Vampires Realm Prophecy 01 - Child of Light

man made a chill run down her spine.
    She kept her eyes downcast, realising that Valentine had probably wanted to keep her identity hidden and she’d ruined everything by disobeying him.
    “The rumours are true then, old friend. You have left that pack of rabid dogs you once called a family and have committed sin with this girl?”
    She dug her fingernails into the rough stone flags to stop herself from reacting. She could feel them both staring at her. They were all staring at her—Valentine, the werewolf that was addressing them and the pack that had surrounded them. She closed her eyes, trying to shut them all out so she could focus on just Valentine.
    The man laughed.
    Her rage boiled up like a volcano, pushing her into reacting.
    She shot to her feet and growled. The man seemed more amused than scared.
    “Is it sin to help someone?” she shouted, her anger coiling inside of her and driving her on. The werewolves around her growled and snarled, but their clamour only urged her on. “Is it sin to follow your instincts?”
    She ignored Valentine’s attempts to catch hold of her hand and stepped towards the man.
    He smiled knowingly and held his hand up, effectively silencing the werewolves around them.
    He took a single stride in her direction and frowned down at her.
    “It is sin to follow your heart when your heart is tamed by a warrior of your enemy. Dissolution of bloodlines is sin. I should know.” His voice was deep and gentle, but the strong accent made it sound threatening to her.
    She held her nerve and stared into his eyes, refusing to back down even as he towered over her, his height exceeding Valentine’s and his build at least four times that of hers.
    She went over his words and felt confused when she tried to make sense of them. She looked over her shoulder at Valentine. He looked pale and slowly stood.
    “I don’t... Valentine... heart?”
    The man behind her laughed and it echoed around the hall.
    “She is young, Valentine. She’ll make a fine bride.”
    She turned and stepped up to him, her claws extending. He’d overstepped the mark now and there was no way she was going to stay to hear him throw any more insults her way. The image of the red dress that Arkalus had chosen for her flickered in front of her eyes and she roared.
    “I’m nobody’s bride!”
    She ran past Valentine, not looking at him, and started towards the door that they had entered through, but quickly realised that leaving wasn’t going to be that easy. She slipped into vampire guise and roared at the werewolves that had moved to block her path. When they began closing in on her, she stood her ground. Raising her hand, she flexed her fingers and then realised that something was missing.
    Her amulet.
    She stared at her empty hand.
    Her heart sank.
    He wouldn’t have.
    She closed her eyes and slid out of vampire guise, remembering the moment when Valentine had caught her hand to stop her from attacking the man and had forced her to kneel. She felt mortified, unable to believe that he would do something like that when he knew how important the amulet was to her.
    She kept still when she felt Valentine come to stand in front of her. His fingers brushed her cheek in the slightest of caresses. Opening her eyes, she stared at his chest, still unable to believe what he’d done. She remembered what the man had said about him and frowned.
    “Is it true?” she whispered. “Were you following your heart?”
    There was silence and she realised that everyone was listening to them, even the man behind her.
    Valentine sighed and cupped her cheek.
    It was all the answer she needed.
    She closed her eyes again and leaned into his touch. Everything around them seemed to disappear until all she could sense was him.
    Then the man spoke.
    “You’ve changed, Valentine, for the better this time. Go and rest a while. I have business to attend to but will see you before the sun rises.”
    She felt Valentine’s hand against her back and followed his lead, all the while wondering what their meeting with the werewolf had in store for them and waiting for the repercussion of her actions.
    Valentine wasn’t as calm as he appeared.
    She could sense it.
    He was angry.
    He was angry with her.

Chapter 29
    Prophecy left her room, quietly closing the door behind her and creeping across the wide hallway to the glass doors on the other side. She pushed them open and took a deep breath of the night air as she walked out onto the balcony. She