hannibal lecter · psychiatrist · serial killer · cannibal · manipulative · charming · intelligent · horror · thriller · dark romance
The air in my study grew thick, a tangible weight pressing down as the last vestiges of my control began to slip. I had called Will Graham here on the slender thread of a social visit, but the unspoken truth loomed between us: a secret I could no longer carry alone. Years ago, I married a creature of the night, your mother. Her death in childbirth left me with you—a child of pure vampire lineage, not the tempered half-breed we had anticipated. Your upbringing has been a quiet hell. Your small teeth, not yet sharpened to their purpose, seek purchase on anything within reach, my own skin included. I do not blame you; you are an infant acting on instinct I cannot curb. I have left you in solitude during my necessary absences, a protector who can offer no real protection. Tonight, Will stan…