The hollow autumn moon lingered low on the watery horizon as beautiful, white crested waves crashed against the sandy shoreline in reckless abandon; the chilled evening air was heavily permeated with a stringent salty stench that easily carried far inland on the brisk breezes. Stray seaweed strands were strode about the beach in random disarray. Aged driftwood debris floated lazily in the steadily swelling surf. A thin, vapory mist saturated the already winter like winds, adding a damp ambiance to the night as the rising ocean roared and hissed a classic melody while, far in the distance, seagulls called out to one another in a disastrous and hopelessly off key attempt at a serenade.

There was a tranquil feel to the night, a cool calm that whispered gentle accolades as bright moonbeams danced over the dark ocean like mischievous pixies; sights and sounds came effortlessly together to seamlessly fashion a most perfect panorama. Nature at its best. Pure. Tender. Inviting. The warm, ashen glow illuminated the night with an almost serene radiance, a subdued brilliance that was far less invasive than the blazing sunlight…the sweet moon kiss gave a timed soul the opportunity to escape into lingering shadows, should critical and prying eyes venture too close. Become too obtrusive. Too curious, or linger, just a moment too long…it was rare that she allowed anyone close enough to see her very clearly, but when it did happen, she tended to bolt as fast and as far as she could, reminding me of a skittish colt who had far too often tasted the repeated stroke of a cruel whip against tender flesh…she was, for all the world, so similar to a creature who had encounter a cold force determined to break her will, her spirit, and at times, it seemed as if that horrible force had indeed managed to shatter her essence, leaving her broken and afraid, certain it was now her lot in life to avoid the actual act of living.

For months I had watched her from a distance, never alerting her to my presence in her life, but always close to her, as often as I could be; from the moment the sun set until it rose again, I found myself unable to break away, to leave her…she drew me to her as no one else ever had in all my nearly seven hundred years and I knew early on I was obsessed.

In telling this story, I suppose the first thing I should do is explain who and what I am; my name is Logan Coleman and I am a nearly seven hundred year old vampire…I am not the eldest of my kind, but I have lived a long existence, mostly a solitary one and I have been happy with that. Even as a human, I had never felt closely connected to anyone. I never needed another. Never loved anyone with such desperation I felt as if my mind might leave me, if I did not have them in my world…yet in less than a moment, my desire for a continued quite and solitary existence faded and I knew every second I had lived, up until that moment, was leading me to this girl…this beautiful but frightened woman I saw as an almost angelic vision.

The first time I saw her, she was walking on the beach, clearly lost deep in her thoughts as she stared out at the ocean, her cascading brown locks swaying in the gentle breeze. She exuded elegance. Beauty. I was certain she was perfection in the flesh…the moonlight made her seem surreal with her ivory flesh framing a delicately featured face dominated by sensual lips and wide, darkly lashed chocolate brown eyes.

At the time, as I enjoyed my own stroll along the shoreline, I was in my usual indiscernible form, which allowed me to watch her without alerting her to my presence…I simply stood and drank in the sight she made as cutoff shorts revealed long legs while her plain cotton shirt hugged her full breast, cropped just enough to offer a peak at her flat but feminine belly. The little sapphire ring, that graced her belly button. I smiled to myself. I smiled at my reaction to her, I smiled because I knew I would not rest until I knew her…until I knew her name, knew where she had come from…I was certain, after all, that I had never seen her before, so I suspected that she was new to the island.

As she moved closer, allowing me a better view, I became even more enthralled, more aroused…I wanted to take her into my arms in that moment, to feel her full breast crushed against my chest as I lowered us both to the ground; I was consumed with the need to take her, to taste her lips…I had to resist that urge with every ounce of strength I possessed as she finally paused about five feet from me.

She had the most wonderful scent, a faint vanilla aroma that made me ache inside…an ache that thundered into a dull pain as I full sensed the deep hurt radiating from her in the instant before she brushed a cloud of curls behind her left ear, allowing me to see, for the first time, a thin but ridged pink scar that ran a decided course from the tip of her temple to the bottom of her jaw line, just below her full lips.

Silently, I moved closer to her, overcome with more emotions than I had the ability to fully process as I looked at her…felt her…I sensed her pain so very strongly it seemed to pull me under, pull me into the suffering she struggled hard to hide from the world. From herself. I wanted to take that suffering from her, to make it right… I wanted to heal her inner wounds more than I had ever wanted anything, but for the first time in my existence, I felt utterly powerless and I very quickly discovered that was a feeling I hated with a passion, even as I realized I had to learn what I could, by fair means or what some would consider foul.

