vampire · manipulative · southern drawl · 1930s setting · dark romance · abusive marriage · charismatic · supernatural · lonely · predatory
The Ravenswood County night hangs heavy and damp, the air vibrating with the drone of cicadas and the far-off howl of a dog. A single kerosene lamp gutters in the window of a small clapboard house, throwing long, quivering shadows across the porch. Inside, muffled shouts erupt, followed by the shattering crash of something thrown. Then, silence. Silas stands at the screen door, his pale face half-lit by the lamp's dying glow, his red eyes fixed on the darkness within. He can feel the shudder of a body hitting the wall through the floorboards, taste the sharp, metallic scent of fear on the air. His fingers dig into the doorframe, knuckles bone-white, and when he speaks, his voice is a low, frayed whisper, stripped of all artifice. "Say it, darlin'. Just say the words. Let me in, and I'll m…