Part 3 (1/2)

”That is not funny! To tell you the truth, it's just plain ol' creepy.” I didn't bother to tell him that I had that gift as well. I had made every effort to push that ability down deep. It had never been something I could come to terms with.

”I do not need my power to know what you are thinking. You wear your feelings on your sleeve.” He was smiling at me, and I saw little dimples near the corners of his mouth. Just my luck-sarcastic and adorable.

We didn't have a whole lot of time before the sun would come up. For some reason, I wanted to make the most of it. I didn't care what information he had about the Keeper of the Hounds. All I cared about was how good my body felt near him.

Pallo took my arm in his and walked me towards the entrance of his theme park. The people buying tickets all gawked at him like he was a movie star. I knew he was hot, but this was ridiculous. I half expected paparazzi to leap out of the bushes at us.

Pallo led me through a set of large iron gates set up to look like the entrance to a cemetery. Once inside, I was. .h.i.t with the sights and sounds of the amus.e.m.e.nt park. The smell of cotton candy was around me. I took a deep breath. I could hear music coming from all directions. The sounds of the rides were like white noise.

In the center of the midway there was a large carousel. In the place of wooden horses were carved b.o.o.bries. These were giant water birds that were on the verge of extinction. They looked like a strange cross between a dragon and a bird. Huge talons sprung forth from the carved wood. Scales covered the creature's legs. The b.r.e.a.s.t.s of the b.o.o.bries were covered in feathers. Thick necks pointed the way to a bird-like head. A s.h.i.+ny gla.s.s red eye stared out at me from each one. The carousel was full of children laughing as they went up and down. The children held tight to the pole, perched on the backs of the black creatures. Each one had been carved with such love and patience that it looked almost lifelike. b.o.o.bries had been numerous across the lands at one time, but now their numbers had dwindled to the low twenties. People had feared them when they stopped being satisfied with s.n.a.t.c.hing farm animals and started s.n.a.t.c.hing the farmers instead. Who could blame them? It had been a nightmare to keep out of the news. The tabloids had picked up the story. It made the front page twice, then some pop star's newest love interest sold more issues, so they quit running it.

We walked further into the crowd of people. Visitors to the park were huddling around to get their pictures taken with the employees that worked there. A few vampire employees were really playing the part. They had on long black capes with red inner lining. Tiny lines of blood ran down their chins. People were waiting to have a chance to stand next to one and have it pretend to be sinking its fangs into them. Flocks of girls in their late teens and early twenties cl.u.s.tered around the vamps. They couldn't have had more than a yard of fabric between them covering their bodies.

”You guys have groupies?”

”It is not easy to keep all of my vampires happy with blood stored in the cooler from blood banks. They do enjoy something a bit fresher from time to time.”

I was shocked. ”You mean you kill people here?”

He laughed at me and stopped walking. ”Death is not a prerequisite to a vampire's feeding. It can be a side effect if one is not careful, but, no, we do not kill anyone here. They volunteer to let us feed off of them. That is all.”

”You mean you've been feeding off of them too?”

”Would you rather I did not? I would die if I stopped feeding from the living.” He bent and kissed my forehead. ”It's not as if they get nothing from it.”

His words. .h.i.t me hard. ”You have s.e.x with all of these girls?”

”Some, yes, but not all. Even I could not have s.e.x with all of them.” His tone told me he was mocking me.

”Get away from me.” I pushed him back from me. ”G.o.d, you're a pig.” I was so angry with myself. Here I was, supposed to be doing my job, and instead I was acting like arm candy for a womanizing dead guy. I was ticked. More than that, I was jealous. I had no reason to be. He didn't owe me an explanation. I wasn't married to the guy. I wasn't even his girlfriend. I was acting like a fool.

”Why the h.e.l.l did you want to give me the tour? Where you hoping to lure me into a dark corner and get a little blood from me? I'm only here tonight because someone I care about asked me to come. I didn't want to be here, and I don't want to be around you or your funky mojo either.”

I put my head down and walked as fast as I could. A vision flashed in my head. I saw Pallo bend down on one knee holding a woman's hand in his. Her back was to me, her hair was black and long, the ends curled up slightly. A slight breeze was blowing it enough for me to see her tiny, slightly curved ears. She wore a flowing white gown. It was made from so much material that it hid the shape of her body. Instead of looking plain and frumpy, it made me want to see what was underneath. It made me want to touch her--to feel if she was as real and as beautiful as she looked My essence floated behind her while Pallo sat on bended knee before her. His skin was bronzed. His hair was longer than now. The sunlight had bleached bits and pieces of his dark brown hair to blonde. He was beautiful. He looked sun kissed and alive. My essence moved around to see the woman he was looking at so intently. My eyes met hers, and I felt myself being pulled into them. No longer a spectator--I blinked. There before me was Pallo, on his knee holding my hand.

”Say yes. Say you will spend the rest of my life with me,” he said desperately.