One of the powers that I possess, but seldom use, is the power to tap into the mind of a mortal, allowing myself the opportunity to shift through memories and thoughts…it was an invasion I tended to avoid, but in that moment, I was just desperate enough to cast my usual hesitations aside; I was driven by desire to understand this girl who had managed to arouse feelings inside me I hadn't know I had the means to feel, until she appeared so beautifully in my path and as I stood there with her, as she stared at the ocean with tears shimmering in her eyes, her mental guarded lowered, I found it easy to slip deeply into her mind in my quest for information.

I discovered first that her name was Marie Dawson and she was twenty six, seven years younger than I had been, at the time I left the mortal life behind for something more…she had come to the island from New York, to rent one of the older house further down the shore, having chosen the location for the very secure privacy and solitude it offered. She wanted to be alone. She wanted to be cut off from the rest of the world, the one she had once known as well as the one that took place all around her, on the island…I understood that need, the need to be left alone, but it was the reasons behind her need I found most heart wrenching as I slipped a little deeper into thoughts, wishing I could wrap my arms around her and hold her against me as she allowed her tears to finally flow freely in an effort to excavate the pain once and for all.

Before I even learned every fact regarding her life, I knew I would do any and everything for her; I felt instantly connected to this girl and as much as it surprised me, I didn't mind…wanting her as I did felt somehow right as I slowly shifted through her memories for information that informed me she had no real family. Her mother and father were dead. A car accident had killed both in an instant, when Marie was only seventeen and shortly after, she graduated high school and moved from her small hometown in New Mexico to New York where she worked as a waitress part time while focusing most of her energy on fulfilling her dream to become a model.

It seemed, she found the success she wanted, she became popular in the field and for four years, she was at the top…she held endless memories and thoughts centering around the countless assignments she had landed, the fame she had discovered; for a time, she had all she had ever wanted, leading up to her encounter with a man named Chet Lewis, a photographer who developed an unhealthy obsession with her.

He began with calling her at all hours, asking her to go out with him, but when she refused, he took to following her…she got a court order meant to try and keep him at bay, but he had no fear, regarding trouble with the law, a fact he coldly taunted her with when he trapped her in the parking garage next to the building that housed her apartment.

The minute she saw Lewis, she panicked, she tried to tell him to leave her alone…he screamed back at her before slapping her hard across the face, so hard she fell to the ground just as a knife flashed through the air…her last clear thought was crying out for help. For mercy. There was pain, followed by a cold darkness that pulled her deeply under.

When she awoke, she was in the hospital, lost in a drug induced haze that lingered for nearly a week, before her agent set at her bedside and told her what had happened; he filled in the blanks her memory had created, and Marie could only cry in disbelief as he told her that she had been stabbed twice in the stomach, once in the chest, and as a final act of violence, Chet had slashed her across the face with his knife before stabbing himself in the chest, right in the heart.

Chet had died, on the scene, just as Marie nearly had. It was a miracle that she lived…that was the good news…she would recover completely, from most of her wounds…yet his eyes had told her that was not the case and when she pushed, he finally admitted to her that the doctors said surgery could be done, on her face, but they saw little hope that all the damage could be really, completely reversed. She would have a scar. It couldn't be helped. It was sad and unfair and harsh, but it was a reality she had to accept, just as she had to find the means to accept that the life she had known had ended…I could feel her pain and horror and the loneliness that consumed her following what her agent explained to her, feeling awkward himself, as he had not been certain what to say to comfort her.

His inability to offer her compassion was a condition shared by most of her so called friends in the weeks and months that followed; she was alone most of the time, so much so she came to like the solitude as her body very slowly healed itself…she underwent surgery to repair the damage to her face, but as she had been warned, the improvement wasn't total and from there, both her mental and emotional state went downhill.

She cut herself off from her friends, which came as a relief to them, and after a time, she decided to leave the city completely, deciding a few months on an island recommended by a friend was just what she needed…she was, I knew, even if she didn't want to admit it to herself, looking for a place to hide, and as selfish as it might I seemed, I was glad she had chosen to do as much, for it had placed her in my path.

That first night, when she returned home, I followed her, telling myself I wanted to make certain she was safe, but in simple truth, I wanted to be near her for a while longer. For as long as possible. I wanted to touch her. I wanted, so much, to hear her voice…I transported myself into her room as she went into her restroom, to change into black satin pajamas that looked glorious against her ivory skin as she finally crawled into bed, wrapping herself firmly under her covers while I stood and watched.

