"He saved your life, and now he is a guest in my home. I will show him the respect he deserves," Pallo said, taking the smallest of steps toward me.
I looked around the bedroom. This was his. I’d been in this two-timing loser’s bedroom for the last four nights. How the hell many bedrooms did he have? I guess you walk around and think about sex twenty-four hours a day for, like, two-hundred years, you make sure you’re always prepared for it.
"I liked your taste in wall colors better before you became a monster. Yellow was a much better choice." I made sure to emphasize the word monster. Every bit of my body wanted to hit him, over and over again. He had said such ugly things about me. More importantly, he had fooled me into thinking he really did love me.
He started across the room to me. I put my hand up and yelled at him.
"Stay the hell away from me. I’ll get my stuff and go to a hotel," I said hotel instead of farm house, because I didn’t want him to know where I would be. I’m sure he’d figure it out eventually, but he wouldn’t be hearing it from my lips. I moved towards the bed, and pulled my bags to the floor.
"Gwyneth, you are being unreasonable."
I couldn’t believe the nerve of this guy. He thought I was being unreasonable.
"I didn’t turn on you. I didn’t fuck somebody else in the room next to you."
He cut me off. "No, you are correct. As I remember it, you did it in the same room as me as you pinned me to the floor to be sure I didn’t miss the show." He lifted his pale hand and touched his chin. "Ah, yes, I believe you did. Or do you forget your precious little Caleb so soon?"
He had me there. "Christ, Pallo, it was a lust spell! I will not stand here and justify my actions to you. Besides, as I remember it, Caleb wasn’t a crazed lunatic who was about to have you killed." I lost my cool fast. "You mean nothing to me, get away from me. I can’t even stand to look at you." My voice got louder as my anger grew. "And, don’t you ever say Caleb’s name, ever! You will never be close to the man he was. Do you understand me?"
"I have not been a man for over two-hundred years. My quest for your hand saw to that."
Oh, how rich! He was going to twist this around and blame me for everything. I’m not without my faults, but this was not all my doing. "Fuck you, Pallo!"
"Please, lower your voice. I swore that I would not see you until tomorrow. If Giovanni finds me here, our agreement is over." There was something in his voice I had never heard before. It was fear.
I turned and looked at him. "You’re afraid of Giovanni, aren’t you?" The look in his eyes told me I was right. "Maybe you should pretend to care about him, sleep with him, or, excuse me, ‘fuck him’ as you like to call it, then bash him across the face…oh…and then go get fucked by some psycho bitch from hell. Yeah, that ought to do it." I could feel my anger rising. It brought my power to the surface.
"That is not what happened, Gwyneth. Talia would have destroyed us all if I hadn’t tricked her. I could not single-handedly take on her entire pack of hounds. I am sorry, and I do love..." Pallo was almost touching me now.
I wanted to lash out at him with my power. I wanted to knock him to the ground. I didn’t want to hear his lies anymore.
"You called me whore--a donnaccia and struck me down, and left me to die by Jonathan’s hands. If that’s how you love people, I don’t want any part of it." I pushed at him slightly with my power.
Pallo’s white shirt blew back against his body. His black pants clung to him as my power pushed at him. He stood his ground. He brought his own power to the surface and pushed against mine.
"Gwyneth, I tried to warn you of what I was going to do. I tried to reach you."
I let more of my energy seep from my body. "All I felt around you was a wall. You were blocking me from sensing anything from you."
His brown curls were blowing gently in the breeze that I pushed past him. He shook his head. "I blocked Talia from sensing my lies. She would have ripped your throat out, right before my eyes, if she knew how I felt for you."
"Well, thank goodness you beat her at her own game!" I said.
Pallo looked shocked. "You saw that?"
I pushed more energy at him. "I guess I should feel lucky that you didn’t do that to me after I rode you. Although, that might have been less painful than telling me that you loved me only later to find out you lied, and were only using me." I thrust as much power as I could muster at him. He staggered backwards, but didn’t fall.
"Do not say such things. You know in your heart that is not true."
I threw my hand up. "No, Pallo, you’re the liar. I hate you." I meant every word of it.
