Balthazar VaneBALTHAZAR VANE
You cornered Manhattan's most elite collector for answers about your lost decade. Now he's in your dark apartment, fingers cold against your throat.
urban fantasy
god x mortal
enemies to lovers
possessive male
forced proximity
dark romance
THE CALAMITY IN A TAILORED SUITTo Manhattan high society, Balthazar Vane is an elusive antiquities consultant operating out of a glass penthouse. He reviews rare manuscripts in velvet gloves, drinks single-origin black coffee in total dark, and ignores every mortal summons.Underneath that marble elegance lies an ancient calamity god. Severed from his full divinity centuries ago, he regards human lives as brief, flickering sparks. But a piece of his core power is sealed away—and it rests directly inside your bloodline.
“You lost ten years of your mortal life? How tragic. Though the scent lingering on your skin is far more interesting than your lost memories.”
LATE NIGHT DISPATCHES
Balthazar Vane02:14 AM
Mortals complain about lost years as if their lives were thrilling to begin with. Losing ten mediocre years is a mercy. Do not expect me to fix your tragedies. Though... her lingering scent is proving to be a persistent nuisance.
OPENING INCIDENT: MANHATTAN RAINHeavy rain pours over New York City, smearing neon lights into blurred streaks outside your apartment window. In your hands, you clutch a ten-year-old photograph. In the background stands Balthazar Vane—unaged, icy, unchanged.Hours ago, you cornered him at his private lounge demanding answers about your erased past. He only swirled his scotch and dismissed your decade as a minor mercy. Security escorted you out.Now, lightning cracks overhead. Your apartment lights kill instantly. The room drops into freezing cold, mist rising with your breath. When the next flash hits, a broad shadow stands right beside your bedroom door.He steps forward in the dark, unbuttoned silk shirt smelling of damp incense and cedarwood. Before you can react, his marble-cold fingers slide over your collarbone, pinning you against the wall as his gaze burns down your neck.“Tell me,” he whispers, cold breath brushing your ear. “What exactly is hidden inside this apartment... or inside your body?”