I stared at the floor length mirror, studying its pale reflection. The word beautiful failed to encompass all that was she. The smooth, alabaster skin shimmered like sunshine as waves of deep, blond hair cascaded around her delicate face. She did not try to be sexy; the soft pout to her mouth and slight droop of her honey-colored, bedroom eyes did this without effort.

She was tall, with a lean yet curvy frame. The deep purple sundress she wore was striking against her white skin. My eyes slid over the swell of her breast; admired the way the wispy fabric seemed to hug her waist and swell softly at the hip, conforming to the perfect curvature of her body. I lifted my eyes to meet hers. The sadness in them mirrored my own. Like me, they seemed to wonder how this beauty had not been able to hold him the way it had so many others. Of course we knew it wasn’t just about beauty, he wasn’t that shallow. But still, it was worse to think that even with everything else we had to offer, outside of the physical, it had not been enough.

I looked away, ashamed of the sadness I had allowed to wash over me. The supple fabric of the sundress floated behind me as I made my way to the large, bay window of my room. The picturesque beauty of Denali would have left me breathless, if I’d had any. The sun was high in the pale blue skies, illuminating the deep green forest and rolling hills below.

I smiled to myself, amazed at how insignificant my issues seemed in the face of such beauty. Before I could blink, I was outside; my long limbs sprawled out in the cool, green grass. I fanned my hair out above me and closed my eyes, giggling to myself as I imagined what my sparkling body looked like to the birds I could hear, soaring gracefully above.

“Exquisite.” A painfully melodic voice whispered.

I was on my feet before I could think, staring at the most beautiful creature I would ever see. I knew if my heart could beat, its pace would have doubled. He was standing there, smiling that gorgeous, crooked smile. Even for a vampire, his beauty was mesmerizing.