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"Five Hearts! Mandy M. Roth has written a story I found very exciting. There is never a dull moment. The sexual exploits between the trio will have you grabbing your own partner or taking a cold shower. There are some very graphic scenes in this story that are not for the faint of heart. I found this story to be most intriguing and look forward to more." Diane T., The Romance Studio
"Four ½ Stars! DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS will mesmerize readers who revel in a paranormal story. Ms. Roth’s realistic and chilling descriptions of those who possess supernatural powers makes me believe that these people and creatures might actually be walking on this earth. Gwen , Pallo and Caleb are engaging characters, whose lives are explained in such detail, that I feel I actually know these people. Gwen is unsure of herself at times, as she has many decisions to make that will effect others. Pallo and Caleb are two powerful men, both of whom care deeply for Gwen. The sex is very intense, especially if a lust spell is involved. There is even a clever touch of humor sprinkled throughout the book. If you are looking for a story with romance, supernatural elements, a suspenseful plot, and characters that literally jump off the page, then this is definitely the book for you." Amelia Richard, eCataRomance reviews
"Mandy M. Roth writes a dark paranormal with intriguing characters and a few surprises along the way...if you like your stories with a little bite to them, then DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS is the book to read." A Romance Review
"Four Dragons! Ms. Roth is clearly an up and coming talent who will go far. Her ability to create several worlds that come to life on her pages is enviable." Gina, http://www.enchantedinromance.com
"Four ½ Roses! I was enthralled from the first paragraph to the last. Good writing, an intriguing plot, and definitely character driven, Daughter of Darkness is an attention grabber to say the least. Mandy M. Roth seduces the reader as surely as the master vampire seduces Gwen. Just watch out for those trolls under the bridge!" A Romance Review
"Four Dragons! Ms. Roth is clearly an up and coming talent who will go far. Her ability to create several worlds that come to life on her pages is enviable. Carrying off a book written in the first person is extremely difficult at best and she does so with great style. " Gina, Enchanted Romance
"Four Hearts! This story races along at a brisk pace and is filled with erotic situations as well as violent battles. The author deftly weaves the various plotline threads into a coherent and exciting tale... The reincarnation and paranormal aspects are very prominent in this book. This was an enthralling story and hopefully, the first in a series, as we would love to see what happens down the road to Gwen and her men." Susan, Love Romances
"Hot-blooded with lots of extras just barely describes this new novel containing murder, mystery and romance just edging this side of erotic. Mandy M. Roth combines great characters and awesome story lines to create a wonderful, on-the-edge-of-your-seat read." Amanda Kimbrell, Myshelf.com
DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS
By
Mandy M. Roth
© copyright April 2004, Mandy M. Roth
Cover art by Eliza Black, © copyright April 2004
New Concepts Publishing
5202 Humphreys Rd.
Lake Park, GA 31636
www.newconceptspublishing.com
Dedication
To my family, friends, and faithful red pen:
Each of you has stood by me and never tired of listening to me ramble on about fairies, vampires, and werewolves. The support you have shown has been amazing. Thank you, and thank you Andrea for taking a chance on the new kid.
Prologue
I lay in the field of flowers taking in the glorious scents. Violas were littered around me acting as a warm blanket to shield me from the cool night. The beauty of the shades of glowing and green and yellow pulled me to them. I plucked one up and put it to my lips, and took in a deep breath. Their fresh scent soothed me and made me feel at one with the earth.
Small white clouds formed against the sharply contrasting royal blue sky. I traced the edges of one with my fingers. I wanted to reach out and grasp it and cuddle it to my body.
I rolled onto my stomach and propped my chin up with my arms. My hair got caught under my elbow, and I freed it to relieve the tension on my head. From the corner of my eye I caught the fluttering of a small orange and black butterfly. It hovered above me a moment and I put my hand out towards it. Perching lightly upon my wrist, it sat motionless.
The white cottony clouds that I had been so desperate to hold turned gray. Suddenly, the sky grew dark and ominous. The crackle of thunder made the earth beneath me vibrate. Wind circled around me, pulling at the tiny blue sundress I wore.
