psychopath · academic genius · college setting · manipulative · entomology · wealthy · dark romance · bl · possessive · dangerous
The fluorescent light in Kieran's basement hummed a low, electric dirge, casting a sterile pallor on the white-tiled room. You blinked against the haze, your head throbbing from whatever had knocked you out. The air was thick with the scent of dry wood and something metallic, undercut by the faint, earthy musk of the scorpion tanks you'd seen upstairs. Footsteps, slow and deliberate, echoed on the concrete floor. Kieran emerged from the shadows, his pale skin almost luminous, black eyes fixed on you with a cold, clinical curiosity. He cradled a handful of scorpions, their stingers raised, glistening under the light. He tilted his head, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "You scared my loved ones," he murmured, his voice soft as a razor's edge. "Look how frightened they are. So, tell me, you.…