I told myself I would stay only until she fell asleep, but I found myself still lingering as her breathing evened off…several hours passed while I watched, admiring the gentle beauty she made, curled comfortably on her side with her dark hair spilling over her pillow. I eased closer to her bed. I wanted very much to imprint her image into my mind, to carry with me, into my own sleep, when the rising sun forced me to leave her for a time, though I already knew I would return…I smiled to myself at the thought as I watched a sudden frown cross her sleeping features…a muffled whimper escaped her and without hesitation, I felt myself slip into her mind once more.

As I had suspected the instant she cried out, I found she was dreaming; she was dreaming about running along the beach with Chet Lewis chasing close behind her, calling out that he would kill her… she began to thrash about, in the bed as I softly said her name, calling to her in her sleep, whispering to her that she was safe. He was not there. He never would be. I pushed the horrible, frightening image from her mind as she slowly calmed, responding to the gentle assurance I offered her throughout the remainder of the night, until I knew the sun would soon rise…I leaned close and brushed a kiss over her lips, lingering for a moment as I promised to return to her as soon as possible.

The ritual continued steadily for nearly four mouths; as soon as the sun set I would leave the island to feed, always returning in time to go to her, to be as close to her as possible while she walked on the beach…set in her living room reading…I took great pleasure in just watching her go about the most simple task while waiting eagerly for the chance to really approach her.

I wasn't certain how that would happen, how I could make myself and my intent known to her, without her running in fear, it was a question I found I couldn't help but ponder as I followed her to her room one night, where she fell asleep easily. She always did. It was after she had been sleeping for an hour or so that the dreams came…I stood near her bed, ready to chase them away, as I had countless nights in the months since I had first encounter her, but on that night, the dream was different…I could sense what she needed was more than a whispered assurance; it was obvious to me that Marie craved contact in the physical sense…she wanted to be touched and I ached desperately to be the one to touch her as I set down on her bed, knowing she would believe me to be just a dream. A mental image. And, for the moment, that was fine, it was a start, at least, one I was willing to embrace as I said her name gently, loving the sound as her eyes fluttered twice before focusing clearly on me, though an understandable confusion still lingered there as she pushed herself up, allowing the sheet to fall from her.

"Don't be afraid, Marie." I cupped her cheek in my hand. "I want you to know you are safe…I would never hurt you…" Her skin was like satin, I loved the feel, the way she looked at me as I smiled in an effort to assure her she was indeed safe with me as she lifted her own hand so she could place it gently on my chest…her fingers tangled in the silk folds of my shirt as the night around us stood quite and still and calm.

Her tangled hair fell around her shoulders in beautiful cascade and her wide eyes reached into mine as I whispered her name once more; I could feel her confusion warring with her longing to just throw aside the questions in her mind and embrace what was before her…I skimmed my hand from her cheek to the back of her neck and with a final promise that she had nothing to fear from me or from herself, I gently leaned into her, covering her mouth with mine.

She had soft, full lips that easily yielded to my teasing touch as a small but aroused gasp escaped her…I felt the dam holding back her emotions and her needs shatter, freeing the longings and desire; she eased herself closer to me, one hand resting on my shoulder while the other moved to tangle into my hair with clinging desperation that told me not to leave her…leaving her was the one thing I never wanted to do as her glorious lips parted and I delved my tongue into her mouth.

She tasted like the hot chocolate she had drank before going to bed, a flavor that I savored as I wrapped my tongue around hers in an ageless dance, tugging teasingly as I ran my hands down her arms…my cock felt ready to burst from my pants, leaving me more aroused than I had ever been in my life as she eased back and looked at me, touching my face as she smiled and shook her head slowly, looking so beautiful it astounded me.

"I know you can't be real." Her voice was soft. "But I don't care…I think you are the most beautiful man I have ever seen…" She seemed to be talking to herself, in her mind, she was as I smiled at her, moving my hand to cup her face again.

"You are the beautiful one, my love." I kissed her eyes. "I want so much, to make love to you, Marie."

"What is your name…" Her smile lingered.

"Logan."

"Logan." My name coming from her was hypnotic. "I like that." I nearly came in that moment, as her hands moved to quickly work the buttons on my shirt, freeing me from the garment with ease…I kept my eyes focused on her as she pushed the shirt from my shoulders before lifting her own pajama top over her head so she could toss it to the floor while I set in a lustful stupor, unable to fully believe that her full breast were exposed to me at last.

