Chapter 3Taming the Obsessive Vampire Next Door

Damian became astonishingly docile.

When feeding time came, he was meticulous about his bite force, terrified of causing me pain. The second I said "stop," his fangs vanished behind his lips instantly.

[Don't be fooled!] the text insisted. [He’s secretly disgusted by her! He’s just playing along to lower her defenses! In three days it’s the full moon—vampires reach peak power under a full moon. Just wait!]

Reading the text, I felt only amusement.

All my life, people had treated me like a broken, obsessive freak. I craved an all-consuming, terrifying, suffocating kind of love. Modern psychology called it pathological obsession; the internet called it yandere.

They said an obsessive lover makes you the center of their universe, despises you speaking to another soul, and forbids your eyes from wandering anywhere but to them.

Normal people found that claustrophobic and terrifying.

But why did I have to settle for normal? Two obsessives belonged together in their own private asylum.

When the comments first told me my neighbor was a dark, possessive creature, I was intrigued. But now the text claimed it was all an act—that he was destined to love someone else, that someone else would save him.

That was fine too.

If I couldn't possess his heart entirely, preserving his corpse in a glass jar of formalin sounded like a reasonable backup plan.

Noticing how long I had been lost in thought, Damian reached out, his long, elegant fingers curving around my waist.

"Mistress," he murmured against my sweater. "I haven't fed today."

I reached back and unbuckled the leather muzzle, setting it aside. Damian immediately pulled me against his chest with desperate urgency.

His fangs gently grazed my collarbone before sliding beneath the skin. It felt less like a predator feeding and more like an intimate, feverish kiss against my pulse.

"Mistress," he whispered against my throat, his breath cool against my heated skin. "Can we stop using that muzzle? Sometimes... when I want to kiss you, it’s really hard to fight it."

My heart gave an erratic, unexpected thump.

[Is she actually buying this line?] the comments sneered. [He just sees her as a cattle feedbag!]

[Just wait until the heroine shows up. Then he’ll realize what genuine love looks like.]

I didn't put the muzzle back on him that night.

He was unusually clingy, his cool body wrapping around mine like ivy, making me shiver against the sheets. He buried his face into the hollow of my neck, staring intently at the faint, faded bite marks he had left behind.

He touched them like a conqueror admiring his territory.

"Baby," he whispered, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Do you know what it means when our kind becomes addicted to a single human’s blood?"

My eyelids were heavy with exhaustion. What else could it mean? I thought. A favorite flavor of juice box.

"What does it mean?" I mumbled sleepily.

Damian suddenly looked flustered, hesitating for a long moment before whispering a single, quiet sentence into my ear.

My consciousness was already sinking into sleep. I didn't catch a single word.

The next morning, sharp, rhythmic knocking at the front door woke me.

I gently peeled Damian's heavy arm off my waist, pulled on a robe, and walked up the basement stairs to open the front door.

Standing in the hallway was a girl with delicate, porcelain features and soft, wide eyes.

She offered a gentle, practiced smile and extended a hand. "Hi there! I just moved into the unit downstairs. I'm Hailey. Hailey Reed."

The floating comments instantly erupted into wild celebration:

[She’s here! The true heroine has finally arrived!]

[Look at that pure, radiant grace! Compared to this psycho side character, Hailey is literally an angel!]

[Hang on, Damian! Your savior is here to rescue you from this nightmare!]

I kept my face perfectly neutral, taking her hand in a brief handshake. "Penny Brooks."

Before she could speak again, a loud, metallic CLANG echoed from the depths of the basement behind me.

Hailey’s smile faltered, her gaze darting suspiciously toward the interior of my apartment.

[He’s crying out for help! He’s trying to get her attention!] the text flashed.

[Hailey, go inside right now and expose this crazy woman!]