A man looked out his frost-bitten window into the snowy air outside. He knew time was not an enemy anymore, but he still felt a nagging sensation every year on his birthday. It always meant one thing, he hadn't died.

Many would have jumped at the chance to live forever, but the truth was Elijah was done with life. What was life without love? Life without love was what he lived everyday, what he put up with because he knew his time was never-ending.

Then he saw her.

She walked out like a crisp spring morning even in the dreary and dark encompass of a winter night. Her tight auburn curls rest lovingly upon her face and down her back, surrounding her like a cape. Hints of gold and brown highlights laced in her hair, making it shine with the array of beautiful hues. Her hair was glorious.

Elijah looked at her with forest green eyes and felt something that hadn't happened in many years. For the first time in almost two centuries, his heart beat. The organ danced with life and his breath quickened in answer. Many rumors in the vampyre race spoke of an enchanting other. A mate of sorts.

Elijah quietly came down from his room to see the goddess up close. He wanted to find one imperfection marring what he knew would be a beautiful face. Just one and he could continue his existence without this poor girl getting sucked in to his black hole.

He sleuthed his way through the alley and came to a quick stop. The beautiful girl looked around hesitantly and was ambushed from both sides by two less-then-pleasant looking men. One roughly grabbed her arm as the other boxed out her way of escape.

Elijah saw red and grabbed both men by the scruff of their necks and threw. One hit a garbage can and the other hit the wall, the one who hit the garbage can was the first to recover. He came back with his fist raised and Elijah's smirk came forward. His eyes glowed red in the penetrating darkness and once more picked up the man.

He pushed the man into the wall and said menacingly, "Do you get off harming beautiful young women? Depraved men deserve the punishment of God's fist hammering them down in my opinion."

The man was struggling in Elijah's grip, but he paid it no mind. "Hello," he said. "My name is God, have fun in hell." With that Elijah broke the man's neck quickly and unremorsefully. He went over to the second man and picked him up; he laughed at the man's frightened face, and let his long, talon-like nail impale his jugular.

Quietly Elijah surveyed his surroundings and took a deep breath as the scent of vanilla and sweet strawberries came to him. He slowly walked to the woman who appeared to be in shock. She looked him in the eye, and Elijah felt the eminence crash down on him. She wasn't beautiful. She was much more than that, she was perfect.

Her complexion was awash with panic, and fatigue, but her beauty radiated like the sun did on a summer evening. He crouched low to tilt her chin, and her rose petal lips bloomed open in welcome. Her skin was almost translucent in the dim lighting of the alley, but her crystal clear blue eyes were surrounded by ebony lashes that shone.

Elijah looked into his future and questioned the damsel, "Who are you, blue eyes?"

She looked at him and lifted one pixy hand to his rough cheek. "My name is Clara Lune, but please calls me Clare, Savior."

She rolled to her knees in an attempt to be strong but he could see the fragile girl needed help, which he was not opposed to giving. He leaned down and put his arms behind her legs and lifted the feather light girl. The air escaped her in a long rush as he pulled her close to his warmth.

As an automatic reaction she lifted her arms to surround his neck in an infant like manner, which he didn't mind at all. She pushed her cold nose to throat and slept.

In a wonderment unsurpassed, Elijah held the slight miracle in his arms as he carried her to his room. She wore a parsley green dress that only accentuated her curves and dove white skin. In this time not many women opted to wear a formal gown unless she had quite a bit of money, and of course, a place to go.

So where had Miss Clara Lune, please call me Clare, been going at this time of night? To see an elderly woman in her spare time, maybe to visit her parents whom she lived quite close to and thought she wouldn't need a ride home from? Or, he growled, to see a soon to be dead man.

He put Clare down on his clean mattress and felt his heart melt as she instantly held him closer when he tried to pull his arms from her. He laid himself next to his prize and cuddled her close knowing the women nowadays tended to be much more of a game for men.

With all their ridiculous toys most men would rather chase after a bimbo lacking attention then the girls who wanted a more committed relationship. The ones who wanted a committed relationship were much more reserved, and much more difficult to convince into a relationship. He had a feeling getting this beautiful girl to trust him would not be difficult, but her trust would be nothing compared to her love.

He would have to go much slower than any of his past conquests, and it killed him to know this. Elijah looked down at Clare as she wrinkled her nose and moved to find a more comfortable position. She shifted until one of her legs was entwined with his and her face was completely buried on the side of his throat. She shivered as her cold flesh met his hot skin, and so did he.

He, Elijah Moon, had found his true love, his mate, and no matter how difficult it would be, he would never let her go.