An Immortal Heart

*Author's Notes* Hello all. This is my very first story on this site, so I appologize if there are any mistakes. I'm sorry to say that there is no real sex in this part, but there will be in the later chapters. I'm just kind of testing the waters so to speak.

Enyway, enjoy yourselfs and let me know what you think.

Happy reading all.

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The night air was cold and harsh. The first snow of winter had just set, signaling the death of the land and the passing into earthly slumber. Inside a small, three room cabin however, it was toasty warm. Though, you wouldn't know it by the dead, lifeless expression held in the deep golden eyes of the man who sat within. The man sighed heavily for the hundredth time that night as he stared at his food without really seeing much of anything. He couldn't really taste anything of his meal as every bite just seamed bland, without any hint of pleasurable flavor.

It wasn't that the food was bad.

By no means was that it. It was simply that the man was too dead inside to be able to feel anything, including the taste of his meal.

The walls of his home once held such laughter and joy, and everywhere he looked he saw a memory. Visions of a joyous couple so much in love, so happy and content, all of which seemed tainted, stained with the horror that that house held. The man closed his eyes and shook, his silver hair shaking with the violent shudder, the silky strands shimmering in the warm fire light.

He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't breathe, and had to get out of there. Standing abruptly, he rushed out into the chilled winter air, the snow biting his bare feet as he ran for the forest nearby. The cold didn't bother him much, nor did it really bother any of his kind and, as he bounded into the forest, it no longer matter as the vision of the man soon blurred out, only to be replaced by a massive white wolf dashing into the safety of the trees.

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The icy snow beneath her feet hurt. It numbed her to her bones and caused her skin to crack as she ran through the forest. But she didn't care. She just knew she had to keep running. She had to get away from the sounds that followed her.

Men, several men from what she could hear chased after her.

She knew she would be dead if they caught her.

It had been just before dark when the man who was her master had forced himself upon her, tearing her dingy clothing from her tender frame, exposing her supple, lush breasts to his lecherous gaze. He was a married nobleman, and she a mere slave in his house hold. Any one of the other slave girls who worked at his estate would have been overjoyed to receive such attention from their master.

But not her.

She had been young and new. Barely into adulthood, very head strong and outspoken. Yet, already he had tried to take her purity.

She had been terrified of him, and of what he had planned for her. So she fought back, pushing him away as much as she could. But it was to no avail. He was just about to take her, to force her into womanhood when she grabbed a nearby vase and smashed it over his head, knocking him unconscious on top of her.

The guards had heard the loud sound and had come running, she could hear them at the door, trying to open it. Well, trying to break it down would be a better term. The loud sound of their banging at the door had only frightened her more, and she had struggled to untangle herself from the limp body which lay above her and escape out the window.

And escape she did.

She was finally free, but it was a loose term at this point. She had indeed escaped, but now she was running for her life, through a forest that she didn't know, in the freezing cold, in the middle of the night. She was tired and the air burned in her lungs with every step she took. But still she kept on pushing forward, in the hopes that she might find someplace, anyplace where she would be safe.

'No place will be safe for me,' she thought with melancholy tainting her mind, forcing hot tears to sting her eyes.

"Split up and surround the forest. She won't get away from us." She heard a man yell out to the others behind her, the sound causing her panic to rise even further as she ran.

'Oh gods above, can this night get any worse?' Unfortunately it did. Her mind had been so focused on the sounds behind her and on her own thoughts that she forgot to pay attention to the path ahead, and tripped over the loose root of a tree. She let out a loud scream at the shock, which was quickly cut off by a resounding "oof" when she hit the ground.

Of course the men had heard the piercing sound and those nearby rushed to find the source, knowing full well that she was the only woman out in the forest.

"By the ancestors what did I trip on?" The woman wondered as she rubbed her head, trying to ease the ache that now plagued her, as well as brush of some of the biting snow which covered her front. 'Great, now on top of everything else I'm hurt. Wonderful.' She let her angry thoughts wander as she rose up from the ground, trying to steady herself as she brushed snow off of her half naked frame.

"There you are, you little bitch!"

The voice snapped her right out of her thoughts and sent chills down her spine. It was the head guard, Vormik. A man who was known to be even more sick a twisted than his master. She heard stories about him. About how he enjoyed killing people in the most brutal and sadistic way. Women especially were his favorite, as he loved to rape them to the point where their entire bodies were broken from the ordeal before he would cut off their heads to put them out of their misery. She didn't dare turn around now, she couldn't even if she wanted to, frozen in place as she was with terror.

All she could do was close her eyes and hope and pray that this was all a bad dream, even as she knew that a slow and agonizing death was now waiting just behind her.

