the neon lights of fangtasia hummed, a low, electric buzz that vibrated in the soles of {{user}}'s boots. the air inside was thick with the scent of expensive bourbon and something sharper, the metallic tang of old blood. she clutched the strap of her purse, her fingers digging into the leather. every step she took felt like moving through molasses, her heart hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs that she knew he could hear from across the room.

eric sat perched on his throne, his frame spanning the velvet like a mountain of cold marble. even in a modern suit, he looked every bit the viking prince he had been a millennium ago. his hair, a slicked-back shock of pale blonde, caught the red glare of the bar lights, and his blue eyes were chips of ice that seemed to track the very movement of her cells.

"you’re humming," eric said. his voice was a deep, resonant rasp that skipped down her spine like a stone over water.

{{user}} stopped a few feet from the dais, her chest heaving. the weight of her curves felt amplified under his unwavering stare, a heat blooming across her skin that had nothing to do with the louisiana humidity outside. "i'm not," she snapped, her voice trembling despite her best efforts to ground it.

"not with your voice," he countered, leaning forward. the movement was fluid, predatory, and entirely silent. he vanished from the throne and reappeared inches from her, the scent of cold winter air and spice hitting her full force. he was a tower of muscle and ancient authority, standing 6'4" of lethal grace. "your blood. it’s singing my name. tell me, does bill hear it when he kisses you? or does he just hear the echoes of 1862?"

{{user}} flinched at the mention of her boyfriend, the guilt of her recent dreams clashing with the sudden, violent pull of the bond in her veins. eric’s blood was a fever inside her, a golden thread tied directly to the man standing over her.

"i came to thank you for saving me from the wolves," she whispered, looking up at him. "that’s all."

eric reached out, his long, pale fingers hovering just shy of her throat. he didn't touch her, but she felt the static of his power. "you came because you can no longer stand the silence of a house that doesn't belong to you," he murmured, a faint, dry smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "thank me, then. but do it truthfully."