There was a sharp pain in my wrist. I looked down--a gold snake lay in place of the butterfly. Like two tiny daggers, its fangs were firmly planted into my skin. Most people would flick the thing off, right? Well. I’m not most people; besides, this wasn’t my first go around with the dream. I had been having the dream long enough to know what was to come. I braced myself. The ground beneath me gave way and I found myself spiraling into a bottomless pit. The darkness surrounded me, and I knew better than to bother to scream.
I heard the familiar sound of a woman’s voice whispering to me. "You are the balance; you will bring light to the darkness."
Chapter 1
I pulled up outside of the main gate. The blood red sign that stood high in the air read "Necro’s Magik World & Supernatural Theme Park." I hated the idea of being here but you do what you have to do to make a living. Prior to working as assistant to the City’s Chief Paranormal Prosecutor, I hadn’t been able to keep a job to save my life. I had tried a little bit of everything, from being a marketing director to stripping. Hey, a girl’s got to make a living, right?
My friend Sharon got me the job at the Paranormal Regulators Law Offices. She had worked with my boss and now ex-fiancé, Ken, enough to pull some strings and get me a job. He hired me as his personal assistant, sight unseen. After a year of working for him, he started to catch on to the fact that I had some special skills. I started showing signs of extrasensory perception (ESP) at the age of sixteen and still hadn’t quite gotten the hang of using them. They would manifest themselves in the strangest ways.
I spent one week home from work because I couldn’t stand the noise anymore. I had started hearing what others were thinking and I couldn’t block any of it. The inside of my head had so many voices going on I thought I was schizophrenic. Ken came knocking at my door after my third day of missing work. I confessed my problem to him and he took me to see some friends of his. They helped me learn to shield myself from outside interference, so to speak.
Ken then asked me out for dinner. I felt like I owed him a huge thank you so I went. We made a better couple than I thought we would at first. After a few months he finally managed to get me into bed with him. We were in his posh two-story townhouse, going at each other like animals. When I climaxed, I threw my head back and felt a burst of energy come over me. It was like my body was being ripped into a million pieces, not pain so much as it was pressure--a pressure that I had no alternative but to release. Pictures flew off the walls, dishes crashed to the floor in the kitchen, and all of Ken’s paperwork started blowing out of the window.
That was my first brush with psychokinesis, and it scared the hell out of both of us. That’s when I revealed the fact that I was of magical descent, most likely faerie. I had feared it would scare him away. It did the exact opposite. He asked me to marry him.
I was a romantic fool, and believed I was truly in love. Things were so good for almost a year--that should have tipped me off. Then one night he told me he was going to stay home from the office. He said that he hadn’t been feeling well and was going to rest. During my lunch hour I stopped off and picked up some lunch for him. I used my key and let myself into his place. When I walked into his bedroom he was busy pushing his long hard body into some redhead. Needless to say, I broke the engagement on the spot, along with two of his bedroom windows. Mess with a magical chic and you get some major clean-up when she is pissed, just a little motto I think all should remember.
Ken spent weeks trying to make it up to me. He kept claiming that he couldn’t control himself, and he didn’t mean for it to happen. I asked what the redhead’s name was, and he didn’t know. I gave him the choice of being friends or being enemies. He settled on just being friends, and that’s the way we’ve been for the last six months.
Work’s been keeping us pretty busy with the rapid rise in the number of supernatural-related homicides in the city in the last few months. Prophets were claiming it was the beginning of the end, and people were finding religion by the droves. I thought Ken’s promotion was a curse. We’d been working sixty-five hours a week since he made Prosecutor, and there seemed to be no end in sight. We not only had the supernatural cases to deal with, we had everyday human cases to handle. It was the only way the City could justify having another Prosecutor. Tax payers would wonder why it was they had to pay for a Prosecutor who never saw the inside of a courtroom.
I focused on the task at hand, taking a look around Necro’s Magik World. It had only been open for business for six years, but in that short time frame had managed to corner the market on ticket sales for theme parks. Someone had come up with the brilliant idea of having a theme park that revolved around the supernatural. By doing this the area had become a Mecca for the undead and magical creatures. At the park demons didn’t have to hide who they were. They were able to live among humans without fear of persecution and mass pandemonium. I’d even seen some of the "employees" walking around downtown one night. No one looked shocked to see a vampire walking around them--just ran up and asked for their autograph.
