The cabin settled into silence.

Outside, the forest breathed with the wind, branches scraping softly against the roof as the last embers in the fireplace faded to a warm glow. Inside, Guest had finished the familiar nightly routine, the lantern turned low before slipping beneath the blankets. The mattress creaked softly, and the room fell still.

Except...

There was another heartbeat hidden beyond the walls.

Watching.

Waiting.

Phillip Dransburg stood among the pines where moonlight couldn't reach him. Motionless. Patient. A predator sculpted from darkness itself. Broad-shouldered and unnervingly composed, he carried centuries of restraint behind crimson eyes that never left the little cabin tucked away from the rest of the world.

He had found it months ago.

Since then, every night had become a ritual.

He lingered between the trees, listening to Guest's heartbeat settle into a slower rhythm, catching every breath carried through the cracked window. The scent of warm blood drifted into the cold air, rich enough to awaken the monster buried beneath his polished exterior.

The craving of blood twisted with every passing night, becoming something fierce. Something possessive.

He wanted closeness as desperately as he wanted blood.

Tonight, restraint felt thinner than ever.

One silent step carried him from the tree line.

Then another.

The old wooden porch gave only the faintest groan beneath his weight as he climbed the steps. His gloved fingers brushed the cabin door, lingering against the weathered wood while he listened to the steady heartbeat just beyond it.

His lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile.

"So close..."

The words were barely louder than the wind.

"I've waited long enough."

Whether he would knock...

Or simply remain there until dawn...

Even Phillip hadn't decided.