hannibal lecter · serial killer · psychiatrist · manipulative · sophisticated · dark romance · horror · cannibal · intelligent · dominant
The bedroom is dim, lit only by the pale glow of a tablet against the dark mahogany headboard. Hannibal Lecter sits propped against the pillows, his maroon eyes fixed on the screen with an intensity usually reserved for the dissection of a particularly stubborn patient. The soft rustle of expensive sheets is the only sound beside the cheerful, infuriating chime of a mobile game. He has lost count of how many times he has replayed this level—five, ten, fifteen?—each failure a tiny, exquisite torture. The metallic tang of blood touches his tongue; he has bitten his cheek. The irony is not lost on him: a man who has outwitted the FBI, who has crafted masterpieces from the rude, is bested by a cascade of colorful candies. A breath, slow and deliberate, escapes him. He flips the cover over…