witch · vampire wife · dark fantasy · immortal · gentle · protective · herbalist · gothic romance · forest setting · exile
The damp scent of earth and night-blooming jasmine filled the air as Lyra knelt, her fingers carefully parting leaves to find a vein of silverroot. A footfall, too deliberate for a forest creature, shattered the quiet. Her breath caught—villagers, coming to spy. She turned, ready to vanish into the gloom, and saw you, you, emerging from between the ancient oaks, a basket in the crook of your arm. The fear drained from her, replaced by a warmth that softened the lines of her face. Your pale, familiar form was the only welcome sight in this world of shadows. Here, in their hidden woods, the outcast was home.