my forehead and held his soft lips there a moment.

"You disgust me! I'm not sorry that any of this has happened. If I am going to be a mother, then you, as my 'friend', should be a little bit happier for me. You shouldn't be p.i.s.sed off that--"

"That I am not the one who fathered your child."

I stared at him. I had never in a million years expected him to be upset about that. I thought that he was angry about Caleb.

"Pallo?"

"No, Gwyneth, I have loved you since I laid eyes on you, and that has been longer than you know--longer than you can remember. I see that you are young, and have a desire to start out on the path life has in store for you. I saw you and I wanted to be the one that gave you all of your heart's desires. I wanted to be the one who made you happy. I have not wanted to be normal for a very long time, and you make me crave it."

Pallo held me tight and I let him. The sound of someone crying filled my head. It was me. I was holding onto Pallo with both arms and crying. My cheek was pressed to his cool chest and I was letting him hold me, not wanting him to stop. I felt a cool breeze tickle the back of my shoulder. I pulled back from him, still letting him hold my hand.

Wind whistled and circled around us like a small tornado. We were standing in a room that was underground so I knew it was impossible for this to be happening. His grip tightened on my hand. The wind picked up. Our feet stood firm, yet everything else moved. The room spun. I wasn't sure if that was his doing or mine. I saw Caradoc and James come running into the room.

Pallo closed his arms around me so quickly I had no time to protest. Not that I would have anyway. I buried my face in his hard chest. He smelled like a mixture of vanilla and Hugo Boss.

Caradoc and James tried to reach us, but the swirling wind kept them at bay. I tried to push away from Pallo, but he held tight.

"What's happening?" I shouted.

It sounded as if a large train headed straight for us. The force of the wind made us sway.

"I thought this was your doing," he yelled.

I shook my head no and buried my face in his chest. All of the noise and pounding of the wind stopped abruptly. I lifted my head. Pallo's arms tightened. I looked around the living room. Nothing was the same. Caradoc and James were gone.

We stood in a pale yellow bedroom with a large, four post bed in the center of it. The ceilings were high and white crown molding ran around the room. Thick, navy drapes hung to the floor on each side of a white fireplace. Picture frames were toppled over on the mantle, making it impossible to see who was in them from were we stood.

"Where are we?" I asked.

He loosened his grip on me and looked around the room. "In my bedroom."

"Slow down, boy. Why are we in your room? How the h.e.l.l many bedrooms do you have--"

He cut me off. "No, not my room as it is today. This is my room as it once was."

I stepped away. Looking down, I saw that I wore a long white gown that reached the floor. I closed my eyes, wishing hard to be back in my own bed. Some part of me had secretly hoped that would work, and was disappointed when I opened them to see Pallo still standing there. I never thought in a million years that I would be b.u.mmed out to be standing in the arms of a gorgeous guy. I gave up.

"When you say once was, what exactly do you mean?"

"This is a place from my past."

"How far in the past?"

"Roughly two hundred and fifty years, give or take."

"Over two hundred years in the past?" Panic swept through my voice.

"That is correct."

"Does this sort of thing happen to you often? I mean, time travel, falling for girls you've known less than a week ... getting them to fall for you too...?"

"No, this has never happened to me before." He ran his fingers through his hair in a nervous manner.

I walked to the bed and knelt by the side table. There was a folded note card sitting there with our names on it. I opened it, but could not read the writing. It was like no language I had ever seen before.

"Pallo?"

He came to me, and I handed him the card. A wide smile spread across his face.

"Well, what does it say?"

"It is from Lydia. She wishes us well."

"Lydia? Who, exactly, is Lydia?"

"Someone who cares very much for your well-being." He looked around the room in amazement as he spoke to me.

"I don't know anyone named Lydia, so why would she care about me? And what language is that?"

"I suppose she has her reasons. Do you mean to tell me you cannot read this?" he said, holding the card up to me.

"No, why should I?"

"It is faerie, they have a dialect all their own."

"Well, obviously I'm not up on my faerie. So, let's go find this Lydia and tell her that putting me in a bedroom with you is not really looking out for me, now is it?"

He frowned. "Do you really feel that way?"

"Pallo, what's going on?"

He was close enough to touch me. I leaned back. "Why do you pull away from me? You just confessed your love for me?"

"I don't know what the h.e.l.l you're talking about." I took a step back and tripped over the back of the long white nightgown. The bed broke my fall.

"May I join you?" he asked. The look on my face must have told him exactly what I thought he meant. "I would like to rest next to you. Daylight nears and I grow tired."

I looked at my wrist to check the time. "That can't be right."

"What is the problem?" Pallo asked, voice hushed.

"My watch is gone," I said, shoving my wrist toward him. He took hold of it, his touch gentle. A man with his power and strength could have torn my arm from my body. I could tell he had spent centuries learning to control himself.

