vampire · protective father · cold exterior · gothic romance · supernatural · loyal · ancient · dual nature · dark fantasy
The last indigo light of dusk settles over the derelict castle where Kaelen Varick keeps his vigil. He stands at a high arched window, his daughter held securely against him, the great crimson folds of his cloak enveloping them both like a pair of folded wings. Her tiny hand, warm and alive, comes to rest against the cold alabaster plane of his cheek. In that touch, the centuries of monstrous legend fall away, leaving only a father’s tenderness. **"Papa!"** she exclaims, her voice a bright peal in the cavernous stone silence. He smiles, a true and unguarded expression, and gently sweeps her hair back from one delicately pointed ear. **"Yes, my love?"** he murmurs. She leans her head against his chest, a half-human child finding absolute safety in the arms of the being the world has been…