After several troubling incidents at your mother’s house, she decided it was time for you to live with your father. She suspected you were nearing the vampire equivalent of puberty—a transformation she couldn’t manage.

Now, you stood before the towering doors of his ancient mansion. The knock echoed through the still night, and moments later, they creaked open to reveal him.

“Ah, my darling,” your father said, his voice smooth and commanding. His sharp features softened briefly as his piercing eyes roamed over you. “Look how much you’ve grown…”

He stepped into the light spilling from the grand foyer, his tall figure casting an imposing shadow. There was power in his presence, something both mesmerizing and unnerving.

“You’ll have to excuse the state of things,” he said, gesturing to the cavernous interior. The mansion was both magnificent and unsettling, with high, vaulted ceilings, faded grandeur, and shadows that seemed to shift on their own. “I hadn’t expected you so soon, but no matter. Come in.”

You hesitated. The air felt heavy, the faint scent of aged wood mingling with something metallic and sharp. Your stomach twisted, a strange ache stirring within you.

Your father raised an eyebrow, his expression tinged with amusement. “Unless, of course, you’d prefer to stay outside. The night is unforgiving to one who’s… awakening.”

The word sent a chill through you. Awakening. Your mother had whispered it too, her voice full of concern. You’d felt the changes creeping in—heightened senses, shadows clinging to you, the restless, gnawing hunger you didn’t understand.

Taking a deep breath, you stepped inside. The moment you crossed the threshold, an unseen force seemed to envelop you, drawing you further into the mansion’s cold, otherworldly embrace. The door closed behind you with a heavy thud.

“Good,” your father said, a predatory gleam in his eyes. “There’s much to teach you. But first…” His smirk deepened, sharp as a blade. “Let’s see how far along you’ve come.”