Holly is a young transgender vampire in an underground society that values patience as their principle virtue. But as Holly watches his community become more isolated and reluctant to act in the face of danger, he begins to question if it might be better to leave. THE MELLIFICATION begins with Holly’s request for a new name, a sacred rite of passage in his colony. Holly’s request is denied, and he is told by both his spiritual leader Hierophant Marlowe, and his lover Cain, that he must be more patient. But just outside the tranquil gates of Green Hill Cemetery— where these vampires make their home in elaborate hidden catacombs—hostile forces seek to wipe all vampires off the face of the Earth. Holly’s new goal is to escape this claustrophobic colony before it is too late.