Prophecy: Child of Light (29 page)

Putting one foot out in front of her, she kept her eyes fixed on the two vampires. Valentine turned to face the others. They were carrying weapons, long blunt pieces of wood. Something told her they weren’t here to kill them.

She looked at Valentine.

They were here to bring them home, but she couldn’t be sure which family they would be taken to.

Valentine breathed heavily and tried to keep his focus on the three vampires that were skulking towards him. They didn’t smell like Aurorea. They didn’t act like his family either. His family’s guards would never been seen without their uniforms, no matter what their orders were. These vampires were from Caelestis.

The lengths of wood they carried told him they wanted them unconscious. Lightning flashed in the distance and he noticed that two of them had manacles hanging from their belts.

His eyes switched to blue, his teeth sharpening and his claws growing. If they wanted to take them, they were going to have to fight. If they fought, instinct would force them to reveal their demonic face and he would have confirmation of their bloodline.

The one in the centre of the three changed. He caught a glimpse of green when the vampire charged towards him and threw a punch that he easily dodged. He caught the vampire in the stomach with his fist and then quickly switched his attention to the other two. They were both running at him now, the wooden clubs they carried held high in the air.

He heard Prophecy cry out his name when they reached him. Bringing his arm up above his head, he knelt and blocked the first vampire’s attack. He swiftly moved his hand, arcing it around and catching hold of the vampire’s arm before he had time to get another attack in. He pushed the vampire’s elbow up and punched it from below, forcing the joint up in a way that would have broken a human arm. The vampire growled in pain and cracked the bone back into place.

Valentine rolled out of the way when the other two vampires lunged at him, one of them swinging the club dangerously close to his head and the other attempting a punch. He growled when he caught a foot in his stomach. Getting to his feet, he frowned at the vampire responsible, and attacked. He moved fast, punching him across the jaw with his right and then in the stomach with his left. He caught sight of Prophecy as she gracefully turned and brought her leg around at head height of one of her vampires. It connected solidly, making the vampire fall to the ground as it attempted to regain its senses.

Pain shot through his shoulder as one of the vampires attacked him, catching him hard with the club and following it up by kicking him in the back of his leg. His knees gave way and he collapsed to the floor. Grasping his shoulder, he barely had time to avoid being knocked out as he moved backwards and the club flew past his face, close enough that he could feel the air shifting around it.

He grabbed it and yanked it away from the vampire. Using it to assist him to his feet, he tensed his jaw and then roared at the three vampires that were circling him. Prophecy was still fighting valiantly. Her moves were impressive. It was the first time he’d really seen her fight and he was glad to see that she could handle herself well. She kicked the vampire that tried to grab her and managed to catch the other one at the same time, knocking them both to the ground. She didn’t give them a chance to get up, she attacked immediately, springing on them and punching them while they struggled to stand. She was fast, accurate too.

Spinning the club in a lazy arc at his side, he smirked at the vampires surrounding him.

The rain continued to pour down from the heavens, drenching them.

He wiped the water from his eyes and waited, knowing that they would attack if he kept still.

They did.

He smacked the club against the one that the first vampire swung at him, knocking it away. The other two attacked and he was ready for them. He brought the club down hard on one of the vampires shoulder, repaying him for his earlier attack, and caught the other with a swift elbow in the face. He growled with effort as they swarmed on him, kicking and punching as fast as they could. He blocked most of the attacks, even managing to get some of his own in. He cracked the club against their knee caps, moving in a swift circle and forcing them to back away in order to avoid getting hurt.

He stopped dead when he looked up to see Prophecy struggling against her two vampires. One of them had managed to catch hold of her arm and was holding it behind her back. She tried to throw them off her, but the other one crowded her, blocking her move.

He was about to run to her when he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head.

The world shifted in and out of focus and then the pavement seemed to come up from nowhere.

Everything around him faded.

The scenery.

The voices.

But one thing stayed with him, echoing around his head as he slipped into unconsciousness.

