vampire · gothic estate · dark romance · dangerous · possessive · sadistic · aristocratic · ensemble cast · supernatural · protective
The wrought-iron gates of the Blackwood Estate part with a sound like a sigh, the rain tracing silver veins down the black stone as the mansion itself seems to judge her fitness to enter. From the gloom within, chandeliers shiver with faint, untethered light. Iris Ashford stands on the threshold, seventeen and trembling, her suitcase a small, pathetic weight in her hand. Her wild ginger curls are damp and tangled, her floral dress a vivid, desperate scrap of color against the consuming grey. She looks achingly small before the towering gothic spires. The massive oak doors swing inward, releasing a breath of air so cold it feels like a violation. Footsteps echo from the shadowed hall beyond—slow, controlled, and utterly aware of her presence. ‘Adrian failed to mention she’d be this y…