If you want to meet a vampire, go to a hospital.
Gerome was desperate when he met Madeline, desperate enough to make a deal with a vampire. His grandmother was dying. The bills were crushing. So, when his beautiful benefactor offered him money in exchange for blood, he didn't ask questions.
He became a Familiar.
It turns out that not all vampires kill. They don't forever feed on the innocent. Some vampires prefer to make deals. Madeline is ancient, meticulous, and terrifyingly rational. She doesn't rule through violence but through contracts, secrecy, and dependence. Her Familiars aren't victims in the traditional sense. They're volunteers. Professionals. People with bills, secrets, and something to lose.
For a time, the arrangement works. Gerome's life improves. Madeline's occasional visits fade into the back of his mind. Then Madeline disappears, and Gerome falls in love, telling himself that the vampire is gone for good.
She isn't.
When Gerome's grandmother dies, Madeline returns, intent on dragging him deeper into her world. Worse, she knows about his fiancée, Nancy, and the vampire seems far too interested in her. Gerome must navigate addiction, manipulation, and the terrifying realization that monsters don't need to be cruel to be evil. And sometimes they want your wife.
