Am I falling? (Dani’s POV)

I stared at the ceiling of my little apartment. Sheldon was perched happily on my stomach as I lay across the couch. His warmth and purring acted like a hypnotic beam, convincing me to keep petting him.

“Sheldon, what do you think of Oliver?”

Sheldon opened his eyes ever so slightly to stare at me for a moment before closing them again. “That he is far too attached to you.”

“What do you mean?”

The cat sighed happily, kneading its paws on my shirt. “Just what I said. When I first found him he was devoted to me and my cause. Now I realize it was foolish of me, because he has fallen for you, and you now control the Vampire. He is useless to me while he is all love-struck.”

“Love struck?” I asked.

“Oh yes. He knows of my special friendship with the Fairy Queen and has decided to use it for his own selfish desires to help you.”

“Wait, how are his desires selfish if he is doing it for me?” I grinned at the cat.

He opened only one eye to look at me this time, his tail swishing back and forth with annoyance. “Fine, I withdraw the use of the word selfish. Knowing my fondness for you, he asked me for a favor. He had me take him to see Queen Mab on your behalf. A fool’s errand for him, since she controls sunlight.”

Concern ran through me for a moment. I hadn’t heard from Oliver in two days. “Did she hurt him?”

“Yes,” he said bluntly. “She gave him quite the sunburn. I’m sure he’s had to drink several bottles of blood to heal himself.” Sheldon chuckled. “He was so determined. Mab really doesn’t like Darklings. When I finally convinced her he was there for good reason he was looking rather charred. He pleaded with her to give you a hearing for consideration and training. He wants you to have the option to become a full Pixie if it’s what you want.”

My heart swelled at the knowledge. “What did she say?”

Sheldon smiled. “That, little Pixie, is not my part of the story to tell. You will have to wait for him to tell you.”

I sat up and gently pushed Sheldon off. I felt around frantically for my phone. When I found it I flipped through the contacts quickly locating Oliver. It clicked after the third ring.

“Dani? Is everything alright?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that? I haven’t heard from you in a few days.” I sat patiently listening to him breathe on the other end of the phone.

“I’ve felt a little under the weather.”

“Come over, have a warm meal. I can make pasta, cereal and milk. You can snack on me?” I offered.

His rich voice chuckled on the other end of the phone. “That sounds nice. Should I bring anything? Ice Cream? Real food?”

I shook my head knowing he couldn’t see it. “No, just you.”

“I’ll see you shortly.” The call ended and I glanced around the room. Pulling off my hearing aids I sat them on the table and grabbed a clean towel, ducking in the bathroom to take a quick shower. When I emerged from a sweet-smelling steam cloud Oliver was sitting quietly on the couch.

“Wow, that was fast.” I looked him over from head to toe. His skin was ghostly pale except for a few blisters that were still healing. His eyes were black and looked sickly. “Oh Olive, you look like death warmed over.”

He tried to laugh and all that came out was a cough. “I brought a few bottles of O neg with me. If I drink too quickly it makes me sick. Believe it or not, this is a vast improvement.”

I wanted to cringe. I walked over and sank carefully onto his lap, tugging my hair over my shoulder. “What’s better? Neck, wrist, thigh… You tell me what is easiest for you.”

He shook his head and leaned in, taking a deep breath, seeming to inhale part of me. “Neither. I want our times to be special. The gift you share with me means the world. You’re not some fast food burger.”

I laughed. “As much as I appreciate the sentiment,I can’t help but feel like an allowance can be made this once. I promise to let you make it up to me later.” I gave him an affectionate grin.

“Are you sure?” he asked eyeing the blue vein near the base of my neck. “I will be as gentle as possible but it may not be as comfortable as last time.”

I leaned into him, doing my best to make an obvious offer. He lowered his head, pressing icy kisses to the delicate skin there. His cold hands pulled me close and though I wanted to squirm away from the chill radiating off of him I held my ground. Running a hand under the edge of my towel he pressed me close, his lips hesitating for a moment. There was a sudden sharp pain and rather than cry out I squeezed my eyes shut tightly against it.

The pain slowly pulsed away and I felt myself floating in a euphoric state. I could feel Oliver’s gentle hands running over me and my body relaxed. When my eyes finally fluttered open I was laying curled up on top of him with his arms around me on the couch. He had pulled a heavy blanket over both of us. I shifted slightly to look at him.

The blistering was gone altogether and while he was still pale, his skin was no longer ashen. The darkness around his eyes had receded dramatically and even his temperature had increased. He was no longer icy to the touch.

He lifted his head to look at me. I started to say something but he shook his head. “Shhhh, rest. I took a bit more than I should have. Not a dangerous amount, but you may be a bit woozy for a few days. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“Please forgive me for being a bit reckless. I’m normally in more control then that. Does anything hurt?”

“No, it’s ok. Really.” I rubbed my hand over his chest. “I’m just glad you’re looking better.”

“I promise to be more careful in the future.” He smiled weakly. “Are you OK, do you want me to take you into the bedroom?”

I pulled the blanket up around us more and snuggled down, closing my eyes and shaking my head. “I’m comfortable if you are.”

He let out a slow breath. “I could stay like this forever.” All I could do was grin.