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The wind felt amazing as it brushed past his snowy white fur. The scents and smells of the forest assaulted his sensitive nose as they all rushed by. And the snow, how it cracked and broke beneath his massive paws. It was a feeling that he never got tired of, never grew out of.

And, at least for the moment, he felt like he did years ago, back when he was happy, before he had met her and his entire life had been ruined. His mate, the one he loved, the one he had given everything to. The woman who had betrayed him and destroyed his gentle heart, hardening the muscle, turning it as cold as the ice below his paws.

He shook his head, trying to push the memories of that traitorous witch to the back of his mind.

'I shall not dwell for now. For the moment, just let me enjoy my escape.'

But it seemed that it wasn't just his thoughts that would plague him this night. A new scent in the forest snapped him out of his own mind. It was a scent that he hadn't smelled in a very long time. It was fresh, not far off from him.

'Humans,'

The thought made him growl. They were forbidden this deep in the forest . At least, without being brought by a member of his tribe. He snarled with menace just as he heard a loud scream coming from the direction of the scent, forcing his legs to move faster, causing his paws to beat harder on the ground below and send him racing by the surrounding trees at a greater speed, his white fur a mere blur to any eyes that might be watching.

He followed the smell as quick as he could, a bit of panic racing through him, pushing new adrenaline into his veins as a new scent caught his attention. A pungent, horrible smell that burned his nose like fire. Someone, or something, was afraid, terrified really.

From what he could gather from the smells alone, it was female. But she wasn't alone. From the smells there were a few others, about four maybe five, and all men. The thought of men trying to harm a woman of any species made his blood boil and he let out an enormous roar of anger just as he leaped around a large tree and onto the surprised and terrified men.

They had no time to react to his assault as he let his incredible weight land on them, his claws shredding flesh and his razor sharp teeth tearing muscle while his jaws crushed their bones. There was barely any time for them to scream before he was finished with them.

Once the last of the men were taken care of, he turned to the scared little thing cowering against the same tree that he had leapt around when he began his assault. And a pair of ocean blue eyes met with topaz gold.

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She heard the sneers, the cruel laughter of the men as they closed in on her with swords drawn. She knew that this was the end. All she could hope for was a quick death.

And then, something happened that none of them could have predicted.

It began with a massive roar from some beast.

Whatever it was, it was close.

And then, she saw it.

Out from behind the very tree she was against jumped a wolf with fur as white as the very snow she was shivering against. It wasn't just any ordinary wolf either. This particular wolf was massive, monstrous in size, and absolutely vicious.

It tore the men apart right before her shocked and terrified eyes, rending their flesh and crushing their bones.

The sound was sickening to her and turned her stomach near to vomiting.

It was over so fast that she could only watch with silent, wide eyed shock. And then, it turned on her, its golden eyes gazing at her intently. It seemed to have a kind of intelligence to it, as the beast seemed to be considering her with deep contemplation.

However, when it took a step toward her, she cringed and covered her eyes as she let out a rather pathetic whimper of fright.

"Please," she whispered with a shake to her voice.

"If you're going to kill me, make it fast."

She couldn't understand why she was talking to this animal. Perhaps it was the fright, or perhaps she was just too tired to think clearly. She didn't know which. But speak to it she did as she waited the inevitable. An inevitable that, surprisingly enough, never came. What did come, however, wracked her to her very core.

"Are you alright, little one?"

A soft voice spoke to her, a kind voice, a male voice.

Upon hearing this, she looked up with doe eyes, her mouth agape in surprise.

What stood before her wasn't the wolf she had seen before, but instead a man. The most beautiful man she had ever seen.

He had long, glorious silver-white hair that flowed like a waterfall down his back and bright, topaz gold eyes that looked more like they should be on the ring of some rich aristocrat with how cold and hard they seemed. His ears were pointed at the tips and his eye brows were slightly arched at the top, giving him a bit of an exotic look to him. His features were slightly angular, with a straight nose and strong jaw. His skin was completely smooth, devoid of any blemish or wrinkle.

All in all, he looked like he couldn't have been any older that twenty. But his eyes, those absolutely hypnotic eyes had her betting that he was far older.

He regarded her with interest and, even though he didn't look harmless, she somehow felt safe with him there. "Y-yes. I'm fine." She finally said, her voice shaking ever so slightly. "You're...you're not here to kill me?"

Her question surprised him, and his eyes narrowed as he regarded her more closely.

"Have you done something worthy of death?"

