Prologue

Whoever said living forever would be fantastic has never lived more than one lifetime. I've lived long enough to see empires rise and fall, battles and wars fought, won and lost. So many lives have died, and I have outlived them all. I was an ordinary man once. I had a relatively normal life for my time. My father was a man who thought his son should grow up early. For every wrong I committed, I was whipped. Those scars, like many others, faded over time.

My Rose would always trace them with her fingertips, and her touch was always so soothing. Rose was my wife. I didn't have nearly enough time with her. When I was born, it was the time of knights, princes, princesses, dukes, kings, queens, and peasants. She was a peasant, and I was a knight. We were not allowed to marry because of our status.

I was interested in her instantly, though. She became angry because I knocked her over while riding. The bucket of water she was carrying fell on her. It got her dress dirty. I wasn't supposed to ride that far from the castle, but sometimes I just had to get away. I would pack up food and bedding and just ride. My father never noticed my absence unless a war was approaching. This particular ride caused me to run into the woman I would wind up giving my heart to.

I took her to her home and told her father I would take her to the castle with me. She wasn't happy about it, and neither was her father. I overheard her talking to her mother, who had passed on about paying for her sins. She talked like her mother was engaged to a Duke, which could only make her a Duchess. I found a witch that told me about Rose's past. It seemed that she was from some type of royal bloodline. I collected her one week from the date I ran into her.

She was in the castle for months. I made sure she was well taken care of until the night I could no longer stop myself. I wanted her more than any woman I had ever wanted. Her attitude towards me excited me because she didn't fear me like everyone else. Instead, she opposed me every chance she got. I messed everything up the night I took her for the first time. I had too much to drink, and I wasn't a gentleman at all. She feared me after that. I laid beside her night after night for weeks before I made a move again.

She was initially afraid, but I showed her what it could be like between a man and a woman. We were building a relationship, or so I thought. What I didn't know was that she was planning to run away. She thought that all she would ever be to me was my mistress. At the time, I was looking into her heritage. I had talked to the old woman who had shown me what Rose really was. I'd found the village that her mother came from. I wanted to restore Rose's birthright so that I could marry her.

I knew my father would never approve, but I didn't care. If I was marrying a Duchess, then he couldn't really say much. My father was a bastard who killed people for no reason. When he found out Rose had run away, he tracked down her father and had him whipped until he died. By that point, I had found Rose. We laid her father to rest, and I took what we needed to survive from the castle. This time when she ran, I ran with her.

We found her mother's home. Rose's grandmother accepted Rose as part of the royalty. She gave her her title back. She also set up a wedding for us so that we were married before we went home to my father. I planned to fight a war against my father to kill him and take over as Duke. What I didn't know was that my little spitfire had decided she would join my army. She snuck off in the back, where I was unaware she was.

I caught her one night when she was swimming to bathe. This started an argument amongst us. I decided to let her stay and act as if she was my Squier. The other knights ridiculed her as she was small and couldn't fight. I started training her to wield a sword, and eventually, she beat me.

During this time, my father had sent spies to find out what was happening, and they learned that Rose was with us. The old woman from her village had come to find me and made me aware of this. Rose showed herself to the knights and made them aware of who she was. Some were unhappy, but I put them in their place and made them accept that she would be with us.

When we came to the forest outside the castle, we found my father had enlisted the villagers to fight against us. They were mostly boys. Rose, being the person she was, didn't want the villagers to die for my father. She found Thomas, the boy that had wanted to marry her, was amongst them. She got him to come out and give up. This caused the other villagers to join forces with us.

We sent all villagers away that did not wish to fight. Thomas fought with us and died protecting my Rose. Rose snuck into the castle after we thought she had died, and she went after my father. She poisoned him and took his crown so his knights would know he was gone. I then took over the castle and his position. Rose and I lived happily for years to come. We had two children in the nine years that we had together.

Then we went for a ride one evening after the children had gone to sleep. It was a beautiful night, and Rose thoroughly enjoyed it. That was until we were attacked by something I had never known existed. A vampire had attacked us and bled me almost dry. Rose ran for the castle, trying to get help as she could not lift me. By the time they arrived at my side, I had died. Rose laid my body in the tomb under the castle. What she didn't know was I was not dead but the undead. When I arose in two days, Rose was down in the tomb. She was happy that I had come back. I attacked her, thinking she had left me for dead as my mind was fuzzy.

