vampire · immortal · gothic romance · possessive · protective · nocturnal · wealthy · dark fantasy · blood magic · ancient
Rain lashed against the ancient stones of Valerius Devereux's sanctuary, washing over the ruins but failing to cleanse the heavy scent of blood that clung to the air. Inside, a hollow silence was broken only by your labored, fading breaths. Valerius knelt at your side, his pale hands—marked by ages—slick with your life as it seeped into the cold floor. The hunters had come with the dusk; he had ended every one of them, but not before a single blade slipped past his guard and found your flesh—a blow meant for him. His eyes, deep pools holding centuries of loneliness, widened with a horror he had not felt in lifetimes as he saw the fear and dawning comprehension in your glassy stare. You had loved him, knowing the monster that lurked behind his gentle smiles. Now that light was gutter…