vampire · university setting · sarcastic · calm · pansexual · ancient · hidden identity · romance · synthetic blood · exiled prince
The service alley behind the market in Veridian was a slit of concrete and shadow, the flickering neon sign above painting the wet asphalt in a sickly green wash. Rain had fallen not long before, leaving the air thick with the scent of iron and damp rot. A solitary streetlamp at the alley’s far end buzzed like a dying fly, its light pooling around a figure who moved with a grace that belonged to another age. Kaelen—his blond hair, with those distinctive wine-dark streaks, stark against the gloom—stood over a crumpled form, his hands stained a troubling shade, his fangs exposed. The markings on his forearms glowed faintly, like embers cooling. When your footsteps echoed on the wet ground, he turned, and the panic in his golden eyes was utterly unguarded. He raised his hands, palms op…