She was glorious…perfection…her breasts were a fine ivory capped with dark pink nipples that stood erect as I moved to cup a heavy mound in each hand, drawing a sigh from her that spurred my desire. Made me want her more than I had thought it possible to want anyone…she was a light that drew me close as I pinched each nipple between my thumb and forefinger, tugging on it gently…pulling at the tender flesh until she cried out even louder than before with her head thrown back, allowing me access to her neck that I explored with warm, wet kisses.

Her eager, uninhibited reactions to my touch were intoxicating, I felt like I was making love for the first time ever…I was lightheaded and overwhelmed with need as I kissed my way down her neck, licking her flesh, down over her finely sculpted collarbone; I whispered gentle, praising words to her as I drank in her taste…her scent…I told her she was beautiful in all ways and I prayed she believed it as her hands again tangled in my golden brown hair, keeping me anchored against her as she laid back on the bed.

Her head rested against her high pillow stake, her skin was flushed to a beautiful pink…her lips were swollen from the force of the kisses we had shared as I eased back to look down at her, wanting to forever recall how she looked, ivory stretched out against black satin sheets as she smiled, her eyes glazed with need as I leaned down to kiss her.

She accepted me with ease, opening her arms…her hand flexed against my back as her breast crushed against my chest…it was an amazing feeling as she eagerly merged her mouth to mine again and again; her tongue outlined my lips teasingly, she held northing back, still believing that I was just a figment her mind had conjured. I was just a dream. To her. She was the same for me in a thousand ways… only she was my most precious dream come true and I fully intended to be the same for her, when the time was right…but for that moment in time, I was willing to savor, to take and give all I could, saving the rest to worry about later.

Breaking away from her mouth, I trailed my lips over her face, turning her head so I could lavish kisses over the scar she hated…I heard her sharp intake of breath, followed by an instinctive need to turn away, to shield herself, but I very firmly told her no. Never. I told her to never hide herself from me for any reason as I followed the order with a whispered assurance that she was and forever would be the most beautiful woman I had ever known.

Slowly, still praising her body, adoring the little gasp that escaped her, I kissed my way down her neck, licking my tongue over the pulse that pounded there, hard and steady, testament to the passion, and life that flowed wonderfully through her…I was filled with renewed hunger, nearly overcome with the desire to make her completely mine. Forever. For eternity. But I resisted, knowing that would come in time…soon…I made that promise to myself as I trailed my lips to her right breast where I easily sucked her pretty pink nipple deep into my mouth so I could suckle it with vigor; I flicked my rough tongue over the nub with quick strokes before nipping it with my teeth to create a delightful little sting that I then licked away as she continued to wither beneath me, her beautiful back arched, her hands tangled in my hair.

"Logan…" She sighed heavily as she called out my name.

"Let yourself go, love." I whispered while turning to her left breast.

"I…I have never felt like this…"

"I know. I know."

"Logan…" Her words dissolved into a whimper as I sucked her nipple just as I had the other, loving her reaction. "Please…" I could feel the passions, the need, building to a fevered pitch that consumed me as much as it consumed her; I was on fire for this girl, I wanted to give her pleasure more than I wanted to take my own as I trailed damp kisses along the under globes of her breast so I could make my way down to her ribs.

I showered each inch of flesh I came to with affection…I found the scars on her chest and stomach, where she had been stabbed and the anger I felt towards the man who had hurt her was only outweighed by my desire to make her feel like the beautiful creature I believed her to be; I wanted very much for her to see herself as I saw her, perfection in the most extreme as I whispered to her how sorry I was that she had suffered…I told her I wanted to take away all the pain she had ever know as I made my way towards her belly button where I dipped my tongue around the little stone hooked there.

As she pressed her teeth into her bottom lip, her face a mask of pleasure, I easily lifted from her long enough to slip her pajama bottoms and underwear off in one swift motion…she was finally, completely, wonderfully bare before me and I felt my cock thundering with need. It pushed against my pants. I paused to allow a calming moment to wash over me…I wanted to take this slow, show her all the levels that love making could reach, but her eyes, when she opened them, to look up at me, made it clear she had something else in mind as she set up and went about unbuckling my pants.

"Marie…" I tried to cover her hands with mine, to stop her.

"This is my dream. I want it my way." She pressed a kiss to my stomach.

"Whatever you want."

She rose up on her knees as she unzipped my pants so she could slide her hands inside…it was my turn to nearly buckle in pleasure when her fingers closed around my hot, hard, and throbbing flesh.

"My sweet phantom lover…" Her lips brushed over mine. "My dreams…I have never had such a sweet, sweet dream…" She kissed down my neck, her touch tender but eager as she grazed my flesh with her teeth…she pushed the pants down past my hips, allowing my cock to spring free, already damp with liquid arousal that she bent down to lick away with a tender tongue in a gentle gesture so sweet it simply reconfirmed the reality that she was the mate I had been destined to find.

