Part 17 (1/2)
Pallo just stopped, mid story. He looked like a lost child.
”Pallo, what happened after I disappeared?” I was on the edge of my seat. I had removed myself from his story and viewed it more as having happened to someone else.
He looked up at me. His brown eyes seemed to be losing some of there l.u.s.ter. ”I went looking for you.”
”And then what?”
”I believe this is where your memories of events come into play.”
I thought about being pregnant with his baby, but in Caleb's bed. I had believed that he was dead and gone, but he wasn't. He turned into a creature of the night. He was becoming a vampire.
Pallo kissed my forehead. ”I am tired now. I must rest.” I knew a blow-off when I heard one. He looked drained.
”When was the last time you had any....” I didn't know the right word to use.
He answered me without waiting for me to figure out the politically correct way. ”No, I have not fed recently.”
I wasn't sure what to say. I didn't know if I should offer myself to him or not. I wasn't sure what would happen then. I changed the subject.
”Why is my hair damp, and where are my clothes?”
He smiled. ”Are you worried?”
”No,” I said, smiling back. ”Just curious.”
”I bathed you,” he said, and looked to be preparing for me to strike.
I surprised us both by just asking him ”Why?”
”You are not angry with me?” he asked.
He rubbed his thumb over my forehead and then down towards my temple. When Pallo's hand came near my mouth I turned my head quickly and sucked on his thumb. I ran my tongue between his fingers. He s.h.i.+fted closer to me, our bodies pressed firmly against each other. I hadn't known he wore pants until then. I had a.s.sumed that he was naked, too. I stopped putting his fingers in my mouth and looked at him.
”No, I'm not mad. I'm sure you had a good reason,” I said, my voice low and breathy.
I leaned into him and kissed his lips. He kissed me back. I could feel my body tightening with the antic.i.p.ation of being touched by him. I put my hands on the sides of his face and slid my wrist near his mouth.
”Do it,” I said.
He pulled back from me, looking shocked. ”I will not do what you ask.”
”I've already given you my blood willingly once, its okay. Go ahead.”
”Gwyneth, you do not understand what you are asking of me. I will not feed off of you.”
”But Pallo, you've already done it. You need it. Here.” I pushed my wrist up to him.
He shook his head. ”If I remember correctly, you pushed it down my throat while I was unconscious.” He sat up. ”You almost killed yourself to give me life. I will not have that.”
”But it helped you. You healed quickly, didn't you?”
He nodded. ”Being a sidhe makes your blood powerful. It takes only a small amount to sustain me. You had given me more than I needed. When my body took your blood in, it changed in me, allowing me use of your magic, thus allowing me to save your life in return.”
I smiled at him. I hadn't heard the word sidhe used in place of faerie for a very long time. The new term was Si, but I liked the sound of sidhe better. ”So, let me get this straight. You won't take my blood unless you can give me something of equal value in return?”
Pallo looked very serious when he answered me. ”Yes, that is correct.”
I sat up next to him on the bed. ”I know. We could make a trade,” I said, touching his smooth back.
”What would you have us trade?”
I pulled myself onto my knees letting the covers fall from my body. I leaned into his ear and whispered. ”I give you what you need to survive, and you give me what I need.”
I blew on his ear gently. ”What do you need to survive?” He slid his arm around me.
”You,” I said. I traveled up his spine with my finger.
”Don't give yourself over to me out of pity,” he said. He let his hand hover near my breast. I pulled it to me, rubbing his fingers on my nipples.
His body twisted quickly and his hands slid down my torso. I put my wrist up to him. He took it and placed his lips on it. I braced myself for pain but felt nothing but the sweetest of kisses being placed upon it. He kissed his way down to my elbow and started back up towards my neck.
”Pallo,” I scolded him, short of breath. I wanted him to stop teasing me. I wanted to feel his body pressed to mine.
”Gwyneth, still as impatient as ever.”
He lifted my arm, kissing the back of it, moving down, tasting my body with his flickering tongue. We were still on our knees, facing each other. I pushed my hand down, trying to feel for the tiny hairs that stuck out from the top of his dark blue silk pajama bottoms. He caught hold of my wrist. He pressed his weight against mine causing my body to lean back. His cold chest was a sharp contrast to my hot b.r.e.a.s.t.s. I was still on my knees before him. Now, as he bent me back, my body tightened with need for him. He gripped the back of me with his arm. My head touched the bed. I exposed my neck to him. He bent his head down and kissed my breast. My nipples hardened as he tasted my soft skin. His tongue traced long circles around my breast. Something sharp nicked me.
I gasped.
Pallo pulled his mouth from me quickly. His gaze met mine, then fell down to the two tiny fang marks near my nipple. He looked shocked with himself. He obviously never meant to harm me. I glanced down lazily--dreamily. Blood seeped slowly from the tiny bite marks. I reached my hand up and pulled his loose brown curls back to above my breast. Blood trickled down from them, running down my stomach slowly. Something primitive pa.s.sed through his eyes, and I watched him fight with himself to maintain control. I slid my hands down the sides of his face, pulling him to me.
”Pallo,” I let his name fall from my lips with almost no sound at all.
He moved his mouth over my navel where the blood from my breast had pooled. He sucked gently on it. I pulled his hair up so I could watch his face. His eyes rolled back into his head as he swallowed the sweet liquid from my body. His mouth traced the b.l.o.o.d.y route up to my breast. His lips were growing warmer on my body now. When he reached the bite mark on my breast, he gave it a gentle kiss. It stopped bleeding.
Tiny moans were coming from me. I was turned on beyond belief and had to have him now. ”Pallo, please...”
He pulled my body back up to him. The top of my head fit snugly under his chin as he held me in his arms. I felt so safe with him. He let his love for me beating through his body like an accelerated pulse. Mine sped to match his. I ran my hands down his stomach. It warmed to my touch. I let my fingers play in the tiny curls that started on his low abdomen. He let out a small gasp. I pushed my hand down further, past his waistband. He wore no underwear. He was silky smooth, thick and ready for me. I brought my other hand down and pulled at the navy blue pajama bottoms. They came down quickly, easily. I worked them down to his knees and touched one lightly to get him to lift it. He did and I pushed the bottoms off of him. I could feel him hard this close to my face. I took in the sight of him. He was everything I had ever dreamed a man could be and more. He was stunning.
I put my lips to the base of him. The rest of him lay against the side of my face, coming to a rest on my neck behind my ear. I traced his member with my lips and took him in my mouth. He was too long for me to fit in all the way. I moved my hand up to circle around him as I slid my head up and down slowly.
Pallo grabbed handfuls of my hair. He tightened in my mouth, I prepared for him to end. He didn't. His head arched back and he pressed gently against the back of my head. I increased my pace. He pulled my head back from his body. I licked my lips and looked up at him. The look on his face was just short of ecstasy.
He looked down at me and spoke softly. ”I am good, but not that good. I am afraid that you can still bring me with the slightest of touches. I have shared the company of many women since you left, but you are still the only one who excites my body so.”
I really didn't want to hear him talking about doing other woman right at this moment, but fair is fair. I had been with Caleb only a week before. I was in no position to start throwing stones. My gla.s.s house was around cracked.