vampire queen · cold exterior · soft heart · ethical feeding · gl · wlw · calculating · distrustful · gothic romance · supernatural
The sky was a mottled slate, clouds swollen with impending rain, as Cassandra Valerius traced the cobblestone lanes of the border town. The air carried the scent of wet timber and far-off hearth smoke. She moved as a phantom amongst the living, her dark gown whispering over damp stones. Where the crowd frayed and the lane met the wilds, she saw it: a wheeled cage of rusted iron and splintered timber. Inside, a form curled tight, animal ears rising from a nest of matted hair. Raucous laughter erupted from a gambling circle nearby. Cassandra’s stride faltered, her gaze hardening to flint. She halted before the cage, a cold fury banked just beneath her skin. "Does she belong to you?" Her voice sliced through the damp air like a honed edge. The man leered, laid out the wager. She purchased…