Vampires Realm Prophecy 01 - Child of Light

understand?”
    She nodded, unsure of whether she would be able to resist the witch but ready to try her hardest. She raised her eyes to the balcony, wanting to see her but finding it was empty.
    “Ready?” Valentine said as he walked past her, heading up the stairs.
    She took a deep breath and followed him up to the balcony, her sense of unease growing with each step. What kind of witch had the power to control someone? Did she have that power?
    She looked up as they entered a room. The walls were decorated with the same marble as the entrance room and there was a grand fireplace of pure white marble streaked with blue. Beside it were two high backed dark leather armchairs.
    In one of them sat an old crone.
    She must have been ancient. Her skin was sagging, wrinkled with time, and her hair was frizzy and grey. The crone coughed delicately, her bony hands covering her mouth. There was a scar on the left one. It looked as though she’d been branded. The deep grooves in her flesh marked the shape of a star.
    Prophecy’s hand roamed to her pocket, coming to rest over the amulet hidden there. The mark on the old crone’s hand was exactly like the star on the back of the amulet. Was it coincidence, or had the woman once owned something similar to that which she now possessed? Was this the reason Valentine had wanted to keep the stars hidden from his contact?
    The crone’s delicate cough became laughter.
    Prophecy raised her eyes to see Valentine standing in front the woman.
    “Valentine,” the crone said.
    “Elena.” He bowed his head as though in recognition of her standing in life.
    Prophecy didn’t know what to say when Elena’s eyes came to rest on her. She just stood very still.
    “What pretty immortal of Aurorea do you run with now?” Elena looked at her. Prophecy squirmed inside, feeling the power emanating from Elena in waves that washed over her, making her skin prickle. “Not Aurorea.”
    Prophecy swallowed hard. The witch could see that just by looking at her? She felt as though the woman could see right down into her soul and that she could keep nothing from her.
    “Little girl lost, should be dead.” The witch’s voice was silken and persuasive.
    Valentine placed himself between her and Elena. Prophecy frowned at his manoeuvre.
    “You want her to be like you. Make her like you. She has power.” Elena held her hand out to Valentine. “Take the power, make her yours.”
    He shook his head. “I will do no such thing.”
    “You will, in time.” Elena smiled knowingly.
    Prophecy’s brows rose at the statement. He was going to make her his in time? She remembered the kiss in her vision.
    When the tension in the air seemed to dissipate, Prophecy realised that Elena had been testing Valentine. Did she test everyone that came to see her? She thought that Valentine knew Elena. Surely, she wouldn’t test someone she knew?
    “I am not here to play games, Elena. I will not talk with you when you are like this.” Valentine almost growled the words but his face remained a calm mask.
    She didn’t know what to expect, but when the witch altered her appearance, her body and clothes morphing into another shape, she was stunned. Elena sat in the chair, her blonde hair hanging in loose soft waves around her shoulders and her dress of dark blue satin clinging to her curves.
    “Is this better?” Elena asked with a sweet look, her shiny red lips curving into a smile.
    Prophecy noticed that Valentine was frowning now, his eyes dark with anger as he looked at Elena. Clearly it wasn’t better. She didn’t recognise the woman that Elena had changed into, but he obviously did.
    He shook his head.
    Elena sighed, closed her eyes and hummed a little tune to herself while she altered her appearance again.
    Prophecy was mortified when she found herself face to face with herself, only naked. She noticed that there were no stars marking the witch’s body and took it as a sign that the witch didn’t know about them. She frowned at Valentine when she saw he was staring unabashedly at the naked version of herself.
    “Is this what you want to see, Valentine?” Elena held her arms out and smiled coyly.
    Valentine seemed to get the better of himself and sat down in the chair opposite Elena. Prophecy noted that he didn’t deny that he wanted to see her naked, he just waved his hand as though telling Elena to get on with it and change again.
    Elena closed her eyes and morphed into a woman of milk white skin, dark