That last comment managed to do what my power had failed to. It made him fall. He fell to his knees. His broad shoulders slumped forward. His head drooped down. Hair spilled forward, covering his face.
"Pallo!" His name came from the doorway. I turned and saw Giovanni standing there. He stood there glaring at Pallo. He looked so intimidating in his black shirt, jeans, and boots. I really needed to convince these guys to incorporate some color into their wardrobes.
Pallo looked up at him. "It does not matter anymore." His voice was weak.
Giovanni appeared in front of Pallo. I never even saw him move. He turned and looked at me. "Bella, is it you who did this?" he asked, referring to Pallo being on the floor.
I smiled and batted my navy blue eyes at him.
His head tipped back. He laughed and walked to me. He picked my hands up into his. I didn’t fight him. "You never cease to amaze me." He pressed his lips to my hands. This felt familiar, but not necessarily safe. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Pallo looking at us.
"I have lived many years, few things surprise me--yet, you always do." My hands were still near his lips. I could feel Pallo’s penetrating gaze. I hurt him and I liked it. I moved my body closer to Giovanni’s. He was not as massive as Pallo, but every bit as spectacular to look at. I was so amazed at how creamy his skin was. For a vampire as old as I believed him to be, he held his color well. My body, still wrapped in a towel, brushed his. He tensed up. I looked up at him. I searched his dark black eyes. I wanted to remember him. I wanted to know why I had chosen Pallo over him. I wanted to know what had drawn me to him in the first place. Was it his beauty, charm, grace? Or was I a horrible person who only went with men for money and power? I looked into his face. It was so familiar, yet so foreign to me. I tugged my hand free from his lips and touched his face. His mouth turned quickly, kissing at the palm of my hand. I could feel his pull on me. He used vampire tricks and I didn’t like it.
"Don’t," I said to him. He stopped. Even without his pull, I could tell that I knew him well. I knew that when he smiled he got a crease in his forehead. I knew that he had a tiny birthmark on the back of his right leg, right before his butt. I knew that he enjoyed listening to classical music, and spinning me round and round until I was too dizzy to see straight. I had no idea how I knew all of these things about him, but I did, and I knew something else. I knew that he loved me. But, he also felt dangerous, he felt wrong.
Giovanni pulled me close to him. He looked down at me. "Shall I send him away?" he asked tipping his head in the direction of Pallo.
I looked at Pallo, who still sat on the floor. He looked beaten, he look broke. I remember him standing in Ken’s house, saying how he had only used me for a ‘fuck’. I remembered how much my face hurt when he hit me, how used I felt. He had managed to make me feel like what he accused me of being--he made me feel like a whore.
"No," I said.
Pallo looked up at me with hope in his eyes.
"No, don’t send him away, make him stay and watch. I have seen him bleed, shall we see if he weeps?" I loved spinning and twisting his words back at him. I loved the power I felt.
Giovanni pulled me to him and put his hands on my towel near my breasts.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
I looked at Pallo. His eyes were begging me to stop this. I thought about seeing Talia�
��s naked body moving up and down on his. I glared at him. My face was hard and cold. I pulled on Giovanni’s wrists and my towel dropped to the floor. I moved to him. I pulled his shirt over his head. His long, silky hair spilled down his back. I touched his chest. My fingers traced over tiny scars that covered his perfect body.
"What happened?" I asked.
He pulled my hand away from them. "They are not important."
I let my finger slid over his silver nipple ring. It was a tiny hoop, a perfect accent to his creamy tan coloring. My fingers kept coming back to the tiny scars on his chest. I let my hand slide over them again. It was odd how his scars lined up exactly with my fingers. I pulled my finger nails down them, following the path they took. I looked up into his dark eyes. Had I done this to him? Had I clawed his perfect skin with my hands?
Giovanni seemed to read my every thought. He lifted my hand from his chest and brought it to his mouth. He pulled me closer to him as he started sucking on my long fingers. I drew in my breath. I wanted to be near him. I wanted to please him. I lost my free will.
"Gwyneth!" Pallo’s voice hit me hard.
