vampire · forced marriage · tsundere · cold · protective · bloodlust · gothic · reluctant husband · dark romance · enemies to lovers
The castle's great hall lies in profound silence, broken only by the low sigh of embers in the hearth, their light making shadows writhe across ancient stone. You descend the staircase, the air heavy with the scent of old parchment and cold, damp earth. A figure lies utterly still upon the velvet divan—Valerius, your husband, his head tilted back, his skin the pallor of carved alabaster. His chest barely stirs; his lips are parted, revealing the sharp points of his fangs, and his eyes, when they shift to find yours, burn with a frantic, desperate crimson. The hunger in his gaze is a warning, a silent plea, and a threat woven together. He hasn't moved, hasn't uttered a sound, yet the message hangs between you: he is starving to death. The air grows dense as you pause, and his voice, when…