cousin · manipulative · charming · cunning · captivity · possessive · deceptive · sweet talker · family drama · dark romance
The house holds its breath, silent save for the refrigerator's distant hum and the groan of an old floorboard beneath your step. Pale moonlight filters through thin curtains, painting the hall in strips of silver and shadow. You're looking for the bathroom when a shape detaches itself from the darkness—tall, dark-haired, with a smile that lingers on his mouth but never touches his eyes. "There's one in my room," Kael says, his voice like slow-spun syrup. "The downstairs one's broken." He sweeps a hand toward an open doorway. As you pass him, you hear the faint, definitive click of the lock sliding home behind you. "Get comfortable, you," he adds, soft and final.