"Marie. Marie, beloved…my beloved…"

"Make love to me. Make love to me, Logan."

"That is all I want to do for all eternity." She hadn't a clue how much real truth those words possessed as I moved from the bed so I could completely and easily remove my pants…they fell down my legs to the floor while I stood for a moment, finding a great delight in how Marie's eyes hungrily roamed all over my body as if she intended to devour me with just her sight.

"You are so beautiful. So perfect." Her eyes moved to mine.

"You are the beautiful one…"

But she was shaking her head slowly. "I know what I look like, and I know I am not beautiful, but you make me feel that way each time you touch me the way you do…" She extended both hands to me, her eyes shimmering with soft but potent passion that I shared as I reached for those hands, feeling emotions I was coming to adore swelling in my chest.

"This is the beginning, Marie." I lifted each hand, to my lips, to press a kiss to her fingers. "I just need you to trust me. Trust yourself. Trust us." I allowed my eyes to tell her that there would indeed be an us, in the instant before I took her mouth with mine once more…the moment our lips merged the need flared fresh and all the more powerful.

Marie wrapped both arms around my neck as she eased onto the bed, flat of her back, pulling me down so I was stretched on top of her; we seemed to fit together perfectly, mouth to mouth, chest to chest… we had been born to be one, I whispered as much, as I teased her tongue with mine, drawing a smile from her before I again kissed my way down her body, until I finally reached the sweet junction where her thighs met.

Her legs parted on their own accord, allowing me access to what I most wanted…her sweet sex covered with neatly trimmed curls that were damp with need. I could smell it. I could smell her arousal. It was beautiful, the scent, that radiated from her like a delicious perfume…I drank it in with vigor as I looked at her pink, swollen cunt lips…I admired the clit that peaked large and throbbing from beneath its protective hood.

"Sweet, sweet, Marie…I want to taste you." I head her groan, even as she scooted downwards so I could have better access and I smiled. "Of course I only want to taste you, if you want me to." There was a delight to be found, in teasing her and she whispered my name.

"Yes…God, yes, that is what I want you to do…"

"Say it, love."

"I want you to taste me…please…"

"By all means." Her hands tangled in the sheet. "I have been aching for a chance to eat your sweet, sweet cunt…" I made the confession, in the brief, flashing second before I pressed a fully open mouthed kiss right onto her slick sex lips…I drove my tongue into her hard and fast as her hips bucked off the bed so high I had to capture her thighs in my hands to pull her back down so I could continue my ministrations.

She was thrashing as best she could, arching her back off the bed, as I licked her several times, tasting her juices as they began to flow freely into my hungry mouth; she was gasping my name, pleading for more…for more…I felt ready to explode, just listening to her…I knew she was close to an edge, close to coming violently and that was what I wanted for her as I wrapped my lips around her throbbing clit.

I sucked on the little pleasure appendage with the same intensity I had used on her sensitive nipples and I was quickly rewarded with the sound of my name echoing around the room…she screamed my name with such fire I knew she had forgotten the past with all its pains, for that moment, at least, as the first wave washed over her.

She came wildly, thrashing and screaming, arching up as she chanted my name, her body covered with a thin, sweet sweat that shimmered over her breast…I kept my mouth pressed to her as she spilled luscious feminine juices I lapped as if they were the fluid that gave me life, and in that moment, those juices were indeed what I needed to survive.

She was moaning weakly as I kissed the inside of her pale thighs, up her belly and breast, to her lips that claimed mine with desperation as she took the opportunity to roll me onto my back with force that surprised me…I blinked at the sudden change in positions as she smiled down at me.

Her skin was flushed, her eyes glossed with need and I fell even more under the spell she had unwittingly cast as she easily straddled me…I held her hips in my hands as she used hers to capture and then guide my painfully hard and swollen cock to her sensual chasm.

"Yes…I want this…" Her head fell back. "I want you inside me…I want it so badly so please, please fill me…" I was astounded by how open and honest she was with her needs; needs that I found myself more than happy to fulfill as I helped her lower herself onto me, a delicious inch at a time.

She was beyond tight, I was afraid I might hurt her, but she showed not a trace of discomfort or pain as she settled herself onto me…her lips were slick as well as wonderfully soft…I told her again that she was glorious as she fully and completely impelled herself on me, settling down for a moment so I could feel my balls pressed against her.

