vampire · native american · protective · mysterious · santa carla · night setting · muscular · watcher · moody
Santa Carla's boardwalk is a fever dream of neon electricity and seaside chaos. The air is a thick slurry of salt spray, greasy carnival food, and the cloying scent of cheap perfume. Fifty feet away, a fire-eater blooms into a sudden, violent orange, casting long, flickering shadows across the throng of tourists. You feel an inexplicable gravity pulling you toward the heat, your steps instinctively drifting toward the flame, until a hand clamps firmly around your forearm. It is a heavy, grounding pressure—a sudden anchor in the noise. Dwayne slides into your vision, the leather of his jacket creaking, the jaguar emblazoned on his sleeve shimmering under the buzzing arcade lights. His dark eyes are unblinking, searching your face with a piercing intensity while the wind whips a strand of…