Prophecy screamed.

T
he sight of the grey stone façade of the mansion looming against the stormy sky filled Prophecy with dread. She struggled against the ties that bound her wrists and the guards that held her arms in vice like grips.

She had feared this moment since she’d awoken on the train to find herself surrounded by ten of her family’s finest guards. She hadn’t bothered attempting to escape, it was impossible, and she hadn’t asked where they were taking her. There was only one place they could take her.

She held her head high as they marched her into the mansion, passing the guards that flanked the door and the few vampires that were milling around the entrance hall. They had been waiting for her. She realised that as the double doors into the main reception room of the house opened to reveal all of her family.

Her eyes settled on one vampire.

He was sitting in a large armchair of mahogany and red velvet with his legs crossed and one hand resting in his lap while the other held a brandy glass of blood.

She growled under her breath at the sight of him, anger and fear mixing inside of her, giving her the confidence she needed to continue.

When the guards released her, she didn’t stop, she walked straight to him and stared into his eyes.

Arkalus smiled and swept his dark hair from his face, revealing his even darker eyes.

Fearful whispers filled the room.

She kept her eyes locked on his.

He raised his hand and silence descended. She waited, watching him demurely sip his blood and breathe out a sigh of pleasure.

Her eyes fell to his broad chest. A frown creased her brow when she saw the chain around his neck and recognised the symbol of Caelestis hanging from it.

“No.” She breathed the word and shook her head when he smiled into her eyes.

Her stomach dropped. It couldn’t be possible. He couldn’t have. A glance at the people around her told her that he had. In their faces, she could see fear, but it wasn’t her they were scared of.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen you,” he said with another broad smile.

His eyes raked over her, his smile becoming a leer when he ran his tongue over his lips. She curled her lip up in disgust and tried to get her hands free but the guards had bound them too tightly behind her back and she was too weak to break the chains.

“Where is mother? I wish to speak with her.”

The way he laughed dryly told her everything she needed to know. He had killed Iona and taken her place, just as he had threatened to. There was nothing stopping him now.

“I’m afraid it’s not possible. If you wish to talk to the master of your family, you will have to talk to me.” He grinned.

“I won’t talk to you.” She turned away.

The air shifted and she felt him behind her, his hands holding hers so tight they hurt. The glass smashed. He always had been fast. He had reached her before it had hit the floor beside his chair.

“You shall talk to me,” he whispered into her ear.

She tried to pull away from him but his hands slid up her arms and he held her flush against him. She could feel the contours of his body against hers. He pressed himself into her. His tongue traced the edge of her earlobe and she grimaced. Jerking backwards, she growled threateningly.

“Get off me!”

He rewarded her effort by throwing her to the ground. She curled up in pain, her shoulder aching where she’d landed on it.

“Kill me,” she said in a near whisper through gritted teeth.

He stooped, hauled her up onto her feet and turned her to face him. “What did you say?”

“I said, kill me.” She squared up to him and smiled internally at the surprise visible in his eyes. “I heard the pact you made with the lord of Aurorea. You said you would hunt me down and kill me like the abomination I am. So kill me.”

He hesitated. A flicker of doubt entered his eyes.

“I knew that you wouldn’t be able to, but how I wish that you would if the alternative is to be your bride.”

His expression darkened, his grip on her arms increasing until his nails were digging into her flesh. “I will do as I please with you.”

She started to speak but he turned her around and pushed her towards the door.

“Walk.” He pushed her again when she began to slow down and she shot him a black look. “I will not have you speak to me in this manner. You will go to your room and remain there. You’ve done quite enough damage.”

She glared at the guards as they flanked her, their swords unsheathed and pointed at her. She walked up the stairs in silence, not daring to speak while Arkalus was following so close behind her. He wouldn’t kill her, she knew that in her heart, but he would find another way to punish her insubordination if she spoke.

