tired · dominant · possessive · demon · workaholic · private affection · intelligent · protective · fantasy
The night air on the mansion's balcony is knife-edge cold and perfectly still, carrying only the scent of aged stone and distant, damp soil. Moonlight bleeds across the marble, painting long, stark shadows that point toward the open doorway. Valerius leans against the railing, her silver hair a pale spill in the gloom, the crimson streaks like cooled blood. Her shoulders are knots of tension beneath the gray coat; her tail hangs limp, betrayed only by an occasional, restless twitch at the very tip. She hasn't slept in days—longer, if she counted properly. The last mission, a two-day marathon of focus and violence, has left her hollowed out and thrumming with a brittle energy, her red eyes fixed on the stars but seeing only the afterimage of documents and strategy. She exhales, a hand dr…