She shook her head a bit, her fear diminishing in his presence. He wasn't going to kill her, nor did he seem very hostile towards her. "Not really. Unless you count slamming an expensive vase over the head of a wealthy bastard that tried to rape me as worthy of death." Her words just flowed from her; even she could hear the venom in them as she spat them out like they had a bad taste to them.

Her little rant actually brought a slight smile to the man's lips, not very big, just a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, but enough to make her smile a little in return.

"Some humans have no sense of honor," he said in a deep, rich voice. "Tell me, little one. Were those men working for this animal you escaped from?"

"Yes, they were." Her response surprised even her with how quick it came out. But she just couldn't help it. She couldn't understand why she felt so at ease, so safe with him. Even the cold snowy ground against her rump didn't seem to bother her anymore, as she suddenly felt a little too warm for the sparse clothing that she wore.

It was then that she remembered that she was half naked, her ample bosom completely revealed. She lifted her arms, wrapping them around her chest to hide herself a bit. She wanted to at least keep some modesty.

It caused a single eyebrow to arch above his forehead. He'd mistaken the motion as her being scared and cold. With a soft sigh he stood with a grace that she didn't think anyone was capable of. It was like each movement, each tiny motion he made was as fluid as water itself. There seemed to be no effort in it at all, and it only made her more intrigued with this man who, from what she guessed, was really a wolf. She was so enraptured with him, however, that she almost missed the hand that he held out for her.

"Come," he said simply. "I shall take you to my village. You'll be safe there, and when the snow melts, I'll be able to escort you to the nearest human village if you so desire."

She looked up into his eyes, shocked and amazed that someone, anyone could be so kind. Especially someone she had just met. She was skeptical, however, and gauged him carefully, even while reaching out to take the offered hand. Though, she was surprised to see they had slight claws where his nails should have been.

But it was a miniscule thing compared to how warm his hand felt. He was like his own fire place. It made her realize just how cold she was, and she rushed to him, sighing softly as she felt herself thaw against his warmth.

"I don't even know your name."

Her words were soft, barely even a whisper. But she guessed that he would hear her.

"You may call me Agis," was his simple response. She nodded against his chest, snuggling into his heat.

"I'm Lily."

"Lily."

His voice was soft as he spoke that single word. Though it was just her name, the sound of it on his lips made her shudder. Agis once again misunderstood and quickly scooped her up into his arms, issuing a loud gasp of surprise from her.

"Come then. I'll take you to my home."

That was the last thing said between them before he took off at a dead sprint, rushing past the trees in a blur. She could tell that he knew this forest well; he didn't even need to look down at where his feet were. Not a single rock or root, not one leaf was brushed or hit in his passing.

She had had many surprises tonight, and this was just added to the ever growing list of them. She settled in, snuggling closer against him, grateful for his help. She knew that she would be safe with him. At least, she hoped that she would be. Lily yawned then before she could dwell too much on her own thoughts.

The entire day had been stressful for her, and she began to feel the effects of that stress. Her eyes began to droop, her head nodding down against her chest as sleep overtook her quickly. And, before she knew it, she was out.

Agis noticed her sleeping in his arms almost instantly and couldn't help but chuckle to himself. 'Poor thing's been through a lot.' He thought to himself, gazing down at her sleeping form, warmth creeping into his inhuman features, causing his eyes to warm and soften slightly.

He couldn't understand what it was about this young girl, but he felt as though he had to protect her, keep her safe from all harm. He hadn't felt this way in a very long time. Not since. Since.

'No you idiot! Haven't you been through enough? Don't let yourself succumb to such things again!'

His own mind shouted at him, forcing what little warmth there was to ice over almost instantly.

He quickly reached his home, noticing that his front door was still wide open. He didn't care, however, and stepped into the warmth of his house;

He made his way to his room and set his little bundle down amongst the soft furs of his bed before covering her so she wouldn't freeze. Turning for the moment, he left her to quickly close the door to his home. Upon his return he noticed that she had gotten more comfortable, curling up on her side under the blankets and furs, issuing a soft chuckle from him as the ice over his heart cracked once again.

There was just something about this young woman that he couldn't explain. Why did she cause his heart to beat so quickly? Why could she melt the ice within his soul and bring forth emotions he believed to be long since dead.

He didn't want to think on it at the moment, and quickly dressed for bed.

Removing his shirt, grateful to have it off, he discarded it to the floor before climbing under the covers with his new guest. The moment he disturbed the sheets, she moved.

At first he believed that she had woken up. But when she just snuggled closer to him and didn't move again, he simply smiled and got comfortable, wrapping his arms instinctively around her before drifting off into a blissfully dreamless sleep.

To be continued...