Teenagers were heavy into imitating the undead, and of course, dead attire was all the rage. I wondered if creatures of the undead ever thought of sending thank-you notes to rock stars who ran around looking like death on stage. The more I thought about Hollywood, and rock stars, the more I wondered how many of the images weren’t an act. I knew that there had to be a few celebrities that fell into the category of supernatural, I just didn’t know which ones they were.
Necro’s Magik World was huge, or so I’d been told. While the park spanned over four hundred acres, it wasn’t all developed yet since they’d left room for expansion. They had picked the location wisely. They were close enough to the city to generate business, but far enough out to remain secluded and away from the watchful eye of others. People were eating up the idea of a supernatural theme park to the point that various spin-offs of it were popping up all around the world. There were restaurants, clothing stores, and, believe it or not, a website. But hey, who didn’t have one of those, right? A computer literate Vampire, funny thought, huh! The park only operated during nighttime for obvious reasons. I didn’t know too many vampires that would be willing to sit out in the sunlight to greet guests. Here’s your ticket, excuse me while I burst into flames.
I still wasn’t sure about the outfit I had chosen. I had decided on a pair of dark blue jeans, flare bottom, (they made my legs look longer), and at five foot five I took all the help I could get. I had debated on wearing long sleeves or short because of how cool the summer nights could get, and finally settled on a red short sleeve top. When I’d looked at myself in the mirror I realized how casual I looked and decided to dress it up a bit with some silver jewelry and ended up wearing black sandals. I had chosen blue jeans because I always felt most comfortable in them. I had also been told that red brought out my best features--my eyes and my hair. I was ticked that I hadn’t brought a brush with me. I had left the house in such a hurry that I hadn’t taken time to blow dry my hair. I fumbled around in my purse until I found a hair tie. I gathered up the front and sides of my hair and pulled it loosely behind my head. I wrapped the tie around it several times and did a quick check. Little black wisps fell from it and framed my face. That was just the way I liked it. I had been thinking of cutting my hair off again. It seemed rather silly because every time I did it my hair grew back to just above my rear end within two months. My hair liked to be that long and didn’t take kindly to my attempts at doing anything else with it.
Being awakened out of dead sleep by Ken’s phone call did not suit me. I looked like crap. Sure, I was grateful that he’d ended my nightmare, but peeved that he’d wanted to go out in the middle of the night to question a master vampire. I made a mental note to sleep for two days straight whenever I got the opportunity, and to give Ken a piece of my mind.
I touched my face and decided that I didn’t have to fuss with much. I had been blessed with flawless skin. It was, however, rather pale. I tried tanning beds and hitting the beach every day for a summer and I couldn’t get myself to burn, let alone tan. I did my best to make up for the lack of color by adding a touch of blush to both cheeks and some lip gloss to my lips. I was so sick of everyone asking if I had collagen implants. I wanted to get a t-shirt printed that read, ‘Yes, I do see the light of day, and yes the lips are real too’. I grabbed my purse again from the passenger seat and fumbled through it until I found my eyeliner. I was big on the whole lining of the top lid with black craze. Prior to its recent revival, I had been seriously out of date with the look, but did it anyway. I loved the way it brought out my eyes, and I was into retro.
Satisfied it was as good as it was going to get, I got out of the car.
When I swung the door shut I thought that the car had finally had it. It was an ‘84 Thunderbird and it had seen better days. The roof was dented beyond repair, and it had no floor in the back right passenger side. Every time it rained, my seat ended up soaked because the seal on the door was missing. I tried to remember to lay a towel on the seat when I got out, but every now and then I would forget. My absolute favorite thing about the car was that I had to use my best judgment to find the right gears. When you put the car in park you were really in reverse and when you put the car in reverse you went forward. Parking had always been a guess because the spot for it was somewhere above the letters on the dash. The only thing the car had going for it was that it was paid for and it still ran. I was worried about getting my student loans paid off before I bought a new car. I figured I’d be paying for my loans until I died at this rate, and considering the fact that I was pretty sure I had Si (pronounced shee) blood in me that was pretty funny. Most Si were immortal, creatures of magic. The banks would just love me!
I walked towards one of the ticket booths. It was made to look like a mausoleum. Gray granite rock covered it and mythical creatures were carved into its molding. The man sitting behind the counter looked like a zombie. The makeup slathered on his face gave him the appearance of rotting flesh, and his costume looked as though he had just crawled from the grave to take my ticket—just looking at him made me smile. I assumed that they had real zombies working here, but this kid was obviously not one of them.
