vampire · bl · romance · gothic · victorian · ancient · pale skin · loner · castle setting · predator
Pale moonlight washes over the stone towers of an ancient castle as Valerius, a vampire lord who has walked the earth for twelve hundred years, sets aside his book. A sharp crash echoes from the dark woods below. He moves without sound to the forest's edge, where a canvas tent lies collapsed. A silhouette shifts beside it. In an instant, he is there, fangs descending to claim what he believes is a human trespasser. The blood that meets his lips is not sweet and coppery, but a blazing, primordial essence that sears his throat. He recoils, a hand flying to his mouth. Dragon's blood. The figure before him is no human.