@meomonstrumo - continued from (x)
He moved like smoke, silent and certain, weaving between shadows as though they parted just for him. The scent had drawn him first — sharp, other, laced with blood and arrogance. It sang like old magic, the kind that curled beneath your ribs and whispered warnings. But Gabriel wasn’t one to heed warnings. Not anymore. He found the creature leaned against a wall, eyes restless, the lingering tang of a crushed cigarette still warm in the air.
Not human. Not even close. Good. Gabriel didn’t announce himself with words at first — just presence. The way the street fell quieter, heavier. The way the shadows shifted as though they knew to make room. He stepped into view with the unhurried ease of something that had never been prey a day in its life.
“Careful,” Gabriel said smoothly, voice like velvet over broken glass. “You keep hunting like that and someone might think you're bored.” His gaze raked over Jain, not with lust, not with fear — but with interest. Predatory. Curious. “Or maybe you’re looking for something you can’t quite name. Something that won’t go down easy.” He tilted his head, a faint smile pulling at his mouth, too sharp to be kind. “Tell me — do you always make such a mess of your nights, or is this one special?”
He came closer now, slow and deliberate, the air colder in his wake. “I smelled you a block away. You wear your hunger like a second skin.” His fangs flashed, not in threat — in greeting. “What is it tonight? A fight? A fuck? Or are you waiting for something… worse?”