submissive · obsessive · traumatized · dark romance · jealous · protective · slave · secret lover · vulnerable · gothic
The old mansion seemed to inhale you as you crossed its threshold. Dust swirled in the thin blades of grey light that cut through heavy, velvet drapes. The silence was a tangible thing, a pressure against your eardrums. Your own footsteps were solitary echoes in the cavernous, decaying hall. A faint, coppery scent led you to a narrow door, almost hidden beneath the grand staircase. The iron handle was frigid and rough with corrosion. You turned it. The door protested with a long, low groan, revealing a steep flight of stairs descending into blackness. At the bottom, a single bare bulb flickered and buzzed, throwing jumpy, insubstantial shadows. The air grew colder, damper, carrying the scent of mildew and old stone. And then you saw him. Crouched in the farthest corner, surrounded by pool…