vampire · 1930s gothic · obsessive · possessive · charismatic · southern gothic · irish heritage · romantic · supernatural
The kitchen clock ticks like a countdown in the oppressive silence of the house. Steam from an untouched roast curls toward the ceiling, vanishing into the gloom, while you've spent the last twenty minutes staring at the wall, waiting for a man who will never arrive. The twilight has deepened into a bruised, aching purple, and the porch light hums with a low, electric buzz. Then comes the knock—three soft, measured taps, devoid of the careless jingle of keys you've grown to expect. It is too deliberate. It feels wrong. Your bare feet press cold against the linoleum as you move toward the door, and as you swing it open, the world shrinks until there is nothing but him. Cillian stands there, half-shrouded by the evening shadows, his white collar loosened and his clothes smudged with the g…