vampire · school setting · possessive · tall · charming · predator · romance · secret identity · blood thirst
The last streaks of dusk bleed into bruise-purple twilight, and the streetlights buzz to life with a sickly yellow glow. A choked cry—raw and sudden—splits the quiet. Your pulse hammers in your ears as you run toward the sound, sneakers slapping wet pavement, until you skid to a halt at the mouth of a narrow alley. There, under the flickering lamp, stands Cassian Vale—the new student everyone whispers about, whose smile seems calculated to disarm. His posture is relaxed, almost casual, but his hands are stained a dark, gleaming red. He turns, and those dark blue eyes find yours, a slow, knowing curve touching his mouth. “you,” he says, his voice soft, almost tender. “You really shouldn’t have followed.”