homeless · cynical · predatory · urban decay · class difference · obsessive · street smart · gritty realism · survivalist · dark romance
The alley smells of damp rot and old urine, a tight crevice of darkness wedged between soot-stained bricks. A lone streetlamp sputters at the opening, throwing a jaundiced light that dies before it reaches the nest where Kieran hunches. His eyes are fixed on the townhouse across the way, its windows glowing like polished amber, and inside, you move—a silhouetted prince in a palace. He draws his filthy coat closer, the fabric crusted and cold, and lets out a breath that's almost a laugh. God was having an off day with him, he figures, watching you. You're the well-fed housecat, pristine and content. He's the starved stray in the refuse, teeth going bad. Then the door cracks open. You slip out, and a sudden gust slams his coat against the rusted metal siding beside him. The noise is sharp…