"Ticket please."
I tried not to laugh. He sounded so ridiculous. The make-up and wardrobe were one thing--the overdone enunciation on his words was just too much.
"Gwen Stevens. I’m here to speak with Pallo." I had to bite my lip to keep from bursting out in laughter. He didn’t look amused and turned to pick up the phone. He hung up and looked back at me. "Mr. Pallo will see you shortly. Go through the red doors and down the stairs, someone will meet you there."
Giving him a nod, I headed in the direction he had pointed me.
A gigantic limestone building loomed before me. The gray formed a sharp contrast to the small, landscaped flower beds that lined the walkway leading up to it. They were full of what looked to be lemon verbena and green sage. I thought it odd that someone would grow only herbs in a spot made for flowers
Stone gargoyles stood in the center of each bed. I felt myself shudder a little and wasn’t sure why a flower bed would get to me. Truth be told, I really didn’t like the idea of being at a place where they prided themselves on scaring the shit out of you, but Ken needed information … bad. I really hated the fact that I was his ‘girl Friday.’
It only took me a few minutes to reach the red doors. I stood around and waited for Sharon or Rick to show up. I had already been at the park for half an hour so I decided to give them another fifteen minutes. Sharon was usually late. She seemed to be on a whole separate time schedule. At the office we referred to someone who was late as running on "Sharon-time". Rick, on the other hand, had a military background and was always five minutes early. The fact that he wasn’t here yet should have really bothered me, but it didn’t. I was getting pretty brave in my old age, or pretty stupid.
My patience level was pretty low considering I had gotten little sleep due to my-oh-so pleasant dream. The fact that I was standing out here in the dead of night waiting for the people who should have been handling this themselves didn’t help much either. I gave up and used my cell phone to try and reach Sharon. I got her voice mail, so I left her a message telling her I was going to go ahead in and I’d talk to her later, and if I didn’t call her back in an hour I was probably dead. That was my way of making light of the situation, but my gut told me that there was some truth to that comment.
I looked up at the red door. The last thing I wanted to do tonight was go into a room full of vamps, but if I didn’t go now I would lose my nerve. I turned the knob and pulled the door open.
Instantly, I was hit in the face with the smell of dampness. I looked around and tried to get the nasty taste of stale air out of my mouth. I was standing at the top of a stairwell, which was lit by several torches sitting in sconces along the wall. The walls were stone and looked like the inside of a castle.
No, make that the entrance to a dungeon.
The steps were stone too, and rather steep. I wasn’t sure how anyone who owned and operated a multi-million dollar business ended up in a basement, but I trudged onward anyway. When I reached the end of the staircase I found myself in front of a large, heavy, metal door. The medieval theme was really starting to get on my nerves. I knocked on the door.
The door opened quickly and a man stood there silently, looking at me. His six foot five frame took up most of the door way. White waves of hair spilled onto his shoulders. Large green eyes stared back at me. His face was soft, with baby fine features. The sweet smell of honey filled my head.
I had heard that vampires smelled nice, but this was ridiculous. I wanted to lick him just to see if he tasted as good as he smelled, but I held back. Good girl.
He was dressed like he’d just fallen out of the 80’s. I half expected him to claim he was the guitarist for one of the big hair bands and not really a vamp at all. He had on black, painted-on leather pants. His white shirt hung loosely from his body and gaped open to the middle of his stomach. Even in the poorly lit stairwell I could see how smooth and pale his skin was. When I looked back at his face, he was staring at me wide-eyed. He looked puzzled and a bit surprised. Imagine that--I put a vampire off guard.
"I’m Gwyneth Stevens. Kenneth Harpel sent me down to speak with Mr. Pallo." I extended my hand out to him, but he just stared at it.
A few seconds went by in silence. I had the strongest urge to bolt back up the stairs and out the door.
"Please come in." he said, stepping to the side. "We do not get many new visitors here. I apologize for my lack of manners."
I’d never met an honest to God gentleman before. "Thank you. I’m sorry for coming at such a late hour, but Lydia phoned our office requesting I come to see Mr. Pallo tonight."