Her room looked even more like a prison when they finally stopped in front of it. The manacles bit into her wrists when Arkalus removed them, his movements intentionally rough and brutal. When she was free, she rubbed at them, frowning at him all the while.

“Kill me.” She challenged him again, a part of her wanting to provoke him into reacting to her so she would have a chance to fight him. “I’d rather die than be claimed by you.”

“Strong words,” he said and then turned to one of the guardsman. “Have your people patrol the grounds and the house. Keep men stationed here at all times and keep a watchful eye for any sign of Kalinor’s men. It wouldn’t do to have them discover that she’s been captured.” His eyes moved back to her. “I’d truly hate to have to kill you.”

She scowled at him. “Not as much as I’d hate having to be your mate. You disgust me.”

He smiled.

“I thought you low before, but not as much as I do now after hearing you speak with Kalinor. How can you work with him? He’s the lord of Aurorea. He will betray you just as you have betrayed him. It is forbidden to work with him,” she said but he continued to smile.

He reached a hand out and ran it down her hair, his eyes following its path. She grimaced when he grabbed a fistful of it, tugging her close to him and snarling at her.

“You dare to lecture me on the law? You have pledged your allegiance to an Aurorea, have you not? Have you pledged anything else to him?” His eyes dropped to her body.

She swallowed noisily and hid the pain when he pulled on her hair, forcing her head backwards. She could feel his gaze boring into her neck and the marks that Valentine had placed there. She told herself that he wouldn’t claim her here, not in front of the guards. She knew Arkalus. He’d been waiting years for the moment he would claim her. He wouldn’t compromise and rush into it. Everything would have been planned, right down to the tiniest detail. He drew back and looked deep into her eyes.

His voice dropped to a dangerously low whisper.

“You harbour what is most forbidden. Your desire for this Valentine is a sin. I only do what is right for our family. It is said that in times of war, the bloodlines may work with each other for the greater good.”

“That’s exactly what I’m doing,” she said and saw the anger in his eyes.

He wrapped his hand tightly around her throat, choking her and forcing her to still her breathing. He grinned at her, raking his eyes down her body one more time before throwing her into the room.

She landed roughly on the floor and coughed while she rubbed her throat. The door slammed behind her, leaving her in the dark. She slipped into vampire guise, using her heightened senses to guide her back across the pitch-black room to the door. She listened to the muffled voices on the other side. Arkalus was reiterating his orders to the guardsmen.

She sighed and flicked the light switch.

Turning around, she leaned her back against the wall and slid down it, hugging her knees to her chest and staring at her room. Her eyes moved to her bed, the same bed she’d been sleeping in when Valentine had kidnapped her and begun all this. He’d opened her eyes to the world and her purpose in it, and made her realise that no matter how much she’d wanted to, she couldn’t close them again. Everything had changed the night she’d met him. Destiny had laid out the hands they had been dealt in life and joined their paths into one just like the witches in Paris had said.

Valentine.

She’d thought about him so much since waking up on the train. He was nowhere to be seen and when she’d reached out with her senses, she hadn’t felt him in the vicinity. The men she’d fought had all left the square with her, so there was a chance that Arkalus had ordered his men to leave Valentine there in the open, unconscious and vulnerable to the sun when it rose. It was the kind of cruel end that would deeply satisfy her blood brother. Either that or Arkalus had left Valentine there for Kalinor to deal with.

She could still see Valentine lying on the wet ground, his eyes closed as the rain poured down on him. The stars on her body hummed.

Her hands flew to her pockets as she remembered her amulet and she gasped when she couldn’t find it. She stared at a spot on the carpet just in front of her and struggled to remember if she’d had it after Elena’s place. She had. She recalled feeling it in her pocket before the fight in St. Mark’s Square.

She wondered where it was and where Valentine was. She told herself that he wasn’t dead. A day had passed since they had taken her. It had been evening when she’d awoken. Valentine would have come around before the sun had broken the horizon, she was sure of that. He wouldn’t have remained unconscious that long.