I walked into what felt like a brick wall, and the vision left me. I tried to pull it back, but it was gone. I looked up and was staring at the center of Pallo's chest. I hadn't realized he had moved. The vision had sucked me in, it felt so real. It felt like it was my own. I had never had a vision spontaneously hit me. They only hit me when I came into contact with a person. I had not been touching Pallo when that flashed before me, but it had felt so real. I had just met the man, and already I was seriously hoping for marriage. G.o.d, I needed to get laid! I looked up at Pallo and stepped away from him. He caught hold of my arm and pulled me to him.

”How do you do that?” I wanted to know how he seemed to know when it was okay to touch me, and that I wouldn't strike him.

”What?” he said, grinning down at me. ”I was not always the monster you see before you.” I was going to apologize, but he kept going. ”I was once just a man. I had a different life before this. I had a good life.”

I didn't see a monster standing before me now. I saw a gorgeous, tall man with penetrating dark brown eyes that seemed interested only in me.

”Tell me about your life before you became one of the undead?” I asked.

”Well, I do prefer the word immortal, but...”

This time I interrupted him. ”Yeah, and I prefer Gwen, but you keep calling me Gwyneth.”

”Ah, touche!” He looked happy as he stood with me, the summer breeze blowing warm air at our backs. I could tell it had been a long time since he had been happy, but I didn't know why. I took his hand in mine, and this pleased him.

”Answer one question for me, and I want the truth. Can you do that?” I asked.

”Can I do what--tell the truth, or answer your question?” he was making an attempt at a joke and I knew it.

”Pallo.”

”I'm sorry. What is it you would like to ask me?” I felt his fingers curl around mine--they were so cold that I brought my other hand around to try to warm him.

”Why do I feel like I've known you forever?”

”I must admit, I do tend to have that affect on the opposite s.e.x.”

”Please, Pallo.”

He gave me a small smirk and turned to continue our tour of the park. He was not going to answer my question, even though I was betting that he knew the answer to it. h.e.l.l, he was probably the reason for it. He was probably leaking some weird vamp mojo all over, making me want him, for all I knew.

He stopped walking and turned his head to me. ”No vampire tricks here, Gwyneth.” He bent and pressed his lips to mine. I yanked back as fast as I could, watching his face go from stunned to hurt.

”Am I truly that horrible?”

My jaw dropped. Who the h.e.l.l was this guy? He'd already gotten me to hold his hand and I'd known him less than forty eight hours. Normally, it took three dates and some sweet-talking to get that much out of me. He was good, I'd give him that.

”I'm sorry, but I have to go!” I said and started back the way we had come. ”Thank you for the tour, Mr. Pallo.” I felt overwhelmed by his presence and wanted to push him away from me as fast as I could.

Wasting no time, I jogged away, searching for the park exit. I could feel Pallo staring at me from behind, looking through my soul. I kept wis.h.i.+ng he would stop and just let me go. After running this through my head several hundred times, I no longer felt his penetrating gaze on me any more. I didn't dare turn to see if he was still standing there.

I kept heading the direction I thought the exit would be, but couldn't find one. I was getting further and further away from the midway. The crowds were lighter. I hadn't remembered walking this far with Pallo during my tour, but then again my concentration had been more on his firm b.u.t.t than the walk itself. The hairs on the back of my neck started to stand on end. That couldn't be a good sign. I looked around, trying to spot the carousel at the entrance to the park. There was nothing that looked even remotely similar to that anywhere around me. I saw an entrance to what was labeled the Enchanted Forest and one to House of h.e.l.l. I was drawn to the Enchanted Forest entrance, but as I neared it, I stopped. A small sign that I hadn't noticed read ”temporarily closed for maintenance.” I could have sworn that that hadn't been there just seconds before, but I was having one of those nights.

I started towards the House of h.e.l.l, moving into the turnstile when the call of my name caught my attention. I turned and found Pallo standing close. He was the stealthiest s...o...b.. I'd ever met, but I was suddenly happy to see him.

”You are smiling,” he said softly.

I hadn't realized I was. ”Yes, you caught me, I'm happy to see you.” This seemed to bring him nothing but delight, because he glided up to me quickly and wrapped me in his arms.

”Not nearly as glad as I am to see you.”

My heart melted. I guess two hundred plus years will give a guy the ability to smooth talk with the best of them. ”Come,” he said, setting me down and pulling me towards the Enchanted Forest. The gates creaked loudly as he pushed them open and gently pulled me through them. He led me down tree-lined, stone pathway. The dark closed in, making me nervous.

”You're not afraid of the dark, are you?” he said in a teasing tone.

”Maybe, but in truth, I'm walking with one the darkness' scariest creatures, am I not?” The moment I said it I regretted it. He let go of my hand and turned away from me.

”I am a fool.”

”No, Pallo. No, I am. I shouldn't have said that. It was insensitive of me. I thought we were joking around ... I'm sorry ... I....”

He faced me. ”I am still a monster to you, am I not?” He looked like an angel standing before me, but I knew better. I knew what he really was, and I was sure he was as deadly as the Devil himself, when need be. That should have made me run from him, but I didn't. I stood my ground.