Vampires Realm Prophecy 01 - Child of Light

off her side table. Pulling her hair back, she gathered two long strands of her red hair and let them fall down the sides of her face like a fringe. She tied the rest of it back, and then put her boots on before walking into the other room.
    Valentine was waiting for her. She noticed that he wasn’t wearing his jacket tonight. He was just wearing his shirt and trousers along with his boots. She gave him a black look and started towards the door.
    “Prophecy,” he said. She turned to see him holding her shirt out to her. He looked at her shoulders. “It is best that you hide those from prying eyes.”
    She looked at the mark on her left shoulder. He wanted her to hide the stars? Why? Was it because he didn’t want her drawing attention to them while they were out in Venice, or was it because he didn’t want his contact seeing them?
    She was tempted to ignore his thinly veiled order but took the shirt instead. He would have a good reason for wanting her to cover the marks, even if it was only to stop himself from staring at them. She slipped the shirt on and held her hands out by her side.
    “Better?”
    He raised a brow at her irritated tone and then nodded. She brushed her hair from her face and opened the door.
    “Good. Let’s go see this woman of yours.”
    * * * *
    Valentine glanced across at Prophecy as they walked. He’d known she would react like she had done back at the hotel. She had a jealous streak a mile wide. He smiled, amused by the fact that he could make her jealous. He couldn’t remember ever having that effect on someone before.
    She had been silent since leaving the hotel and he didn’t push her into speaking. She looked as though she was brooding while she walked beside him with her eyes locked on the ground. She couldn’t have made it more obvious that she was avoiding looking at him if she’d tried.
    He led her over the wooden bridge and she raised her head, a frown marring her features. She glanced at him and when she found he was looking at her, she dropped her gaze back to the floor. He raised a brow. She wouldn’t be able to keep up the silent treatment for ever. Eventually, she would crack. He could see the questions bubbling up inside of her.
    Besides, he knew she wanted to mention her previous vision of Venice and she had every reason to. After all, he was leading her along the same route it had taken her.
    When they walked down the other side of the bridge, he could see the imposing church of Santa Maria della Salute lit up in the distance. It disappeared from view as they turned down one of the narrow alleys.
    Prophecy sighed. She was looking at their surroundings now.
    “Familiar?” he said.
    She nodded, the tiniest of frowns knitting her brows.
    “I thought it would be.”
    When they reached the end of the promenade, he stepped up onto the wall. Her eyes widened and she moved towards him, fear written in the lines of her face.
    “Valentine!”
    She beckoned to him, trying to lure him away from the edge. He stepped down off the low wall and held his hand out above the water, flattening his palm as he ghosted it over thin air.
    “Can’t you feel it, Prophecy?”
    Prophecy frowned. There was nothing there. She couldn’t see anything but lights of the buildings across the water and couldn’t sense anything either. She watched his hand as he continued to move it like a mime feeling an invisible wall and then shook her head.
    “Can you feel it now?” he said and her breath caught in her throat when he pushed his hand forwards and it disappeared.
    “Valentine?” Her voice trembled as she struggled to understand what she was seeing.
    He drew back and his hand reappeared.
    “Don’t be scared,” he said.
    Her stomach dropped. That’s exactly what the woman in her vision had said. She mustn’t be scared. She moved towards him, closing the gap and holding her hand out in front of her, waiting to see it disappear as his had. When he extended his other hand to her, she slipped hers into it and held it tightly, using the feeling of his fingers against hers to bolster her courage. He stepped up onto the low wall and then walked out onto the water. Her eyes widened in alarm when he disappeared, leaving only his hand holding onto hers. She furrowed her brows, closed her eyes and followed him. There was a rush of cold air that chilled her to the bone and an overwhelming sense of power before her foot landed on solid ground.
    His strong grasp tugged her towards him and she