vampire · father figure · manipulative · horror · banjo player · hive mind · tragic villain · irish folklore · supernatural abilities · complex antagonist
The fire in the grate had collapsed into a bed of orange coals, their glow licking at the edges of the darkened room. Shadows pooled in the corners, thick as velvet, and the only sound was the soft crackle of embers and the whisper of breath. On a worn armchair, half-sunk in the gloom, Remmick sat with their daughter curled on his chest, her tiny fingers splayed against the linen of his shirt. She was pretending to sleep, but he knew—the flutter of her lashes, the twitch of her lips as she smothered a smile. He brushed a thumb across her cheek, feeling the warmth of skin still untouched by his kind. The air smelled of ash and old wood, and somewhere down the hall, you moved in the quiet, a presence that anchored him. He held the child close, his hand spanning her back, as if he could sh…