It was Giovanni who turned first. He threw his hand out. A slash appeared on Pallo’s face. I didn’t understand how Giovanni had done that, and I didn’t want to see an instant replay. I grabbed his outstretched hand and pulled it to me.
"No," I said gently. "Let me be the one to punish him."
He smiled down at me. A tiny crease appeared on his forehead. "Bella, he is my creature. I will have control of him."
His creature? I didn’t understand what that meant, but I wasn’t going to let Pallo be physically hurt again if I could help it. "You would deny me my revenge?" I had idea why I said this, but some part of me knew him, and that part was in the driver’s seat now.
Giovanni let out another small laugh. "Oh, how you have changed. I like the new you. Yes, I like it very much." He slid his free hand around my back. He caressed me. "However, I am his maker, so I will do with him as I see fit."
I tensed up. Giovanni had made Pallo a vampire? Oh, my God. It was my fault that Pallo was a monster now. Hadn’t he told me that he sought my hand in marriage from Giovanni? His love for me had led him straight to the Devil’s doorstep.
"What’s wrong?" Giovanni asked. I seconded guess being so close to him. He was far worse than Pallo could ever be. "Tell me what troubles you."
"Why? Why did you do that?"
"I’m afraid that you’ll have to be more specific, my love."
I looked at Pallo on the floor and then to Giovanni’s face. "If you really loved me, than why is it you turned Pallo into one of the undead--a vampire?"
Giovanni stood very still. "I was not aware that you could remember so much about your past." I actually thought I saw a bead of sweat forming on his brow. I didn’t think that was even possible for vampires to sweat.
"I can’t remember much, but I put two and two together and came up with that."
"I am so happy for you." As he said it, I could sense the lie.
"Thank you, but you still didn’t answer my question."
He nodded slowly. "Ah, yes, Pallo. The reason I gave him the gift of immortality was for you, my darling. I knew that you had forever, and I didn’t want your precious little lover to die of old age, while you remained youthful." I heard him talking, but the stench of his lies overwhelmed. "I truly thought that you would be pleased to have him back as one of my children. You had spent a century in awe of my powers, so I passed them onto your little Pallo."
I felt like snakes were crawling all over my body. His lies slid up and down me. I fought the urge to wipe my arms off. I didn’t want to show my hand. I had apparently developed some different powers this time around and the ability to read thoughts and feelings was apparently one of them. "What will you do with him?" I asked.
"I will punish him accordingly. I granted him too much freedom when I allowed him to come here years ago. I would have never allowed him to leave me if the King himself hadn’t sent for him personally. Who am I to go against the King’s orders?"
Pallo laughed under his breath. Giovanni’s hand rose and another slash appeared across Pallo’s chest. I sucked in my breath and closed my eyes slightly. Think, Gwen, think! I knew that somewhere, deep inside, I had the answer I needed. I went with what my gut told me to do.
"Would you do something for me?" I asked him, tugging on the top of his pants. Great, my gut reaction was to get frisky with him.
He let out a small moan. His voice was soft, wanting, ready. "I would do anything you ask, Bella, anything."
I slid my hand down the front of his jeans. "Free Pallo," I had no idea why those words came out of my mouth. I didn’t understand what they meant. Pallo already looked pretty free to me, or at least he did when he lay on his back with Talia on him.
Giovanni looked stunned, but Pallo looked mortified.
"Free Pallo?" he asked sliding his hand around to play with my butt. "Why do you care if he is free from me or not?"
"I don’t know." I told him the truth.
"Why do you not wish to be free of me instead? Why him?" Giovanni asked lifting me up into his arms. I straddled his waist. My body pressed against his open jeans.
"You will kill Pallo. I see it in your eyes when you look at him. I don’t see that when you look at me."
He kissed me softly. "You are wise beyond your years."
"So I’ve been told," I said, returning his kiss.
"Why should I let him live? He has betrayed you."
Betrayal. When I heard the word come out of Giovanni’s mouth, a shudder passed through my body. I associated betrayal more with Giovanni then Pallo, and I had no idea why. I had been witness to Pallo’s deception, and it still made me sick to my stomach.
