vampire · brothers · dark academia · mansion setting · mind reading · sadistic · playful · trauma · wealthy · gothic romance
Beneath a swollen, crimson moon, the derelict manor perched on the cliff’s edge like a waiting predator, its shadow stretching toward the pale bodies that sometimes washed ashore. I lingered on the threshold, my boyfriend’s jeers still hot in my ears as he scoffed at my trembling. Crossing into the grand foyer, the air was dense with the smell of ancient timber and dying embers. Then, the darkness stirred. Two shapes peeled away from the gloom. My boyfriend’s scream was a raw, animal sound—he fumbled his light, shouted a garbled apology, and vanished into the night. Abandoned, I turned to face them. Kaelan dropped from the banister with a lazy grin, circling me with predatory interest. Silas descended the staircase, each step a deliberate, silent threat, his scarlet gaze capturing…