His green eyes widened. "Yes, Lydia, umm, come in please. I will get Pallo for you."
"So, do you have a name or is Def Leppard mega-fan all right by you?" I asked, dripping with sarcasm.
"I am Caradoc." He looked puzzled by my attempt at humor. I had been told once that modern cynicism sometimes got lost on the older vampires and persons of magic. Guess that was true.
"Caradoc, the name doesn’t sound familiar."
"Should it?" he asked me as I walked past him.
"No, I guess not. I just got the feeling that I knew you from somewhere."
Caradoc led me into a room with a large stone fireplace in it. Two red sofas sat across from each other. They were trimmed with beautiful gold leafing that made your eye follow the s-curve of the feet. A massive Serapi rug covered the floor. Cherry end tables flanked each end of the red sofas. Candles sat on them and dripped wax down onto the rich wood. I had half a mind to walk up and put a coaster under them to protect the integrity of the tables. I got the feeling that no one else here cared, so I let it be.
The room had several doors in it. I had no clue where any of them went, so I kept my back near the exit. I didn’t like leaving myself vulnerable, but the room didn’t leave me many options.
"Please have a seat." Caradoc motioned to one of the couches. "Can I offer you anything to drink?"
I wasn’t sure how to answer that. I was afraid to say yes and get a big glass of blood, and afraid to say no and come off as rude.
He winked at me. I wondered if he was flirting or just had something in his eye. My money was on hair spray--if he held true to his eighties ensemble. "Would you like a glass of iced tea?"
"Yes, please."
"Please make yourself at home."
I watched him exit out the door to my right and sat with my hands folded in my lap. I turned and stared at the large fireplace. Tiny pixies and fairies were embossed in it. They were all naked and each one wrapped itself around the one below it. I wondered how wise it was to be standing in a Master Vampire’s living room alone when he obviously had a thing for naked creatures of magic. I was a life-sized version of that. I gulped and rubbed my palms across my jeans, trying my best to keep the nervous sweat that was building to a minimum.
I was getting a strange vibe from this place. It felt more like home then the apartment I’d been living in for the last two years. I had been in the place for less then fifteen minutes and I already felt like I could throw my feet up on the sofa and kick back awhile. I resisted the urge to do so, and turned to stare at a wall of red drapes. I was going to go pull one back when I heard a man’s voice behind me.
"Sorry to interrupt you Ms…, but Pallo will be with you in a moment." I didn’t sense anyone in the room with me so I jumped a little. When I turned around Caradoc was standing behind me. He realized his mistake of sneaking up on me and bowed his head down. "Forgive me, I didn’t mean to startle you."
"No, you’re fine. I’m sorry." I felt a little silly with a man bowing in front of me so I put my hand out to him. If Sharon were with me she would have shot me dead on the spot for being careless and trusting a stranger who also happened to be a vampire. I didn’t feel that he posed any threat to me. For some reason I knew I could trust him. I let my fingers touch the top of his head and his head sprang up and he took a step back from me.
The door to my left opened and a man entered. He looked to be in his early twenties but I knew that if he was a vamp he was more likely to be in the hundreds. His hair was short and blonde with pink tips. It looked as though he used gel to spike it. He was wearing black from head to toe. He had on a t-shirt, jeans, and pair of black army boots. He definitely had the James Dean look down pat. When he saw me he froze in place. Gee, I was having that effect on a lot of people lately. He opened his mouth and stood silent for a second. I didn’t want to play this game anymore.
"Pallo, I came here to speak with you regarding the hellhound homicides." My ability to be all work and no play came so easy. I expected him to start pouring his heart out about what they knew. What I got instead was his face looking even more shocked.
"Christ, Caradoc, she thinks I’m Pallo. What the hell’s going on here? If anyone should remember him, it’s her," he said, his voice thick with a British accent as he pointed at me.
Shoot. I thought that had to be the head guy--guess I was wrong. That didn’t happen too often, so I was feeling a bit nervous. I usually just knew things that other people didn’t. It had always proved to be an asset until about thirty seconds ago. I wanted to question him about my knowing Mr. Pallo, but changed my mind.
Caradoc stepped forward. I could tell he didn’t want to touch me, and that was just fine by me. "I’m sorry Ms. Stevens." He put a lot of emphasis on my name and was staring hard at the James Dean-looking vamp.
