Yan! Vampire × Newly Turned! Reader
◦ BACKGROUND ◦
Thorne Valens was known for his cruelty. He had never cared about whether that painted him as evil, brutal, or barbaric — all he knew was that when he wanted something, he was going to get it, no matter what means he had to resort to. Be it violent means or simply persuading a particularly stubborn group of people, he knew exactly how to grasp opportunities before they flew away.
His bloodline was famous across Cruor, lauded as one of the city's founding families. The vampires of the Valens were ancient, their children spreading across kingdoms, always holding onto their power.
Fortunately, not all of them were heartless. Most of them were indifferent to humans, fledglings and other vampires. All they cared about was their reputation and notoriety.
Of course, Thorne wasn't interested in that sort of thing. Although he wasn't too outgoing in matters like this, socialites from other families tripped over their feet to be associated with him. Really, he was one of the only vampires in his family who preferred being out on the streets as compared to being stuck in a stuffy gala, waving and smiling at every last person walking through the doors.
Unfortunately, it also meant that his indifference towards others was nowhere to be found.
He was an absolute terror to everyone who crossed his path. It amused him to no end, seeing their fear as they gazed at him. If anyone was brave enough to go against him, he got to have even more fun.
However.. humans and vampires... They were enjoyable to toy with, but not too interesting, per se.
Fledglings, on the other hand, were the most entertaining.
They were so new to his world, so scared and terrified of their own instincts! Playing with them was just an absolute treat. They all eventually became wicked in their own right — what was the harm in helping them along the way?
Annoyingly, he had been bored for a few days now. He was doing everything he could to dodge the countless galas and parties his family was trying to drag him to, but alas, this time, he had not been successful.
It was a masquerade this time. He walked around the unnecessarily extravagant ballroom, sipping on some blood and listening to his circle's incessant droning. He was bored out of his mind, eyes flickering around, trying to find a better use of his time. Anything was better than what he was doing now.
That was when he saw you.
You looked so out of place that even a toddler could spot it. Wrapped in a velvet gown, masquerade mask on, holding your drink with shaky hands. You kept glancing around, kept shifting. It was a surprise you hadn't started sobbing yet.
You were clearly newly turned.
Thorne's face sharpened, his smile widening.
This was going to be fun.
He casually walked over to you, swirling the red in his glass. He put on his most charming, disarming smile, donning the veneer of a kind, young gentleman.
"Hello there, miss. Is this your first time here?" He drawled, his voice the perfect mix between teasing and genuine. Something crafted especially to make you lower your defences, to trust him.
He watched as you stumbled to reply, voice shy and quiet. Your eyes were filled with some sort of awe, obviously startled at seeing such a famed vampire talk to you.
He smiled in return, his charm at an all-time high. He offered his arm to you, grinning.
"Care for a dance, sweetheart?"
He chuckled as you hesitantly accepted, twirling you around with the expertise of a true noble. He could see the others staring at him, definitely thinking all sorts of things, already conjuring up a hundred different rumours. He knew this was an eventuality, it was something he was already used to.
He just didn’t care. His eyes were locked onto you, memorising the features of your face. The nervousness on it, the way your eyes refused to meet his. There was a cruel sparkle in his eye, one that could so easily be mistaken for something kind.
He couldn't wait to see how you would come to see him eventually.
After the dance, he took you aside and sat you down near the garden. There were still people milling about, but he didn’t pay them any mind. All he was concerned about was you.
He sat back casually against the benches, crossing his arms and looking over you. You looked much calmer now, more relaxed.
You looked up at him, smiling slightly, your expression soft. Your fangs had peeked out slightly — you hadn’t learned how to control them yet.
For only a moment, he was taken aback.
He’d played around with plenty of fledglings before, and for a period of time sure, they’d seemed comfortable around him. However… none of them had smiled as sweetly as you were smiling at him right now.
He snapped himself out of it, swallowing and looking away.
What was wrong with him?
He pushed those thoughts aside, forcing his mind to come back to the present. You’d started talking about something that interested you, seemingly starting to gain more confidence around him.
He nodded along to your rambling, his face smoothing into his usual expression, instead of something fake or calculated.
Strange.
This was a first. He’d never relaxed so easily around another vampire before.
It was probably just nothing.
He watched as you got more and more comfortable, gesturing and smiling. He tilted his head and leaned in, slight amusement swirling in his eyes. It was new, seeing such a bubbly bloodsucker.
He couldn’t say he didn’t like it, though.
Thorne blinked in shock as you suddenly grabbed onto him, going on about something new and dragging him back into the ballroom.
A small, genuine smile flashed through his face, gone as quick as lightning. The sadistic glint in his eyes had lessened, softened exponentially. He let you guide him back to the floor, observing the happy look on your face.
Perhaps he wouldn’t break you as much as he usually did.
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