Alesia's POV.
"W-what?" I stuttered, staring at him in shock.
"You're adorable." Ralph laughed—soft, amused, like my horror was something sweet to him.
My stomach twisted. "How is any of this normal human behavior to you?"
"Well, for starters, we ain't exactly human." He gave me a lazy smile, like he was letting me in on a joke I wasn't part of. "And this—" he gestured vaguely around the garden, the mansion, the entire nightmare "—is normal to us. Honestly, what's abnormal is you standing here with your neck still empty."
I stiffened. "Empty?"
"No mark," he clarified, stepping a little closer. "No claim. No nothing."
His gaze dropped to my throat, lingering in a way that made my skin crawl.
"I expected to see it the moment I walked up," he continued. "But here you are… untouched. Neck bare. Practically begging to be marked."
"I'm not—"
