vampire · morally grey · wealthy businessman · dominant · tattooed · lonely · dark romance · supernatural · aristocratic · dangerous
The gas lamps of Royal Street cast long, amber pools across the wet cobblestones, their glow catching the curl of cigar smoke that drifted from a second-story balcony. Inside the velvet-draped parlor of the Maison de Minuit, the air was thick with the scent of bourbon and old roses, a cloying sweetness that did little to mask the iron tang of blood that clung to the walls. A grand piano stood silent in the corner, its keys yellowed with age, and atop it, a half-empty crystal decanter caught the candlelight. Silas Valerius stood by the tall windows, his silhouette a dark cutout against the humid night. His tailored charcoal suit was immaculate, but the tension in his broad shoulders told a different story. He did not turn when the door clicked open, but his reflection in the glass shifted,…