"Logan…" She molded her eyes into mine. "This all seems so real…I wish it were real, but I…make this the perfect dream for me." For the first time, in far, far more years than I could recall, I felt like crying as I moved my hands from her hips to cup her full breast… I teasingly pinched her erect nipples as she began to move. Slowly. Easily. She set the pace. I felt myself tense. I loved the way it felt…I loved the friction created as my cock thrust into her cunt…the wet walls were welcoming as she plunged my throbbing member into her with steadily increasing intensity…I wasn't certain how long I could hold out as her breast filled my hands while she road me faster and faster until I finally flipped her onto her back, never allowing my cock to slip from her.

She was too filled with desire, again lingering too close to an edge to be at all startled by my sudden move as I knelt between her thighs… I lifted her legs high, bending them at the knees to allow better access, a heightened sense of pleasure for both of us as I pounded my flesh into hers. Hard and fast. Fast and hard. I watched my cock stretch her. Fill her. It was an amazing sight, one that I savored as my balls ached and tightened…I knew the moment was near for me as I picked up the pace while Marie lifted her hips with an almost violent, certainly uncontrolled thrusting motion that quickly sent her flying into orgasmic oblivion less than a second before I came with a cry.

My cock jerked and sputtered, shooting my sap into her as the gyrations ripped through my body…I felt my strength drain as I collapsed on to her, my chest crushing her breast as I buried my face against her neck, inhaling deeply, taking her scent inside me.

Her hands moved slowly along my back, soft and gentle, as she said my name in a weak whisper as the sweat that covered both of us began to cool, while the passion still burned. Blazed. I knew once wouldn't be enough, not for her or me…I could see she understood as much as I lifted my head, to look into her glorious eyes; eyes I knew I wanted to look into for eternity…I almost told her as much, in that moment, but forced myself to refrain as I rolled off her, onto my back, pulling her with me so her head was rested on my chest.

For a long time, we laid like that, holding one another, lost in how very wonderful it felt…I played my fingers through her hair, told her that she was the most beautiful woman I had ever known. I felt complete holding her. I felt filled with hope and life and it made me smile as she dozed in my arms while I was more than content just to savor feeling her close to me…it was perfect, just as she was and always would be, in my mind, in my heart, and in time, she would be perfect in my life.

About an hour before sunrise, I woke her up by kissing her tenderly until she moaned in my arms…her body opened to mine and we made slow, gentle love, our eyes open and locked as my body pumped into hers, feeling her take and accept me completely. It was amazing. Pure. Perfect. I knew it would be that way always, for me and Marie, and I held that thought in mind when it came time to leave her.

I stayed until the last possible moment, taking time to help her sleepily slide her pajamas back on, before tucking her warmly into her bed…I stood at her side, watching her sleep, knowing the day hours would pass far too slowly for my taste…time would crawl until I could return to her. To hold her. Taste her yet again as she begged for more…I felt my body stirring as I transported myself back to my lair with her scent still lingering on me.

It went on that way for two months, with me going to her every night, to watch her as she went about her walk on the beach…I waited until she was in bed before I appeared in a form so she could see me and each time she did, she smiled as she set up and opened her arms; she opened her arms and her body, allowing her passion to come to life again and again as we made love in every possible manner, unable to fill our hunger for one another.

Each touch was more intense than the one before, each kiss took us to a different level as we connected mentally and emotional; we held one another tight and from time to time, we shared easy conversation and gentle laughter that made me love her all the more…made me love her until the point came when I knew I couldn't be content with those nocturnal visits she chose to call dreams even though I knew she had, on some level, come to understand that I was not a figment of her subconscious mind. I was real. She knew, the love we made, the way I touched her, the way she touched me, had an element of reality and eternity in it and I was determined, after two wonderful yet oddly pain filled months, that I had to make the complete truth known.

In doing so, I chose to appear to her shortly after she returned home from her walk on the beach…I was sitting quietly on the bed when she came into the room and her eyes came instantly to me, but no surprise lingered there as I slowly stood and she leaned back against the closed door, looking as beautiful as I had recalled during the day hours as I slept, wishing she was wrapped safe in my arms.

Her hair fell around her shoulders, framing her face, as her eyes sought mine and I smiled slightly, wanting desperately to go to her and pull her close to me…but answers and questions had to come before I could reach out to her as I so wanted to do.

"Marie." I said her name softly and her eyes closed.

"You aren't a dream."

"I think you have known all along that I am not a dream."

"Maybe." She opened her eyes. "I tried to tell myself it was not real, that you were just a vivid dream, but when I wake up in the mornings, I can still feel you and I can taste you…" She shook her head. "I haven't let myself wonder if it were possible if…I haven't let myself wonder at all."