"This is Jameson. Master Pallo will be with us momentarily."
Jameson, James Dean? I shrugged and laughed in my head at the irony. Jameson approached me with speed that no human could posses and extended his hand to me.
"Nice to meet you, Ms. Stevens." With the amount of attention they were giving my name, I had started to wonder if they thought it was an alias.
"Nice to meet you too, Jameson." His hand was cool to the touch. I pulled mine away slowly.
"James. I go by James." He smiled wide at me and I saw no fangs. I had never met a vampire in person before. I always assumed they walked around with these huge fangs showing. Guess I was wrong.
"Can either of you fine gentlemen tell me where Pallo is? I would love to spend another hour getting stared at like a circus freak, but a girl’s got to get her beauty sleep you know. So, now that the pleasantries are out of the way, can someone find Pallo or Mr. Pallo for me?" I turned to face Caradoc. I could sense that between the two he was higher up on the seniority ladder, but I wasn’t sure by how much.
"He cannot help you find him, but I’m sure I can." The voice ran over the room and covered my body. It was familiar to me. I turned, expecting to see someone I knew.
A man walked out from behind James. He was around six foot tall and had a head of loose brown curls that hung almost to his shoulders. Normally, I think only men in rock bands should have long hair, but after tonight, I was willing to make a few exceptions.
This guy was leaking sexuality. Prior to this meeting, I hadn’t known that was even possible. His face looked as though chiseled from stone. His pale skin had only the faintest hint of coloring. He had a strong chin with a small dimple in it, and his lips were full and looked soft, kissable.
I let my gaze slowly fall down his body. He wore no shirt. His shoulders were broad, and from where I stood it looked as though tiny freckles covered them. Muscles rippled down his stomach, forcing my eyes lower. My gaze slid down his smooth hairless chest to his midriff. He was wearing a loose pair of black pants.
God, could it get any better than this? They looked to be pajama bottoms, but I wasn’t sure. I was too busy staring at the way his chest went from being completely bare to the start of tiny black hairs from his navel area down. He was wearing his waistband extremely low and I was positive he wasn’t wearing any underwear.
I looked down to the floor and saw that he was barefoot. I did a quick second look at his body as I retraced my steps back to his beautiful face. The most intense pair of crisp, dark brown--almost black eyes were looking at me, wide. When I was finished mentally undressing him, I noticed the look on his face. Gee, what a shocker. He looked like he’d seen a ghost.
"Would you guys please tell me if I have a huge horn sprouting from my forehead?" I was tired and I was sure it was pushing at least three in the morning.
Caradoc spoke first. "No, Ms. Stevens you’ve not sprouted a horn as of yet. Why do you ask? Is this something we should watch for?" his sincerity made me burst out into laughter. James and the mysterious tall dark and handsome vamp laughed as well.
"Everyone I’ve met so far has stood there staring at me like a deer caught in headlights. What gives? Where the hell is Mr. Pallo? I’m done for the night boys. It’s been fun, but I really must be going now."
"I am Mr. Pallo." The drop dead gorgeous one said. "Pallo is fine. I am sorry if we’ve upset you, but you remind us of someone we once knew." He tossed his hair out of his face with his hand and stepped towards me. "My apologies for looking like I just rolled out of bed, but I have been sparring in the gym. I wasn’t expecting any visitors."
When Ken told me that I was going to see a guy named Pallo, I pictured a six hundred year old vampire who still spoke like he was in the Old World. Pallo didn’t seem much into using contractions, but his English was perfect.
"I’d have thought that Lydia would’ve told you I was coming. She phoned and requested that someone be sent down immediately to speak with you. Two others were supposed...." I didn’t finish my last sentence I wasn’t sure it was wise to spill the beans about being here completely alone with no sign of back-up coming. My patience level was growing very thin. The only thing that helped me keep my grip was that I was surrounded by three of the sexiest guys I’d ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on. Did I also forget to mention the fact that they could probably kill me before I knew what hit me?
The room fell silent. I noticed Caradoc and James exchange glances. Pallo was the first to break the silence. "I have not had a chance to speak personally with Lydia in some time now. My apologies. Please stay. I’ll answer whatever I can Ms….?"
"Ms. Stevens. Thank you." I said.
