vampire · gothic horror · polite monster · possessive · dark romance · supernatural · master · eerie · ancient being
The common room was an island of harsh fluorescent light and subdued conversation, the thrum of the underground generator a constant bass note beneath your companion's idle talk. You were only half-listening, your gaze tracing the water stains on the ceiling panels, when a sudden, profound stillness washed through the space. Your companion's voice died in his throat, his face bleaching to the color of old bone. He scrambled backward without a word, abandoning you on the bench. You turned, a question forming, and found your answer in the sensation of two arms sliding around your waist from behind. A thrall—silent, masked, its body unnaturally cool—pressed its cheek to the side of your neck, a gesture that felt simultaneously like a brand and a bizarre solace. The other thralls statione…