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***Christian's POV***

Walking through the park, Leah holds onto my hand. I grip her fingers between my own as I lead her through the quiet land. The birds chirp above us, somehow undisturbed in our dangerous presence.

Seeking a bench, I find one tucked beneath the large pine trees. I sit my beloved down before standing in front of her. I prepare myself to delve into a story that I haven't repeated, ever. Tony didn't need my explanation for a life I lived before. He could see what he needed if he needed to.

"You asked me how you could love me. I could not think of a way that you were not already fulfilling. It is with Tony's expertise that I came to want to open my past up to you." Excitedly, Leah leans forward to hang on my every word. Her smile is the encouragement I need.

"I didn't have a bad life. I wasn't given a hand filled with abuse or even many short comings. I simply existed in a quiet time where technology did not. My days were filled with playing with my younger siblings. Mom and Dad were in love. They stayed that way until their last breath." I smile remembering the purity of my parent's love. They blended together well, completing one another with ease.

"Mom was the typical homemaker. School was not considered mandatory. However, my mother did come from a two parent household. My grandparents were professors at a prestigious college. Mom followed their work, just taking in all of the information that was available to her. She passed it along to her children. It gave me a healthy appetite for education. I enjoyed learning, studying and dissecting the world around me." I pace a small amount as the edges of my heart pull for the absence of my family.

It has been a very long time since I have seen any of them. A century and a half on earth does not leave you with much as far as relatives go.

"Dad worked the fields early in the morning, by afternoon he would run construction within our small town. Every single night we were blessed to have both of our parents home. Nights were filled with conversation, bed time stories and sometimes dessert." Leah looks on as I paint a perfect picture. I'm not fabricating my life. I had a good childhood.

"We were encouraged not to facilitate relationships outside of friendship. Mom and Dad had old fashioned values. The emphasis they set on giving your time to someone you could build a life with left little curiosity in the realm of fleeting romance. As we got older, my sister didn't take kindly to the strict guidelines. She was a bit of a handful." A chuckle leaves my lips remember Stacy. She gave the term wild child new, vibrant meaning.

"I apologize. Stacy was my sister. Earl and Banks were my twin brothers. All were younger than me. But, there were barely nine months between Stacy and I. The twins were merely eight months younger than Stacy. Mom had a short pregnancy." I clarify the small details. It wouldn't hurt for Leah to have a personal knowledge of a family that she won't ever have the pleasure to meet.

The thought is disheartening. My family would have accepted her with open arms. Mom and Dad only ever wanted what would make us happy. Leah is definitely my happy place. Josie and Tony are as well.

"Did you get along well with your siblings?" Leah crosses her legs as she stares at me while waiting for an answer.

Immediately responding, I answer her question. "As far as siblings go, we did have our spats. However, they were not many. There was not ever much consequence to debate. We got along fairly well." I smile delicately at the beauty in front of me. It is not hard to speak with her. She easily makes for a great listener.

"Upon my eighteenth birthday, I looked forward to secondary school. My family had the money. I was an easy learner. I was set for college. It was an exciting time. Mom and Dad encouraged me continuously as I began my path to a great future." It was a beautiful relationship between parents and child. Mom and Dad were the best parents. I was sad when life took the unfortunate turns that it had.

"I was at my University for a short thirty days. I had gathered a strong circle of friends. A particular girl, Rylen, she caught my eye. With sweet smiles and innocent conversation, I began to think of her as someone I may like to carry into a future." I almost laugh when a hiss leaves my beloved's lips. Pulling her up from her sitting position, I cradle her in my arms.

A small amount of jealousy is absolutely attractive. Leah just sent a blissful shudder through my form.

"Don't worry, love. I did not have time to cultivate a relationship. I was as virgin as you when we met." A kiss of promises is placed between Leah's lips and my own. I smile against her full red flesh. She nuzzles into my neck, scenting me with her hair.

I think I will bring up Rylen more often. Leah's possessive nature makes me want to poke the bear. It's hot when she claims me.

"I'm not worried. You're my mate. Mine." Leah nips my jaw with her teeth. A bit off track, I try to reign in my growing arousal. Leah will have leaves in her hair shortly if she continues to bait me.

"You are my beloved. I would want no other." My lips fall upon Leah's. With a soft pant, my tongue pushes through her open lips as I taste her sweet breath. Leah tangles herself around me. Her fingers creep into my hair, clutching to the strands. My dick thumps excitedly. She will be thoroughly penanced for that later.

