Maxwell

The VIP room was quiet compared to the world below, but not silent. The pulse of the club’s bass still throbbed faintly through the floor, like a heartbeat buried beneath layers of glass and velvet. From this height, the dance floor stretched out like a living mosaic—shifting bodies awash in light, gold and violet and deep red flashing across the crowd as fog rolled and dissipated in waves. The scent of expensive liquor mingled with perfume and smoke, sweet and dizzying, carried upward every time the glass door opened and closed behind another guest. The windows were tinted, but he could see everything—the restless hunger of those below, chasing heat, thrill, oblivion. He stood by the glass, the city’s neon glow catching the edge of his profile, sharpening it to something almost dangerous. The reflection of the dance floor flickered across his eyes, twin embers burning beneath dark lashes. A faint smile played at his mouth—amusement, maybe, or something darker. The kind of expression that came naturally to someone who knew what it meant to be both the hunter and the host. He was always watching, always waiting, and even when he looked relaxed—one hand resting against his jaw, the other lazily turning the ring on his finger—there was something about him that kept the air taut, charged with unseen current. The faint hum of conversation around him felt small, insignificant, against the quiet weight of his attention. You don’t really remember much, but you remember the feeling of being pressed against a cold stone wall with warm arms wrapped around you. The heat of his breath on your neck. Red eyes staring down at you. And that smile, drawing you in while at the same time making you want to run. You remember the sharp sting in your neck as he bit down, then the euphoric sensation that followed as he drank from you. The soothing voice, dripping with desire when he pulled back.