The house is deadly silent. Deadly. My heart aches at the word. So many would seek to destroy my guest out of fear of the death he is perceived to cause.

Since I offered myself, my life blood, to him early yesterday morning, Darios has remained in the small cold basement room. He's not hiding there, but replenishing; allowing my gift to restore his ancient body.

Sitting in the living room of my small abode, I pick up the novel I've been reading and open it at the marker. The glow of the candle on the table beside me illuminates the pages sufficiently for reading. I hear a soft noise somewhere in the house and look up to see if he has arisen. 

The flickers of light cast by a multitude of candles throughout the house create an eerie dance of shadows on the walls. There is electricity in the house, of course, and light bulbs throughout, but as a treat for my undead lover I have chosen candles as the source of light. I know he longs for the old ways, even though he has existed through the ages where light evolved into a smooth glass sphere.

He comes. The air cools around me. Patiently I wait for him to play his games. Where my heart ached only moments ago I feel a joyful quickening. A chill against my cheek prompts me to tilt my head slightly, exposing the creamy white flesh of my neck to him.

Instead of his razor sharp teeth, I feel the cool softness of his lips, kissing me gently. His arms come around me; one around my waist, the other under my legs. Moments later I'm floating in his strong arms through the house towards the bedroom; the candles fluttering out as we drift by.

A smile graces my lips as I look into his jet black eyes and see a different longing than the one I saw yesterday. His smile tells me he senses my own desires. We float as one into my bedroom, but not a single candle flutters as we descend upon the bed. They will all burn silently while our shadows dance upon the walls.