Vampires Realm Prophecy 01 - Child of Light

can only get stronger when it’s mated with strong blood?”
    She had a point, but he wasn’t one to argue against the laws. He’d spent his whole life working towards becoming the one to uphold them for his family.
    “They would kill anyone who tried.” He took the glass from her and filled it with the last of the blood. She took it back from him with a hard look, as though he’d said something terrible rather than just telling the truth.
    “Isn’t peace worth it? Our families can’t war forever. We have to learn to share our city.”
    “Your family could leave.”
    She looked mortified. “Us? Is that what you think? You think that we don’t belong in your city, that we’re not good enough for it?”
    “I didn’t—”
    “You damn well did mean it like that.” She cut him off and slammed the glass down, spilling some of its contents onto the counter.
    He held his hands up and backed away from her, letting her see that he wasn’t going to argue with her about it. It had been wrong of him to say something like that. Words like that were the reason why the peace between their families was disappearing. He would have willingly apologised but she looked as though she wouldn’t accept it. Instead, he looked at the curtains that were drawn across the window.
    “We should get some rest. The sun has been up for nearly two hours now. We shall talk more tonight.”
    She nodded in agreement and walked past him. He was surprised that she hadn’t wanted to continue the argument. He had seen in her eyes that she wasn’t about to let what he’d said go. He was struck by something she’d said earlier.
    “Prophecy?” he said. She stopped by the door but didn’t look back at him. “Do you truly believe that peace is worth dying for? Would you face death in order to achieve it?”
    She looked over her shoulder, her eyes bright as they met his. He could see her answer without her even saying it. She really was stronger than she looked.
    She smiled and walked out of the door.
    “I’d die if it meant peace between our families.”
    He looked at the empty doorway and then at the glass of blood she’d spilt. Dipping his finger into it, he brought it to his lips and sucked it clean, frowning as all he could think was that it didn’t taste as sweet as her blood had.
    His eyes returned to the empty doorway and he repeated her words in his head.
    She really was strong.
    But was she as strong as she needed to be?

Chapter 8
    Prophecy snuck quietly down the stairs in the dark hall. She could hear Valentine talking to Mathias in the book-filled room they’d been in last night. She kept close to the place where each step met the wall so the wooden boards wouldn’t creak under the pressure of her footsteps. She didn’t want them to hear her before she found out what they were saying to each other.
    She took each step slowly, biting her lip as she leaned her back into the wall and eased her way down to the bottom of the stairs.
    This morning, Mathias had led her to a large room. He had promised her that they would look into the prophecy when night had fallen, and that Valentine knew his way around the house and would find his own way to a room to sleep in. She’d told him she didn’t care what Valentine did. She’d gone into the room, thanked him and then shut the door and locked it.
    She hadn’t slept.
    She’d lain on the bed all day staring at the ceiling and thinking about everything that had happened. She felt marginally better now and ready to deal with whatever Mathias was going to tell her.
    Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she crept across the wooden floorboards to the opposite side of the hall. She pressed her back against the wall and edged towards the open door.
    She didn’t risk a peek around the door to see where they were in the room. She just stared at the wall opposite her, her eyes idly studying the tattered fabric wallpaper while she listened.
    They widened when she heard Valentine’s now familiar voice.
    “I cannot do this.” He literally growled the words and she wondered what expression he was wearing. He sounded angry. She hadn’t seen him angry. He’d frowned a few times, but it hadn’t been anger in his eyes. “I am going insane, Mathias.”
    “You chose this path, now you must deal with the consequences.” Mathias’ voice was soothing and she got the impression he was doing his best to console Valentine.
    What was wrong?
    “But... ” Valentine trailed off, the frustration