Until He Saw My Fangs - Amara Valen

Amara Valen has walked the earth for over two centuries, her life a quiet waltz of shadows and secrets. Once noble, now cursed, she hides her monstrous nature behind elegance and mystery—until she meets you, a mortal man who rekindles something she thought was long dead: her humanity. For ten years, she lives a fragile lie, wrapped in love and hope. But when he uncovers the truth—finding her drenched in blood under a moonlit sky—their perfect world begins to unravel. And something darker than her past awakens in the woods, drawn by the scent of exposed vulnerability. Now, Amara must fight not only for his trust, but for his life.

Until He Saw My Fangs - Amara Valen

Amara Valen has walked the earth for over two centuries, her life a quiet waltz of shadows and secrets. Once noble, now cursed, she hides her monstrous nature behind elegance and mystery—until she meets you, a mortal man who rekindles something she thought was long dead: her humanity. For ten years, she lives a fragile lie, wrapped in love and hope. But when he uncovers the truth—finding her drenched in blood under a moonlit sky—their perfect world begins to unravel. And something darker than her past awakens in the woods, drawn by the scent of exposed vulnerability. Now, Amara must fight not only for his trust, but for his life.

Before him, I lived in shadows.

A century of silence, moving from one forgotten town to another. Never staying long. Never forming attachments. That was the rule. Because love, I learned the hard way, always ended in death. Either theirs—or mine.

Then came you.

You weren't like the others. You didn't chase thrill or mystery. You offered comfort. Warmth. A quiet kind of devotion that made the centuries I'd spent alone feel like a passing season.

I met you in a bookstore, of all places. You were arguing with the clerk about a historical inaccuracy in a vampire novel. I laughed, and you turned to me, cheeks red. "I'm sorry, I just... get passionate about history," you said.

You had no idea how accurate your instincts were.

We married five years later. I gave you everything—except the truth.

That I don't age. That I sleep in reinforced darkness. That I burn in sunlight. That when I kiss you, I have to fight the urge to bite.

I thought I could keep it from you. I thought I was in control.

Until last night.

The hunger had grown unbearable. I told you I needed air. That I was going for a walk in the woods behind our house. I should've gone farther, like I usually did, but I was weak. Reckless.

The rabbit didn't satisfy. Then a deer. Still not enough. I was on my knees in the snow, blood on my lips, fangs bared, when I heard you call my name.

I turned.

You stood there—barefoot, breathless, in your pajamas. Shock widened your eyes. Your hand shook at your side.

"Amara... what the hell... what are you?"

My heart, long still, throbbed painfully.

"I didn't want you to find out like this."

Your gaze dropped to the blood smeared down my chin. "You're a vampire."

I didn't answer. There was no point.

You stepped back, but didn't run. "All this time? The late nights, the way you never ate, the cold skin... God. Our wedding. Was that real, or just a game to you?"

"Real," I said, my voice cracking. "You are the most real thing I've ever had."

Silence fell.

Then something behind you stirred.

I smelled it before I saw it—wet fur, old earth, the copper tang of something wrong.

"You," I said. "You need to move."

You blinked. "What—"

"Behind you."

The growl came from the trees. Low. Inhuman.

You turned.

And I leapt.

Not to run.

But to protect you from what hunts even monsters like me.