Giovanni stood, holding my naked body to him. He kissed me again. "For allowing me to be this near to you, I give you my word that when I leave you this evening, Pallo is free of me."
"But I didn’t hear you promise not to kill him." I didn’t know why I had to call him on that. I trusted gut instinct well enough to heed its warning.
"Bella, you beat me at my own game. I am impressed. You never used to be this good." He held my body like it was a feather.
I tugged on his lip with my teeth. He sighed.
"Very well, I give you my word that neither I, nor anyone who represents me," his eyes rolled slightly then met mine, "will ever kill Pallo."
"And?" I bit at his chin.
He rolled his eyes. "And I shall not cause him any serious harm either."
"That a boy," I said, smiling at him while I ran my fingers over his bare skin.
"I have one condition of my own," Giovanni said to me in hushed tone. I looked up at him. "I ask that you refrain from seeing him after tonight."
My mind raced. Could I really go the rest of my life and never see Pallo again? I thought about his words to Talia, the memory of him terrorizing me in the hallway. I pictured him cramming his fingers in Sandra again, I saw Talia riding him. I looked to Giovanni and nodded. "It’s a deal."
"Why do you want him to live so badly?"
Giovanni was right to question me. Pallo was public enemy number one as far as I was concerned. I didn’t like the idea of being used. I hated it.
"I want him to live with the memory of this forever."
"And what memory would that be?"
"Me being the whore he made me into," I said, soft enough to sound sultry, but loud enough for Pallo not to miss a word of it.
Giovanni pulled my body close to his. I could feel his jeans pressing hard against me. I could feel his body burning with desire. His lust spilled out and into me. My mind switched gears in order to really play the part. I pulled Giovanni’s face down and put it between my breasts. They were large, and welcomed him. I leaned my head back and let my neck stretch out before his eyes. This, I began to understand, was the biggest turn--on for a vampire ever.
Giovanni slid his free hand up my side, over my brea
st, and to my neck. He ran his smooth cold hands over it, rubbing it, caressing it. His power surrounded me. It was different than Pallo’s, it was more threatening. I closed my eyes and tried to remember loving him. I couldn’t. I put my arms around him and clutched him tight, pressing my breast in his face the entire time. He let go of me briefly, then he touched my hips. He pressed his lips to my neck, my cheek, and came close to my lips but didn’t touch them. I felt pressure on my neck. He was biting me. The pressure grew more intense and I could feel him sucking on me.
"Giovanni," I wanted to let him know he hurt me. I wanted to tell him to slow down, but no words came from my mouth. The pain was insignificant. He was near me, and he used his vampire mind games on me.
"You’re hurting her!" Pallo’s voice pushed in, invading the moment.
Giovanni stopped and let go of me. His dark black eyes looked at me, his eyebrow raised slightly. He asked me without asking me. A hot tear ran down my face. He turned and thrust his hand out at Pallo. Pallo’s shoulder ripped wide open. It was as if Giovanni’s power was an invisible whip that only he could see.
"NO!" I screamed out as blood ran down Pallo’ arm. "You promised me."
Giovanni held me to him. "I promised not to cause him any serious harm. He is a vampire, he will heal."
I looked up at him. Was he really such a monster? Was that why I ran from him? Did he drive me into Pallo’s arms? I shook my head slightly, trying to remember. Nothing came to me. My neck throbbed. I felt a little sick to my stomach. I was sure that it was from blood loss.
"Get out, Giovanni, you are done here! I have enough liars in my bed to last me a lifetime." I couldn’t believe my own ears. I had just ordered a five-hundred-year-old vampire out of the room, and called him a liar. He spun around and looked at me. He flashed his fangs at me. I didn’t budge. "Get out now!"
"He must leave as well! You swore to never see him again," he said, pointing at Pallo.
"As I recall, oh master of the twisted word, you yourself said that I was not to see him after tonight. The night is not over yet, is it? Besides, it would serve you right if I did. You seem to find the arrangement flexible." He looked as though I’d just kicked him in the gut. I had him and he knew it. He threw Pallo a look of disgust and stormed out of the room.
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