Vampires Realm Prophecy 01 - Child of Light

told her, he could die too. She’d already endangered his life in Paris and here in Dmitri’s bastion. The werewolves could have easily killed them both.
    She pushed herself up, digging her fingernails into the wall and hanging her head. Her hands trembled and the tremors seemed to extend up her arms until her whole body was shaking with her mixed emotions. Her eyes filled with tears, blurring her vision.
    He should have left her when he had the chance. She shouldn’t have stopped him from leaving that night in Oxford.
    She turned sharply to face him.
    “So why didn’t you leave me then?” She didn’t hide the mixture of fear and anger in her voice.
    He looked at her, a frown creasing his brows, and she realised that he was trying to figure out what she was saying.
    “In Oxford, when you wanted to leave. Why didn’t you?” She’d forgotten that he hadn’t answered her back then. He hadn’t explained his reason for staying, just as he hadn’t given her an answer earlier tonight.
    “You know why.” He stared at the garden again, his voice heavy with sadness.
    “Because I made you... that’s what you mean.” She cursed the venom in her voice when he pushed off from the wall and glared at her.
    “No... that is not the only reason.”
    She could see she was provoking him. Anger was beginning to stir in the depths of his eyes and she could feel it on the edge of her senses. She wanted him to be angry with her. She wanted him to take it all out on her so he could stop feeling so miserable about the life he’d left behind. She wanted him to want to be with her, not pine for his family.
    “Then why? There must be a reason that—”
    “Damn it, Prophecy!”
    The force of his words made hers flee her lips. She shrank back when he closed the gap between them, straightening up to his full height and frowning down at her, his eyes dark with anger and his lips a thin line of fury. She could see his hands were curled into tight trembling fists and she fought for breath while she stared into his eyes.
    “What?” she said in a shaky voice. There was a flicker of regret in his eyes before they clouded over again.
    “I stayed because... ” he said in a voice thick with emotion. He turned his back on her and sighed. “I could not leave you. I tried... but I cannot.”
    She watched him walk back inside, unable to find her voice to call out to him like she wanted to. She felt wretched for pushing him so hard when he was already so hurt and angry. In the heat of the moment, she had wanted him to hate her, and now she felt as though he really did.
    Turning to face the garden again, she stared at the stars. They looked like they had last night when Valentine had danced with her in the street, only now she wasn’t filled with warmth and desire. She was cold and alone. She cursed herself for acting so childishly and wished that Valentine would come back to her so she could make things right again. She could still feel his kisses on her throat and his hands holding her tightly. The more she thought about last night, the more real the ghost of them became, until she swore he was touching her again. She wiped the bitter tears away as they filled her eyes.
    A noise pricked her senses and she realised that she wasn’t alone.
    “Valentine, I’m—” She cut herself off when she turned and found a woman standing by the open doors.
    Her slim figure was wrapped in a black dress that matched her hair. Her thin face and round dark eyes reminded her of someone and Prophecy leaned heavily against the wall when it dawned on her.
    “You’re the woman I saw Valentine with at the ball,” she said with a frown. She hadn’t forgotten the way the woman had touched his cheek and the look of tenderness that had been in her eyes.
    “And you are the woman who stole so many men’s attentions, including Valentine’s.” The woman had a Russian accent but was so well spoken that Prophecy barely noticed it. Her voice suited her appearance, adding to the air of royalty she had about her. The woman moved towards Prophecy, her hips shifting softly with each small step she took. “I apologise sincerely for the way my husband treated you on your arrival.”
    “Husband?” She wondered if she looked as stunned as she felt.
    “Dmitri. He has a charming tendency to forget his manners when his more primitive nature makes him want to play with newcomers. I believe he may have overstepped the mark and for that I am sincerely