I left the castle and immediately started hearing a voice calling me. I followed that voice until I found the vampire that had attacked us. She told me that she had attacked us because Rose's uncle had killed her family. She was seeking revenge for her family, but she knew it was not Rose that had killed her family. Rose was pure, and she knew this. However, what she asked of me to leave my Rose alone was to be with her forever. I knew this would hurt Rose if she ever found out, but Rose thought I was dead. So I chose to be with her and be her lover.

I found I could not leave my poor Rose alone, so I stood beneath her window in the castle every night. I watched in misery as Rose felt alone and devastated. Until one night, I could no longer take it and went into her room as she slept. I touched her in ways I had only done when I was alive. When she woke, she thought she had gone mad. I showed her what I truly was, a monster. To my surprise, Rose gave herself willingly to me. I should have known that Eleanor would figure out where I was and what I had done. Rose was upset that I had been with Eleanor. She never forgave me for it.

Eleanor came to the castle that night and attacked Rose. I fought her off and barely survived. Killing your bloodline generally kills you too. However, my love for Rose was greater than any bloodline. It helped me survive. I knew I could no longer go around Rose as she would not forgive me for being with Eleanor. I could not damn her to a life that I didn't even want. I watched her from the shadows as she moved on with her life. She wound up marrying someone else and had a child with them. I was no longer her husband or my children's father. I was destined to wander the earth alone, unloved, and never loving again.

At least that's what I thought until seventy-seven years after Rose's death. I felt Rose just as clearly as I had when she was alive. At first, I thought I was going crazy. It took me five years to track down the source. When I found it, it was a small child. I was surprised to find that Rose's soul had been reincarnated. I watched her every night. Finally, when she turned eighteen, I approached her.

I couldn't believe the reaction she had to me. It had felt amazing and something I had not felt in so long. We met for months in secret as she was promised to another. I finally decided to reveal myself to her, and she ran away screaming bloody murder. I knew I had to stop her, so I ran as quickly as possible to catch her. I began to drink from her. Unable to control myself, I drank her dry and killed her. A piece of me died with her as I knew I had lost a chance to have love back in my life.

The second time I felt the soul being reborn, I was surprised as I figured I had killed the only chance I'd had to have my soulmate. I found her when she was twenty. She was married and had a child on the way. Back then, people married from the age of fourteen to sixteen. She was happy. I wasn't sure if I could mess with her life, but I had to know if she felt the same.

I decided to meet her one night. I ran into her as I pretended to be from another part of the world. It wasn't hard since I was technically from somewhere else. I heard her heartbeat speed up when I smiled at her. When our eyes met, I felt that familiar draw. She sucked in her breath and then bit her lip.

"My apologies, my lady. I meant no harm."

"All is well, Sir. Have we met before, Sir?"

"No, my lady. Perhaps it is just fate that we have met this fateful night."

"I think my husband would say otherwise, kind sir."

"Do you not feel what I feel, my lady? I feel that you are meant to be mine. Will you meet me again?"

"I think not, Sir. I must get home to my husband and child."

"If you truly feel nothing, then do not meet me, but if you feel the same as me, meet me here two nights hence. Until then, my lady," I said as I kissed her hand.

And that was the start of many disappointments. I could not contain the excitement I felt for those two days. I showed up in the same spot and waited and waited some more. Finally, at midnight I decided to leave. Low and behold, she came. I could tell she was nervous, and her heart was beating so fast. I took her hand in mine, and she gave me a nervous smile.

"I can not stay, Sir. I do feel something for you that I have never felt before, but I can not leave my family for a feeling that may fade over time."

"What if I could promise you lifetimes of love?"

"There is no way to promise that."

"I can assure you that I can," I said as I let my fangs elongate.

"W-what are you?" she stammered.

"I am a vampire. The monster you have only dreamt of does exist, my lady. I can promise you that you will live forever, and I will make you happy and loved for many lifetimes."

"No. I have surely gone mad. Vampires do not truly exist," she said as she turned and started to flee.

