Vampires Realm Prophecy 01 - Child of Light

sorry.”
    Prophecy raised her brows, absorbing what the woman was saying and trying to make sense of it all. This had clearly been the person that Valentine had wanted to meet at the ball and his being there must have been to arrange to come here tonight. She stared at the woman. She hadn’t expected the two to be connected.
    “You’re a Venia,” she said, trying to convince herself that she wasn’t imagining it. In front of her stood a vampire of the Venia bloodline, a beautiful woman who was apparently married to that beast she’d met earlier. She found it hard to picture them together.
    The woman laughed delicately. “I am.”
    “This place belongs to werewolves.”
    “Dmitri is my love.” The woman gave her a concerned look when she hastily wiped a tear from her cheek. “My name is Mia. I am the lady of this house.”
    “Prophecy,” she said and wiped her other eye on the back of her finger. She didn’t want to look weak in front of Mia but the tears wouldn’t stop coming. There was something about the woman’s gentle tone and air that soothed her and made her want to give in to the tumultuous emotions that were running riot inside of her. Something about Mia made her feel safe, as though she would offer her the comfort she so badly needed.
    “I know your name. I know all about you,” Mia said with a sigh and moved closer to her. “Valentine has clearly had an impact on you. It is hard to go against everything you know, even if it is for love.”
    “I’m not in love with him.” She dashed away the last of her tears and stood a little straighter, trying to hide her true feelings from Mia.
    “My words were not about you.” Mia turned and looked over the garden.
    Prophecy stared blankly at the floor. Was Mia saying that Valentine was in love with her? Dmitri had implied as much too. Her chest tightened and she struggled to breathe. Could they see a change in him? They had known him a long time, long enough to detect such a difference.
    “Valentine can be hard on people sometimes,” Mia said.
    Prophecy realised that Mia was facing her again. She looked up into her eyes and saw so much concern in them that she felt as though they had known each other for years, as though they were kin rather than relative strangers.
    Mia smiled. “Especially on those he cares for.”
    Prophecy lowered her gaze when Mia smoothed her hair. She felt overwhelmed by everything.
    “You are a strong woman, if you believe in yourself and know in your heart that you can do what is asked of you. Valentine can see your strength. If he treats you harshly, it is only because he does not know how else to react to his feelings. Give him time and he will prove his worth to you, and he will learn the right reactions. He is a commander, a born leader, as are you. There is bound to be a conflict of command sometimes,” Mia said and then looked around at the door.
    Prophecy followed her gaze and found Valentine watching them. Her chest warmed to see him. It felt as though he had come back to her and had forgiven her without saying a word. He smiled a small smile that barely teased his lips but she saw it.
    She felt Mia’s hand on her shoulder and drew her attention away from Valentine.
    “Go to your room. I have left you some things there. Dmitri will be ready to meet with you soon. Valentine will come to get you when the time is right.”
    Prophecy nodded and walked towards Valentine, giving him a brief smile as she passed him. She stopped when he caught her wrist and she looked into his eyes. He searched hers and she tried to show him that she was fine now that he had come back to her. His fingers trailed off her wrist and she ducked through the curtains, heading back to her room.
    “Valentine,” Mia said.
    Valentine turned to look at her. He obeyed when she crooked her finger, intimating for him to join her. Walking across the wide, paved balcony, he readied himself for what she had to say. He knew it would be about Prophecy. Mia had taken a liking to the girl when she’d watched Prophecy’s encounter with Dmitri in the great hall. Apparently, it had been a long time since she’d seen someone defy her husband and stand up to him.
    He could see the fire in the depths of her eyes when she fixed him with a hard look.
    “Do not be so hard on her. She is a very powerful woman. She does not need to be mollycoddled and treated as a child.”
    He dropped his gaze away from hers and stared at the grass and neatly trimmed