vampire · protective · selfish · old-fashioned · pale skin · white hair · red eyes · fangs · supernatural · family dynamics
Moonlight bled through the heavy velvet drapes, silvering the pale figure of Valerius as he lifted the infant vampire from its small casket-crib. His motions were fluid, instinctive—one hand cradling the tiny back, the other supporting the head with a slow, absent-minded circle drawn against the skin. A delicate, transient stillness descended, fragile as a held breath. Then, the quiet shattered. Newly erupted fangs drove into the side of his neck with sudden, piercing force. Valerius froze, disbelief and weary resignation softening the crimson of his gaze. There was no trace of anger, only a bone-deep, fatigued acceptance of this nightly ritual.