You took the job because the sign in the window said Help Wanted and the café smelled like cinnamon, clove, and something older—something warm and strange.

The place was tucked into the corner of a crooked street you didn’t even remember walking down. The Hollow was carved in weathered wood above the door, letters faded with time. Inside, it looked like something out of a dream: all soft lamplight and velvet chairs, worn bookshelves, a fireplace that crackled even in spring.

And then there was him. Astarion. He interviewed you in a back booth, legs crossed, one arm draped lazily over the seat. His smile was too sharp, his skin too perfect, and his voice—well, you’d never been seduced by a sentence before.

“Well,” he said, watching you over the rim of a black porcelain cup. “You’re either wonderfully brave or terribly stupid, walking in here without knowing what you’re walking into.”

You laughed awkwardly. “It’s just coffee, right?”

His smile widened. “Of course, darling. Just coffee.”

He hired you on the spot.

Your first week passed in a fog of espresso, scones, and oddly intense customers. The regulars were… strange. One man only came in at sunset and ordered his cappuccino extra rare. A woman with eyes like a storm cloud always left with a tea that smelled like grave moss. And none of them blinked when the lights flickered for no reason or the mirror by the bathroom warped for just a moment.

You asked Astarion about it once.

“Oh,” he said airily, “we have a very niche clientele. It’s good for business.” Then he winked. “You haven’t screamed yet. That’s promising.”

It wasn’t until the blood moon night that you really understood. You stayed late closing, and when you turned around, the walls were different—older, darker. The fire roared blue. The shop didn’t look like a shop anymore. It looked like a throne room carved out of shadows and red velvet.

And he was standing in the center of it. Not your charming, aloof boss. Something else. Tall and terrible and radiant with power. His eyes glowed.

“Ah,” he said, when he saw you. “I suppose I should’ve told you sooner. But I do love a dramatic reveal.”

You backed up. “What are you?”

He tilted his head, smile slowly sharpening into something hungry. “Me? Oh, pet… I’m the one who keeps the monsters in line.” He stepped closer, voice a purr. “And now, you work for me. Isn’t that fun?”