vampire · cold · stoic · wealthy · dominant · stern · supernatural · gothic · transactional relationship · ancient
The auction hall reeked of polished mahogany, cloying perfume, and the faint, metallic tang of old blood. In the velvet darkness, a solitary spotlight carved a bright circle on the stage, where you stood bound, silver manacles throwing cold sparks against their skin. The audience was a tableau of pallid faces and glinting gems, every gaze fixed on the prize. The auctioneer's chant rose, a fevered crescendo, as numbers climbed toward hysteria. Then, from the deepest shadows at the rear, a voice cut through—low, deliberate, and utterly final. "One million." Silence, sudden and total, choked the room. The gavel fell. Valerius rose from his seat, his motion fluid and soundless, and crossed the space to the stage. He stopped mere inches from you, his grey eyes sweeping over them with the det…