"Yes, of course, Gwyneth Stevens. I have seen your name in the Nocturnal Journal recently for your office being involved in the break up of a Ghoul-fighting ring." He took a step towards me, "Most impressive indeed, Gwyneth."
This poster child for dead and doable saying my name made me want to melt, and in some ways I did. I’ve heard that vampires could persuade members of the opposite sex to fall for them with ease. Knowing this should have prepared me for the way I was starting to feel, but it didn’t.
I looked into Pallo’s sweet dark eyes. I wanted them to be looking down at me, staring at me while his body moved in and out of mine. I wanted to run my fingers through his wavy brown hair, to hold it while he brought my body to its climax. I wanted him now. I had to concentrate on not leaping across the room and straddling him. I pushed the desire down and felt how strong his pull was. Thankfully, I was stronger.
"Why are you fighting me?" Pallo asked.
"What do you mean?" I thought I’d play the dumb blonde routine for a minute.
"You are trying hard not to come near me, like I mean you harm," he said. I guess the dumb blonde routine doesn’t work well, especially when you’re a brunette.
"Look, no offense, but you could be a homicidal maniac for all I know. After all, you are a--" I stopped short of saying vampire.
"True. But why would such a lovely young woman come alone to a maniac’s house in the middle of the night?" he asked. He was smiling so sexy that I had to fight with myself not to jump his bones then and there. Of course, I was willing to settle for a dry hump--Nah.
"Okay, you’ve got a good point. I must be crazy to come down here with a room full of vampires anyway, so why even bother with the shenanigans?"
"The shenanigans you refer to were merely a test. I do not want any of my staff revealing information to someone not associated with the likes of us."
I was well beyond the point of feeling the need to be polite. "Well, I’m so happy that I passed your little Club Bloodsuckers initiation test, but I would really like--"
His hand came up suddenly, motioning me to stop. Surprisingly enough, I did. He must have thought my last comment was amusing because he started to laugh. It was quite possibly the most perfect laugh I’ve ever heard.
"Well I’m so happy to be your entertainment for the evening, thank you, and good-bye!"
I started towards the door. Pallo stepped in my path. Under normal circumstances a vampire standing in front of me would scare the hell out of me. This time it just pissed me off.
He stepped close enough for me to touch, put his hand out and brushed mine. I flinched a little. Even though I had mentally psyched myself up for meeting vampires, I couldn’t bring myself to not be scared of what they could do.
I started to pull back, but his touch felt familiar to me. He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it gently. His lips were soft. I let my protective magic fall. Warmth flowed over my body. Suddenly, my insides felt like a thousand tiny fingers were moving throughout me--caressing me. Pallo’s hands never left mine, yet I could have sworn that he’d just rubbed my most vulnerable spot. I gasped and felt my body react to him. Damp, and breathless, I felt my hair lifted up and I saw his do the same. I yanked my hand back, as if I’d been scorched.
"Nice to meet you too," he said. He was grinning at me. He planned that.
I smiled back, trying to look nonchalant, as if this sort of thing happened often. "Do you do that to all the ladies?"
He leaned in so close that I thought he was smelling my neck, or worse yet, about to bite it. I put my hands up and touched his chin. His skin was so smooth. Ken had always had a five o’clock shadow by ten in the morning. This guy was like touching a porcelain doll’s face. I felt his breath on my neck. I wasn’t sure my legs were going to hold out if he got much closer.
"I only do that to the pretty ones. And in my two hundred and seventy-five years on this earth I have only met two worthy of that show," he whispered.
I gave his chin a little push, and he stepped back.
"Can we just get down to business?" I asked, faking annoyance, but wanting another hair-raising experience. Who wouldn’t?
"I will get down whenever or wherever you would like."
I felt my heart skip a beat. I was so mad at myself. I was letting this two hundred and seventy-five-year-old corpse smooth talk me. But God, he was a good-looking corpse. I walked up to him. Two could play that game. I slid my hand across his chest. I really hoped this plan didn’t backfire. If it did I would end up dead--so what the hell.
I like to think of myself as being fairly attractive, and if he insisted on playing the Mr. Sexy game, I’d play along and then get the hell out of there. I knew before my fingers touched him that he had two tiny scars under his right nipple. This did not surprise me. I figured I could have caught a glimpse of them--he did have his shirt off after all. But I knew how he had gotten them.