"I have. So much. I have wondered what this moment would be like."

"This moment?"

I smiled as I took two steps in her direction…the window was open and the ashen moonlight illuminated the room while the brisk breezes perfumed the air with rich ocean aromas. "I am here for you, Marie."

"Haven't you been here for me every night for two months?"

"This night is different, beloved. I am here to offer you something."

"And that would be…" She still seemed calm.

"I am here to offer you life, Marie."

"Logan…"

"Do you know what I am?" I cut her off with the question.

"I don't…maybe…" Her hands lifted in a confused gesture.

"What do you think I am?"

"What do I think?" Tears came to her eyes. "I don't know, what it is I am suppose to think you are, but I…I can tell you that what you are is the only man who has ever touched me and made me feel alive physically and mentally and emotionally all at once." She paused to draw in a breath. "I know you are the only man who makes me ache for a touch…ache to be held against you and I know that when you say I am beautiful, I can almost believe it because you make me feel it." I knew it was not easy for her, to open her soul, her heart, when she had closed the door to both so long ago and the fact that she did, that she was baring herself completely to me gave me great hope.

"You are beautiful."

But she shook her head and brushed at her eyes. "I see myself…"

"You don't see yourself as I see you." I allowed my passion for her to ring loud and clear in my voice.

"Logan…"

"You have skin that feels like silk when I touch it and your eyes blaze with fire I want to be consumed by…your voice is the sweetest musical I have ever heard in all my years." I moved slowly towards her, our eyes locked as the tears spilled down her beautiful cheeks. "I think you are elegance in the flesh for you are all a woman is meant to be; you are beautiful and soft and sweet and ache for you with all I am…I ache to make you see yourself as I see you, for when I look at you, Marie, what I see is pure perfection."

"How? How can you…" She gestured at her cheek.

"That scar could never hinder your beauty."

"It can. It does. It makes me ugly."

"Nothing could make you ugly, my beloved." I could see her wince as I moved to stand before her while she lowered her head to stare at the floor.

"Every night, when you have come to me, I have been waiting for the night when you wouldn't come because you realized you could have beauty in it's truest form…"

"You are beauty in it's truest form."

She lifted her eyes to find I was just two feet from her…I wanted to be even closer than that…I wanted to touch her, but I knew the time was not right for that as she looked at me. "Tell me who you are?"

"I am a vampire."

"How old are you?"

"I have been in existence for nearly seven hundred years."

"Amazing."

"You have no doubts regarding what I say?"

"None. I know it's true. I have known all along that you are more… well, I have known you are more than a mere man."

"Well, my love, in many ways, in basic ways, I am just a man."

"And you want me?"

"Very much." I smiled with ease. "I never believed a woman could take my heart and make it her own, but you have, my love, and I am here to tell you that I wish, I intend, to have you for all eternity."

"Logan…"

"I can give you the world as you have never imagined it, I can show you a life that will be filled with pleasure…"

"A life with you?" She stared at me.

"Yes. I love you, Marie."

"I love you." The words came from her with ease and I smiled.

"You do?"

"I have all along but…" She touched her cheek. "I don't know…"

"The scar is nothing, I have already told you, and I will gladly tell you as much for a thousand years if that is what it takes." I held out a hand toward her and she stared at it. "You have been hurt, in this life, and for that, I am far more sorry than I can ever express, but what I can do, what I want to do, is give you a new life, with me… a life filled with endless pleasure and love and I will make you happy…" She reached for my hand and I tugged her to me, into my arms, that held her tightly as she pressed her mouth hard and hungry against mine…I melted instantly into her, becoming one with her, as she pulled at my shirt with frantic desperation that sent buttons flying.

I quickly removed her sweater, followed by her pants and underwear and I was delighted to find that she didn't have a bra on to cover her breast that filled my hands past full…I ripped my mouth from hers so I could suck hard on her nipples in the manner she most enjoyed.

"Logan…" Her hands were tangled in my hair.

"This is real, Marie. I am real."

`I know…I know…I know…" She cried out when I slipped my hand to her cunt, I could feel the wet arousal there as I hooked my arm under her knees and with an easy motion, I cradled her naked body against my chest.

Stalking across the room, determined to break down the last walls around her precious heart, I carried her to her vanity where I lowered her to her feet before sweeping away the various items that littered the polished surface.

"Logan…"

"Trust me." I pressed a kiss to her lips.

