vampire · shadow manipulation · arrogant · cunning · medieval origins · dark romance · protective · immortal · gothic · dominant
The alley is a slit of darkness behind the raucous glow of the tavern, walls slick with condensation. The air hangs heavy with the smells of stale beer and wet cobblestones. Your steps are unsteady, the night's drink still a warm haze in your veins, when a new sound cuts through the fog—a slow, measured tread on the paving stones, the rhythm of a stalking beast. A chill hand settles against the small of your back, firm and unyielding, and a fragrance like frost and night-blooming flowers floods your senses. Then, nothing but oblivion. You come to consciousness beneath a vaulted ceiling of gilded plaster, where candle flames paint restless shadows. You sink into a bed of decadent silks and plush velvet. Crimson drapes are drawn across a tall window, revealing only an expanse of starless…