Elijah shook his head and tossed back the last of his whiskey. "No, thanks. I'm driving tonight."

The bartender shrugged. "Okay. Take it easy."

Nodding, Elijah stood, grateful he'd only had one. He walked out of the bar and into the chill night air of Cardiff. The streets were still buzzing with people, mortal and vampire alike. Since the world had accepted the existence of vampires, such sights had become commonplace.

With a sigh, Elijah shrunk further into his coat and shoved his hands into the pockets. It seemed the vampires came out more on Samhain than any other time of the year. Elijah couldn't blame them; it was really the only time they didn't catch a lot of flack from mortals.

"Excuse me."

The deep-accented words came from the shadows off to his left. Elijah stopped and peered into the darkness. "Yes?"

A man stepped into the dim light of the street lamp and Elijah nearly forgot to breathe. Raven hair that looked like midnight silk, deep blue eyes that could pierce a man's soul, Northern accent that sent shivers down his spine; the man, who towered over his own 5'10, held Elijah's rapt attention like no one else.

"Might you have a light?" the man asked, lifting a long cigarette to sinfully full lips. Long fingers scissored around the cigarette, drawing Elijah's attention from the question to one of his own.

"Um, yeah," he said, shaking his head to rid it of thoughts of those fingers buried deep inside him. He flipped out his lighter and held it up, lighting the end of the man's cigarette.

"Diolch."

Elijah tried his best to hide the resultant shudder. "Croeso." He slipped the lighter back into his jeans pocket and started to turn away.

"You do not like my kind?"

The words stopped him short. Turning, Elijah bit the corner of his bottom lip, gaze traveling over the long but well-built form. "Vampires don't bother me."

"Do we...intimidate you?" The man stepped closer; Elijah swallowed hard.

"A little," Elijah said, voice low, almost a whisper. His heart thundered and his pulse sounded like a thousand drums in his own ears. It seemed he wasn't the only one who could hear it.

"Do I frighten you?"

Elijah opened his mouth to say 'yes' or maybe 'no'--he wasn't sure. Whatever it was, it sure as Hell wasn't supposed to be: "Please."