Pulling away, I create space between us. I would like to finish my memories so we may carry on with that shortly. The sooner the better.

"As the first semester of college was reaching the half way point, the war settled in around us. Rumors began of a draft. Secretly, I wished that I could be left to school. Unfortunately, we did not have a choice. My name came up. Within days, I was recruited to fight for a country that I called home. Honor and duty over fear, I reported to the camp without incident." Leah breathes in deeply as her eyes scrunch down. It's a bit amusing. Obviously, I am here. It ends well. The middle was just the journey it took to get where we are today.

"At first, it was mostly physical. As a human, I was not especially physical. The days were long and the nights short. Often, I was more bruises than flesh." I air a breath that I don't even need. The story isn't going to last much longer. It just didn't have time to develop.

"Mom and Dad wrote as often as they could. In the heat of an uprising, we didn't get a long goodbye. I wish I had known that I had so little sand left in the hour glass. I think the unspoken love was the hardest to accept. I would have enjoyed a fulfilled human life with my parents by my side." The nostalgia gives way to a shimmer of grief. My parents were my whole world. Losing them, or them losing me, was not an easy thing to acquaint myself with. Tony was the silver lining.

"The battlefield was a violent place. I was put on the front line. Heated bullets scathed some, claimed others and left many to bury. I was only shot one time. It was a minor graze. Fortunately, my time did not end in a hail of gunfire." Leah looks questioningly over at me as she ponders my end. It was the beginning in many more ways than ending. Humans are fragile. I was no different.

"How did it end?" Leah softly whispers her curiosity. I cup her cheek as a show of comfort. I will put her mind at ease.

"It did not end so to say. Tony was looking for a companion. He sought me out. In the middle of the night, he stole me from my camp. Immediately, he turned me into a vampire." I remember the time as if it were yesterday. Although it was a hasty move on my creator's part, I hold no ill will.

"Are you angry with him for doing so?" I can hear the worry as it leaks through her words.

"No, sweetheart. Not at all. My secondary life has been more than I could have wished for. As a human, we are not promised tomorrow. Had he not saved me, I will have died either way." The truth is what it is. I am grateful for the intervention. I have been a boy. I have been a soldier. I am a vampire. I would change nothing.

"That's good." Leah breathes a sigh of relief. I hate that she has worried. However, it does touch me that she cares.

"I spent a long time without someone romantically. At first, it was fine. Time passed. I began to yearn for what I perceived as couple's pleasures. I desired communication, a bond, affection, time with someone who made you feel as though you mattered in their world. Josie was a great distraction. Honestly, had you not come along and Tony had not finally claimed his beloved, I may have stolen Josie for myself." I laugh once again as Leah reacts in a possessive manner. Her hand holds my back tighter. I enjoy the reactions.

"Luckily, I came along when I did. I would not have enjoyed decapitating that precious boy over you." Leah has no humor in her sentence. It is rather a warning that she would have done what was necessary.

"I like when you are possessive. It's not controlling. I just love when you stake your claim." I offer the truth so she may do so more often.

"Noted." Leah's smile is alluring. She doesn't do much that is not. She is very much my flavor.

"Then there was you. Leah, you are a very bright light in a world where I see so much darkness. You're effort towards developing this relationship is really all I ever asked for. The rest is just icing on the cake. I guess what I really need or want, is every part of you. I want to grow with you. I want to have a future that includes you. As long as you are trying, I am happy." My eyes bounce between both of Leah's. She smiles softly. The gleam in her eyes tells me that she enjoys trying. She is really giving her best effort. I am satisfied with that.

"I will work on other things to make you more than happy. I must admit, I didn't want this. I turned away from the hopes of having a mate. You just happen to be somebody that makes me want to explore this. It's everything about you Christian. I have never felt so comfortable with another soul. I won't tell you this is going to be easy. I just promise not to make it any harder than it will be. You really are a Prince Charming." Her lips touch mine, reigniting that stir that had presented itself so many times throughout today. I just want to be alone, with her, in a place that only we exist.

Without further notice, I whisk my beloved's legs out from underneath her. Automatically, Leah's arms wrap around my neck. A giggle plays off of her lips. I take large strides, going faster than I should. The air around us is like wind from a tunnel. I may be going quicker than I realize. Once we make it back to the house, I barely address the onlookers. I stroll right past them as I get us to our room where I deposit my beloved on the bed.

It's time to connect in ways that have nothing to do with talking. This is a perfect cap to an already amazing day. My arms cage Leah beneath me as my eyes take over her form. She's divine. I descend.