I sighed and ran after her, grabbing her and pulling her back to me. I plunged my fangs into her and began to drink her blood. It tasted so sweet. Better than any blood I had drunk in a long time. I had to stop myself from drinking her dry like the last time. I licked her wound, and she shivered. I removed my hand from her mouth where I had been muffling her screams. I turned her towards me and looked into her eyes.

"Tell no one of this encounter, and you will live a long life."

I watched her nod, but it was as if she did not know I was actually there. That was when I realized I could control people by gazing into their eyes. I had never truly known the extent of any powers I may have had as I tried to stay away from any other vampires and did not care to learn from them. I watched as she walked away and felt my heart break. I would never know my Rose's love again; I just knew it.

I watched her over the years. Again I watched her die as I had done with Rose many years before. Then it seemed like a new soul was born every ten years after a death. I could feel it when they were born. It was like my Rose had come back to me again and again. And each time, I changed the way I met the women and how I offered a life to them. Most just didn't want to give up having a normal life.

I felt a soul being born again; this time, it was in December. I knew this was my last chance. I was going to do things right this time. I would take it slow and give her a chance to come to love me. She would get to know me, and when I felt she was ready, I would tell her what I was and offer her a life with me. By this point, I had lived for 650 years, only 30 of which I was human. I knew how to take my time.

I found her when she was just a small child. She had the blackest hair I had ever seen. When the sunlight hit it, it was like a raven's feathers. It had a streak of blue to it. She had beautiful green eyes. I stayed around and watched her grow. By this point, I had many companies under shell names, so I was pretty comfortable and didn't have to do much to move around. It was quite simple to move into a place nearby but not close enough to where she would ever run into me.

I waited until she was eighteen, and then I watched her steadily instead of just checking in on her occasionally. I began to pick up on some things she liked and disliked. I didn't have long, however, as her parents were in a car crash and died. I decided to give her a little time to get over her grief and left her alone. That was a mistake.

Not long after her parents had died, she met a man named Tim. When I came back around, she was dating him. I couldn't stand by and watch my last chance at happiness disappear, but I couldn't bring myself to end her happiness. She had been lonely and depressed after her parents died. I also still looked like a 30-year-old man. Would she go for someone that much older than her? I had to wait and see how this played out.

However, I couldn't stand to watch her with him. I left the country and took my anger out on citizens that no one would miss. After a year, I returned and found that she was still with him. I left again and gave her another year. When I came back, she was engaged to him. I couldn't stand it any longer. I knew I had lost her. She would never choose a stranger over the man she loved and had decided to spend her life with.

I spent two years going to different parts of the world. I drank until I could drink no more. I joined underground fight clubs so that I could beat people to a bloody pulp, and nothing would be said. But my heart just wouldn't let me rest. Finally, I had to see her again because I couldn't give up my last chance. So I returned to get the woman I was meant to be with.

When I returned, I found that she was no longer with Tim. I wasn't sure what had happened at first, but the longer I listened while hiding in her woods, the more I found out. Not only had he broken her heart, but she had become depressed and begun drinking herself to death. Her best friend and her brother kept a close eye on her.

Dominique had tried to kill herself with her drinking and bad habits while in her depression. I wanted to find Tim and kill him, but I knew that would not solve anything. So I planned out what I would do. She had opened a club, and it was doing well. I snuck in a few times but ensured she never saw me. This time, she would know and love me before I offered her a lifetime of love and happiness. I wanted her to be sure, and I was not going to lose her again. I noticed she loved to sing. It didn't matter if she was at home or the club. She started a band at the club consisting of her, her brother, and her best friend. I overheard her saying she needed another guitarist. Thus, my plan was born. I would learn to play, and then I could offer my services to her.

I began learning to play and found I had a natural talent for it. With my hearing beyond a human's, I could pick up the notes without needing to see them. I could play anything as long as I could hear the first beat or two. I was pretty good, if I did say so myself. I had finally decided to put my plan into motion.

While learning to play, I began sending dreams to Dominique. I was showing her Rose's life. Her life with me. I made sure to send blurry images of myself, and that Rose was actually her in the dreams. It would warm her up to everything. If she felt what Rose did, she might accept me for what I was. Maybe she would come to feel for me what I did for her.