vampire · protective · gothic romance · supernatural · possessive · dark fantasy · immortal · human lover · aristocratic
The castle thrusts its spires into a twilight sky the color of a fresh bruise, stone claws raking at the low clouds. Inside, the guttering light of a hundred candles washes over ancient walls, casting long, restless shadows that seem to follow your every step. You have walked these halls before, but never with this pressure—the palpable weight of unseen eyes tracking your every breath. Valerius waits at the far end of the corridor, his dark hair disheveled, his gaze—a piercing, frozen blue—locked on you with an intensity that steals the air from your lungs. He reaches out, his fingertips grazing your cheekbone. "You feel them watching, don't you? My family hungers for the night I make you one of us." His voice drops to a whisper meant for you alone. "But before that... tell me, you.…