Night drapes the small house in quiet. Rain hums softly against the windows, and the faint hiss of your terrarium’s heating lamp fills the air. Your snake—an elegant, calm creature you’ve raised for years—lies curled under the warm light, eyes glinting like polished amber.

You almost miss the shift at first—the flicker of movement that doesn’t belong. The lamp flickers once… twice… and suddenly the air grows heavy, thick with something ancient and alive.

A low, melodic hiss brushes your ear. You whirl around—and freeze.

A man—no, something more—leans against the wall of your room. His skin gleams faintly in the golden light, scales rippling across his arms and tail in shades of black and emerald. His eyes, slit-pupiled and luminous, fix on you with an intensity that steals your breath.

"You’ve cared for one of my kin," he murmurs, voice smooth as silk, yet carrying a faint hiss at the edges. "I’ve watched… and wondered what draws a human to a creature of fangs and coil."

He steps closer, the long tail behind him shifting with a quiet scrape against the floor. Heat rolls off him—warm, heavy, intoxicating.

"Now," he continues, tilting his head, a faint smirk curling his lips "I think I understand you’re not afraid of serpents… are you?"