Vampires Realm Prophecy 01 - Child of Light

Her hands coursed up his arms, coming up over his shoulders to his neck and settling on either side of his face. She looked deep into his eyes, trying to show him that they both wanted what he was considering. She wanted to kiss him into oblivion.
    She heard him swallow and saw that the fire in his eyes was fading. He was getting control of himself again. She silently cursed him when his hands left her sides and he sighed.
    “You should go in. It is not safe out here.”
    She frowned. Not safe out here? She looked around at the empty street. There was nothing out here but him. Did he think she wasn’t safe around him? Didn’t he trust himself?
    “What’s wrong?”
    He looked at her out of the corner of his eye.
    “On the train, when you made me... ” He pointed at her neck. “I thought something that I should not have. I thought many things I should not have.”
    She was going to ask him to elaborate when she saw the look in his eyes. It told her everything she needed to know. It had been her vision that had driven him to want to do things to her, things that no man had done to her. Things that he was destined to do to her.
    “Oh.” She stared wide-eyed at him.
    His shoulders sagged the tiniest amount and she could almost visualise the pressure that was weighing down on him. She stroked his cheek and brought his head around so he was facing her again, but let him keep his eyes fixed on the floor.
    “I... I should thank you for the dress... and the dance... it was... ” She didn’t know how to put into words what she wanted to tell him. All she had to say was that she wouldn’t have stopped him, but the words hung unspoken in the air between them. She hated the awkwardness it created and cursed her weakness.
    “You should go in.” He turned away from her, leaving her outstretched hand empty.
    “Valentine?” She hurried towards him, placing her hand on his shoulder. He felt tense underneath her fingers. She wanted to tell him not to think the things she had seen in his eyes. There was nothing to regret. He’d done nothing wrong by wanting to make love to her and he’d done nothing wrong by dancing with her tonight. “I don’t want to go in.”
    “You cannot stay out here.” He moved to face her and gave her a small smile. “The sun will come up. You will have to go inside at some point.”
    She smiled at his attempt to lighten the atmosphere. It seemed to work for a split second but then it pressed down on her again. Her hand lingered on his shoulder. The light from the hotel sign was playing on his features and she noticed the blood on his lips. He couldn’t have taken more than a sip from her when he was kissing her neck. She wanted to kiss him, wanted to taste the blood and know it was hers. She was inside him just as he was inside her, but it hadn’t been their blood working its will tonight. He had wanted to kiss her, had wanted to have her in his arms and from the look in his eyes he’d wanted to do much more besides.
    She wanted it all.
    She glanced at the hotel and decided to take a chance. She wasn’t expecting anything from him if he agreed. She just didn’t want to leave his side. He could only say no and she’d have the whole night and day to brood about it if he did.
    “I don’t want to go in,” she repeated.
    “What do you want?” He cocked his head to one side.
    She placed the mask into his hand and looked deep into his eyes.
    “At the dance, when you rescued me, you saved me from the arms of a Caelestis. It frightened me.” She rubbed her arm with her free hand, trying to build up the courage to say what she really wanted to. She could see that he was waiting and he wasn’t convinced that mentioning the Caelestis was all she had to say. She looked up at him, not raising her head but looking past her furrowed brows. “I want to stay with you.”
    His look softened and he was silent for a few seconds before answering.
    “Gather your belongings and we shall go to my hotel.”

Chapter 28
    The night was still. The moon had crept higher into the sky, telling Valentine that time was drawing on. They had been walking for almost three hours now and Prophecy was yet to utter one question. She’d been exceptionally quiet tonight, too quiet.
    He glanced at her. She was staring at the floor, a tiny frown creasing her brows. She was back in her black trousers and bodice with her jacket drawn tightly around her as she hugged herself. He wondered what was playing on her