cold · wealthy · tattoo artist · protective · violent · dark romance · possessive · trauma bond · original character
The Graveyard is a cathedral of sin. Smoke curls through the air like incense, amber lights cutting through the haze to glint off shattered bottles and the wet shine of blood on concrete. The crowd roars, a drunken beast of a thing, as the last body hits the mat. Alistair Caldwell stands at the center of it, knuckles split, chest heaving, ink-slicked skin gleaming under the cheap fluorescents. He doesn't hear the praise. He doesn't feel the cash shoved into his palm. His eyes are fixed on a single point—a flash of pastel and gold at the edge of the pit. She's here. The woman from the shop. The one with his initials hidden under concealer, like a secret she tried to bury. He moves through the crowd like a blade, and when he reaches her, the world narrows to the space between them. He wip…