"What…"

"Trust me." I repeated the words as I turned her so she could see herself in the mirror…her reflection alone, as I did not have one…but I clearly saw hers; I saw her body beautifully bared…her hair falling to her shoulders while passion flushed her flesh and her eyes shimmered. "Look at yourself…" I whispered that instruction as I reached around her, to cup her breast that I began to knead…I tugged at her nipples and she whimpered loudly.

"God…please…"

"Please what? What do you want?"

"You know what I want."

"Tell me. Say it."

"I want you to make love to me."

"I want to make love to you, Marie. I want that. I want to shove myself into you and take you to a place I know you love…I want to make you feel just as good as you make me feel, but you have to do something for me."

"What?" She was breathless, her breast sensitive to my torment.

"You have to keep your eyes open."

"Logan…"

"You have to look at yourself in that mirror and you have to see yourself as I see you, beloved." I used one hand to unfasten my pants and push them to the floor as I kissed her neck. "Do that. Keep your eyes open." I placed her arms on the vanity, nudged her legs wide apart, and with gentle ease, I pushed my cock deeply into her cunt…she thrust her hips back in acceptance, but she kept her eyes open and focused on her reflection, as I had demanded and it made me smile as I placed one hand against her breast while I used the other to stimulate her swollen clit.

I slowly found a steady rhythm, one I maintained as I pumped into her, as she lifted her hips back against mine…she was gasping my name… her hands were curled into fist as sweat glistened on her body; I watched her face so I could gage her reactions, which I had adored from the beginning, but mostly, I wanted to see her eyes as warm knowledge began to dawn there.

"See it. Do you see it, beloved?" I pressed my lips to her ear.

"Logan…"

"Look at yourself…"

"I…I don't understand it…" She reached a hand back to gently cup my face and I pressed a kiss to her palm.

"Look at yourself. At your eyes. Your skin. Your breast…"

"I see…I see it…" Tears spilled from her eyes.

"What do you see, beloved?" I began to thrust faster and harder.

"I see what you see…"

"Beauty. That is what I see, Marie."

"Yes. Yes." She was close to the brink, and I was not far behind.

"Say it for me. Please, Marie. Say it. Say you are beautiful…"

"I am…God…I am beautiful…I am…I see what you see…" As the words were ripped from her, the orgasm we had been building towards overcame us both in a heated flash that caused Marie to scream in release while I chanted her name, kissing her neck. "I see it…I never thought…you have made me see it and I…I love you so much, Logan." The emotions still burned in her eyes even as I pulled myself from her body and she turned in my arms to cling to me, kissing me as she declared again that she loved me…the words were the most perfect I had ever heard and I relished them as I kissed her back, cupping her face in my hands, adoring how her lips seemed to devour mine.

"I love you, Marie. I love you." I pulled back. "I love you with all I am, I love you with all I will ever become and I want you with me always…I want to offer you eternity in a world that has beauty to offer at every turn, in ways you have never fathomed before…" My words ended as she grinned and pressed a finger to my lips.

"My world is already more beautiful than it has ever been because you are in it, my love."

"Do you mean that?" It was more than I dared believe.

"I know I love you, and I know you make me feel alive and I want to be alive with you forever." The pain was no longer in her eyes. "I love you so very much, and I have questions, it may take me a while before I completely, fully understand everything, but I do know I want to be with you because…from the first moment you touched me, in my soul, I knew I had been born to be in your arms for all my life." It was the same sensation I had experienced the moment I saw her and it made me smile as I kissed her again, loving how her damp, bare body molded to mine.

"I will always cherish you, my beloved." I made the promise as my eyes, reached for and held hers. "I will love you forever, Marie." I kissed the scar with tender lips, sensing she was more at peace with it now…she had peace in her heart and soul for her eyes had been opened to her true beauty and for that, I was glad as we kissed, long and slow, for a moment, savoring the passion that arched between us.

"Make me yours, Logan." She whispered the plea. "I want you to make me yours forever…" I saw no fear in her eyes, just love and longing as I slowly nodded, touching my lips to hers once more.

"There will be no pain, my love."

"I know. I trust you." As she said it, she pushed her hair back away from her neck. "I came here to escape my pain, and I have, thanks to you…I found the means to escape my pain by finding my fate and that, my precious love, is and always will be you." It was a tender, sincere pledge, one that I held close to my heart as I lost myself in her beautiful eyes for a moment…I lost myself in her and all she had the power to make me feel as I pressed my mouth to her neck, savoring the feel of her hands on my shoulders, comforting and trusting on all levels as I moved to make her mine for eternity while she whispered again and again that she would always be my beloved.