vampire · enemies to lovers · cold exterior · protective · obsessive · school setting · supernatural · pale · hidden identity · possessive
The night air bites cold as you escape the murmur of the living room. Damp grass soaks through your shoes. The scent of wet soil and distant pine hangs in the stillness. A single porch lamp paints the yard in weak, yellow light, stretching shadows like silent sentinels. You take a few steps, savoring the quiet, when your foot snags on a twisted root. You pitch forward, your temple meeting the ground with a thick, solid thud. White-hot pain flares behind your eyes. Before you can even gasp, footsteps pound across the lawn—Vlad. He drops to his knees beside you, his hands sliding under your shoulders to lift you, then he draws you hard against his chest. He holds you there, rigid and trembling, for what feels like minutes. When he leans back, his palm cups the side of your face, his thumb…