She awoke with the hope to hunt for one night, as the remains of the past withered with the dying rays of the mocking sunlight. The taste on her lips, sweet with anticipation of what was to come. She flicked her dark auburn hair and stared into a mirror where she once observed herself in. Now, her reflection was no longer there; however, she paid no attention to the mirror. Instead, she was deep in thought, knowing that this time she wouldn’t fail. Restless shadows surrounded the dark stone walls of the castle she resided in, where turbulent horrors existed without mercy...but she wasn’t afraid. It was with curiosity that Soraya escaped the peering shadows and wandered through the silent corridors that screamed with agony.

"I'll find him. He is all I need to retain this hunger, a morbid ache that darkens this eternal body."
She gently licked her lips with ardent desires and envisioned a man dressed in black, riding on horseback underneath a full moon. He was near. His long dark hair whipped past his face as he sped across a bridge, knowing he was in danger, but he couldn’t turn away. The castle was near, and his family was miles away behind him. “Her face, I saw her in my dreams. I know she’s near. She’ll kill me, but I want to be like her. I want to be with her.” He mischievously thought as the sight of a large stone castle drew nearer. Tiny beads of sweat poured down his handsome face. He wanted to turn away, but it was as if an invisible force bound him closer. So he descended from his horse, and continued to walk the rest of the mile.

Meanwhile, Soraya’s instincts finally told her exactly where this man lurked. She returned to her sleeping quarters, and approached the balcony where her giant wings spread with a new yearning to feel the cold air of the night brush against her. She shrieked with pleasure as her wings gave flight. Peering from above the dark sky, the figure of a tall shadow wandering towards the castle caught her eye, and she descended. It was a battle to be free from her grip, but it was impossible. Her strength proved to be much more magnificent than his, and so he gave in. Her cold breath whispered a language that he couldn’t understand as she carried him beneath her wing. It gave him shivers down his spine, but he couldn’t help but listen. Under a forbidden spell, his body gave in, and so did his soul. They landed on her balcony and proceeded towards her room where nobody would here his screams.

“Who are you? Why did you bring me here?” His voice shook with unwanted desires.

She laughed. “Don’t you remember? I had you once in your dreams, and you never let go. You’ve wanted me the same way I’ve wanted you all this time. Come, let me hold you once again. My love, don’t be afraid.”

She approached him, and he held back once. But after he realized that his struggle was hopeless, he gave in again. She continued to whisper in his ear as she cradled him in her arms. Her hands moved restlessly around his body as she pressed her lips against his chest. His flesh was fragile against her touch as he willingly bled for her. In the instant that he pulled her hair from the pain, she pierced through harder. His breath was already diminishing from her touch, and he sank deeper and deeper under her spell. The color slowly drained from his face as Soraya’s feast nearly came to an end. His taste was sweet like that of strawberries and champagne. He would be hers now. With the last bit of his human essence lingering on her lips, he exhaled his last breath. With her deed finally done, Soraya allowed his limp body to rest on the stone floor, waiting for his revival.

“You’ll never be the same. You’ll never go back to your family. You’ll stay here with me.”

His eyelids suddenly lifted, and his eyes wandered around, until he caught sight of her.

“Soraya, my love, I’m here.”

He slowly lifted his head, faced her, and smiled as he stared at her, examining her beauty with an undying scrutiny. Soraya stared back, and as she stretched out her hand to caress his face, he pulled her body towards him and pressed himself against her. Finding herself in a passionate abyss of ecstasy, she let out a silent scream as he thrust himself inside her, discovering her once again. Their bodies moving around the stone floor of her bedroom, brushing against one another as the cold air from the night seeped through the open door of the balcony. It was their reality, and it was forever theirs. He now knew nothing of pain; only that it was necessary to endure as a mortal in order to be with her. And with her small nails slowly digging into his back, he let out a small groan as he continued to kiss her with a passion that would never die. A passion that was forever theirs as his immortality finally took to his form…