"Been avoiding picking fights with sailors I hope?" Words came into my head and I heard them fall from my lips. I was used to getting random visions of events in peoples lives, but this was different. No vision had come to me. I just knew this to be true. I couldn’t explain it. I pulled my hand away from him quickly, completely freaked out.
He looked at me a little shocked, then smiled. I was starting to really like that devilish grin. "Yes, I learned my lesson."
"A punctured lung will do that to you." I grabbed my mouth. For some reason, in my head, I thought this would solve my problem.
Pallo leaned into me--his lips brushed the back of my hand. My knees were getting weaker. Six months without sex was starting to take its toll on me. "Yes, one can learn almost any lesson if pain is involved." His deep voice moved over me, around me, through me.
Oh, he was good!
He shrugged and smiled. He definitely knew something I didn’t, and he wasn’t about to let on to what it was. The cocky routine was starting to get to me. I was flirtatious by nature, but this was getting on my nerves. I wanted to ask about the hellhounds and go. I wanted to leave this place and never look back. I wanted to run my hand over his chest again. Hey, cut a girl some slack--it’s not all that often that the poster boy for every woman’s deepest sexual desire takes an interest in you. The desire won out. I felt his smooth chest one last time and stepped back.
Pallo’s hand reached out and touched my hip. I pushed it away lightly, unsure who I trusted less, him or me. He smelled good enough to eat and that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to swallow him up. Problem was, I knew what this guy was, and he would think of me as the main course.
Nevertheless, I wanted to know how it felt to have his body pressing against mine. I could feel his lust for me as well. I knew he was thinking of more than just pressing himself against me. I could see it in the way he smiled at me and in the way he moved near me. His movements were like ripples in water, so smooth, so sure of where they are going, so full of purpose, so making me horny.
I shook my head and cleared my naughty little schoolgirl thoughts. "I’m sorry, but I really just wanted to get some information in regards to some hellhound related incidents that we’ve had recently."
That a girl--keep focused on work and not on Pallo’s glorious body.
He smiled at me, and I could tell that he wanted to pursue this newfound attraction more, but then he spoke and had apparently decided against it. "What is it that you want to know?"
I was shocked. He was going to give me some answers. "Well, for starters, do you know where we can find the Keeper of the Hounds? He has managed to elude us so far."
I caught James giving Pallo an odd look out of the corner of my eye but decided to ignore it. Pallo’s head fell back slightly and he began to laugh. The sound of his laugh wrapped around my body and made me tingle in places that I didn’t even know I had. I shuddered and fought to maintain control. "I’m sorry Pallo but I really don’t see how people being slaughtered by some crazy guy and his puppy slackies is amusing."
He looked at me and grew quiet. "I am sorry. It’s just that you seem very confident that the Keeper is male. Are we really that destructive that you would automatically assume it was our doing?"
"I’m lost--you mean as a vampire or as a guy?"
"I am referring to men in general, Ms. Stevens."
"Well, sorry to disappoint, but I really don’t have a low opinion of men. I’m not one of those women who run around all day male-bashing. I think they’re just great. I’m just going off of the information I was given, and sources on the street are saying male, so that’s what I’m sticking with." My tone was definitely harsher than I had wanted it to be, but I was exhausted.
Pallo looked very smug and sure of himself. He kept pushing a strand of his curly hair behind his left ear. "Your informants are wrong, and I would be very reluctant to listen to them further."
As great as that sounded, the reality was that informants were getting harder and harder for the PR Dept. to come by. They were disappearing left and right, never to be heard from again. The few that Ken had left would have to do, simply because there were no others to turn to. I got the sense that Pallo picked up on this, because he motioned for James and started to speak to me. "Come here tomorrow at dusk and I will tell you more about the Keeper of the Hounds".
"Can’t we just do it tonight?" No part of me wanted to come back to this place again. He smiled and motioned upwards. "I’m afraid that Mother Nature’s rising sun will prevent me from going into further detail with you tonight. Please come by tomorrow and I will speak with you then. James will walk you to your car Ms. Stevens." With that, he turned and walked out of the room. Hmm, so much for good-byes. Secretly I was hoping for another hand shake. Touching his skin made me feel alive. It was official--I really, really needed to get laid.
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