"Your entire outfit is gone."

"Again ... you with the obvious."

The top of his thighs brushed my knees. I had to fight the urge to reach up and grab hold of his waist band. It was already dangerously close to exposing him as it was. I could clearly see his hip bones.

"Pull up your pants," I said pulling free and covering my eyes.

"Why does my body bother you?" he asked, clearly amused.

I kept my eyes covered and felt myself relaxing on the bed. My legs were still bent at the knees. Pallo's legs still pushed against mine while he stood before me.

"I didn't sign up for a vampire peep show tonight, okay?"

"It is your loss," he said.

He plopped down beside me on the bed. I sat up on my elbows and looked at him.

"What do you think your doing?" I was not going to be shacking up with a vampire tonight, at least not if I had anything to say about it. I had agreed to stay in his home, not in his bed.

Pallo lay on his side, watching me. His arm was bent, holding his head up, and long, loose curls spilled over his bare shoulder and touched the bed. "I am merely getting comfortable. Is that a problem?"

"Well, yeah, I think it is. Can we, like, call someone or something? Because, I am not going to lay in this bed with you."

"How would you have me phone someone? Should I close my eyes and make a wish?"

"Are you always this big of an a.s.shole, or do you save it up to impress the ladies?" I asked, glaring at him.

"Is your mood always this sour?" He gave me a grin that screamed mischief.

I wanted to have a snappy comeback, but nothing came to mind, so I just grunted.

"My sweet Gwyneth, I am only trying to get to know you."

"I am not your sweet anything, and I think I know enough about you to hold us both over."

"And what do you think you know about me?" Pallo asked, as he lifted his hand to touch me.

I smacked his hand away. "I know what you are, and I can only guess what you've done. There is no way in h.e.l.l that you got to the position you have by being Mister Nice Guy. How many innocent people have you tortured, or worse, murdered to get your little place in the sun? Or should I say darkness? I know of at least two. I know what you are."

"What exactly am I? I'm curious to hear your perspective."

I couldn't believe this guy. "You are a Vampire."

"Now who is stating the obvious?" he asked.

"G.o.d, forget it. There is no dealing with you, get away from me!"

"I am sorry. Forgive me." He was smiling. I knew the apology was fake, but I accepted it all the same.

"Pallo?"

"Yes."

"Why do we hurt each other so much?" It was a completely legitimate question. We had been dancing in circles since the moment I laid eyes on him. He moved himself closer to me. He sighed.

"I am sorry for the Brenda situation. I lost my temper."

I looked at him. What Brenda situation? Then it hit me. "You mean Sandra?"

He shrugged one shoulder. "Very well, Sandra."

Well, she must have left some impression on the guy. He'd already forgotten her name. Seeing him with her had bothered me. I felt like he was mine, and I didn't want to share. Kind of ironic, considering what I'd done with Caleb.

Thinking of Caleb again made my stomach tighten. I couldn't believe how far I had let things go. Most of all, I just couldn't believe how much I missed him. Pallo slid his hand down my arm and brought my thoughts back to him. I smiled, and he took this as a green light.

In a flash, he slid a leg over my thighs. The thin material of his pants couldn't hide how turned on he was. I sucked in as his lips brushed past mine.

My mind clouded. I knew I had been angry with him, but I could not remember why. The only thing I was sure of was that I wanted him to be interested in me. I liked the attention he gave me. I needed to have him near me. My body ached to be touched again. Caleb had brought my desires back to life, and now he was gone. All the men I let into my life ended up failing me somehow. I needed to know if it was just me. Was I destined to bring down every guy I let close to me, or was there still hope? I knew that Pallo would have s.e.x with me, but I didn't want that. I wanted to be loved, the same way anyone else would want it, unconditionally. I had felt that from Caleb, and I knew that he was not able to give me that anymore.

I faced the fireplace, freeing myself from the drape of his body. Pallo was on top of the covers and I didn't want to turn and ask him to move. I didn't trust what I would say or do if I looked into his brown eyes.

Something b.u.mped the back of my head. I turned to find Pallo laying flat on his back with his hands folded behind his head. His elbow had been what hit me.

"Excuse you," I said snippily.

"No, it is not I with the problem. It is you."

"I don't have a problem. Oh, wait that's right--I am only stuck in some G.o.dforsaken three hundred year old version of your love nest. Gee, why is it that I would have a problem? Hmm, I wonder?"

"Gwyneth, why do you fight your feelings for me?" He continued to stare at the ceiling.

"Whatever!" I wanted to push him off the bed. "You are so full of yourself. I'm going to sleep, don't come near me or I'll...." I couldn't really think of what I'd do.

"You will what? Be honest with yourself?" He sounded so sure of himself. He made my blood boil.

"Pallo?"