Prophecy: Caelestis and Aurorea [A Vampires Realm Novel]

by F. E. Heaton

  Valentine hung his head forwards to avoid his lord's gaze but Kalinor had different plans. He caught him around the jaw, digging his fingertips in and forcing his head back up until their eyes were level again.

  "You betrayed your own blood. You unfaithful, disloyal dog!” The words were said with such venom that Valentine leaned backwards into the wall behind him. He tried to look away but every time he did, Kalinor forced him to face him.

  "I—"

  "Save your piteous excuses!” Kalinor growled, cutting him off before he could even begin to explain why he'd done what he had. “I made you what you are today and you turn your back on me for a Caelestis?"

  Valentine straightened up on hearing Prophecy mentioned. She had once told him that he was still the man he had always been and that his betrayal of his bloodline and his change of loyalty didn't alter that. She had shown him that he had done the right thing in trusting his instincts and his heart. His place was with her, regardless of the pain it had initially caused him to leave his cherished position and family behind.

  "What have you done with her?” he whispered, not hiding his muddled emotions when his lord looked deep into his eyes.

  "I charge you with this sin of conspiring against the family that it had been your sworn duty to protect and you return with this question?” Kalinor forced his head backwards and let go of his jaw. “You will die for your sins and it will be by my hand. As for your wench, we shall hunt her down and kill her like the abomination she is."

  Valentine relaxed inside on hearing those words. Regardless of what Kalinor did to him, Prophecy was safe for now. He hoped that she had realised before it was too late that the lord of Tenebrae hadn't been against them and that she was remaining strong in his absence. Mia and Dmitri would take care of her.

  "You do not tremble? I have sentenced you to death because of your feelings for this girl and you are as calm as you would have been if my words had been that you were free.” Kalinor took a step backwards and ran his eyes over him.

  "She is safe,” Valentine said.

  Kalinor's look soured. “Not for long. The Law Keepers will find her and bring her to justice, if I do not find her first."

  "How do you propose to do that?” He saw Kalinor glance at the bag he had placed on the floor earlier. “I do not know where she is and I do not know what you expected to gain by taking me. If it was her that you wanted, why didn't you take her?"

  "We could not. The witch refused.” Kalinor bent over and flicked the clasp on the bag, opening it.

  "Elena. She created the portal that took me. She has the power to take Prophecy and it is Prophecy that you want. Why take me?"

  "The girl is too powerful,” Kalinor said and removed a long, rolled up piece of leather. He snapped his fingers.

  Valentine swallowed hard when several guards entered the room. The first two were carrying a heavy stone table and the next carried an iron fire grate. He watched them place the objects down and then his eyes followed Kalinor's hands as he lit the kindling in the grate.

  Kalinor dismissed the guards with a wave of his hand and then went back to his bag. Lifting it up onto the table, he laid out the instruments it contained.

  Valentine knew them well. He'd used them on several werewolves and demons himself. In the line of duty, he'd been taught the tricks of torturing victims just the right amount to get them to speak. Werewolves didn't heal as quickly as vampires and didn't have the stamina. He'd never had to torture a vampire, but he'd witnessed Kalinor doing it and it had taken days to break them, days in which his lord had shown infinite patience. He was the master of a slow torture, drawing out the pain so he got the most pleasure from it.

  Kalinor picked up the leather case and unrolled it, revealing long metal skewers.

  "Besides ... why would we risk our lives by taking someone as powerful as her, when we can weaken her and make her come to us of her own accord at the same time?” Kalinor grinned and inserted the tips of the skewers into the glowing flames in the grate.

  "I am bait,” Valentine said and frowned, staring at the floor while he tried to make sense of Kalinor's plan. By taking him, they had taken someone that Prophecy relied on and cared for. They were using his disappearance to weaken her emotionally and draw her to them. She would try to find him and rescue him, and her power would govern her just as it had done in the castle in Romania and the subway in Prague, both times where he had been in danger.

  "You are not just bait, Valentine.” Kalinor pulled one of the skewers out of the fire. “You are going to be the instrument of her downfall."

  "What do you mean?” His gaze fixed on the skewer as Kalinor approached.

  "You are going to tell us exactly how to defeat her.” Kalinor raised the skewer and turned his attention to Valentine's outstretched arm.

  Valentine flinched when the tip of the skewer neared his flesh. The heat of it warmed his skin and his body automatically tensed, waiting for the pain.

  "Never!” he said. “No matter what you do to me, I will never tell you. She is worth more to this world than my own life."

  "How touching,” Kalinor said with a smirk. “We shall see if you still feel that way when I am done with you."

  Chapter 4

  Prophecy stared at the door. She didn't have the strength to knock, not when she had to face explaining everything to Mathias. She just wanted to sleep. The sun was still three hours from rising, but she was so tired that she was close to passing out.

  Venturi had slept during their journey, but she hadn't been able to. It still eluded her, no matter how hard she tried. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw nothing and felt nothing. No vision would come to her while she was awake, and with her increasing tiredness, her emotions were becoming even more frayed.

  "Are we going to stand here all night?” Venturi asked.

  She glared at him as payment for his question.

  Raising her hand to knock, she let it fall to her side again and turned to face him.

  "Valentine and Mathias are good friends. Whatever dislike you have towards Valentine, however he makes you feel, keep it to yourself when you are under Mathias’ roof. He has shown nothing but kindness to me, even when I'd only just discovered my destiny. I won't ask you twice."

  He hesitated for a moment and then extended his hand to her.

  "I am truly sorry for the way I have acted.” He took hold of her hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to it. “I am only angry with him for taking something precious from me."

  She retrieved her hand and forced a smile. “I don't want us to be enemies. I have too many of those already and the number you have is growing. The Law Keepers will be after you now as well as me."

  "Let them come,” he said and stepped up to the door. “Law Keepers do not frighten me."

  He rapped his knuckles against the door and then placed his hands behind his back. She moved to stand beside him so Mathias wouldn't be shocked when he opened the door. Hopefully he would see her and not turn her away because of her company.

  She waited patiently, remembering that Mathias had made them wait a long time when she had been here with Valentine. Her hand moved to her heart as she thought about him. She couldn't imagine what Kalinor and Arkalus would do to him. He'd told her that Kalinor demanded loyalty, and she got the impression that anyone who betrayed him paid dearly for it.

  When the door creaked open to reveal the kind face of Mathias, she bit back the tears that sprang into her eyes. It was strangely comforting to see him again, as though he was a tie to Valentine and being in his presence was one step closer to seeing her love again.

  "What's wrong?” Mathias said and stepped out of the house. He looked at her and then at Venturi. “Where is Valentine?"

  A tear slid down her cheek. Venturi moved towards her, but before he could reach her, Mathias had placed his arm about her shoulders.

  "Come into the house. It's not safe out here,” he said, his words soothing her but bringing more tears.<
br />
  She stepped inside and leaned into him, savouring the feeling of safety his tight grip on her brought.

  The tears wouldn't stop coming now. She couldn't stop the flood of emotions that were consuming her and she collapsed into the armchair by the fire when Mathias had cleared it for her.

  "I will bring you some blood. You look famished and tired."

  She nodded, forcing a smile to show him how grateful she was and then curling up as he disappeared in the direction of the kitchen. She held her knees and stared at the crackling fire.

  "This place is a mess,” Venturi said but she didn't snap at him for his comment. She could see in his eyes when he came to sit opposite her that he was worried.

  Throughout the journey, she'd kept a tight rein on her emotions, but now she was back in such familiar surroundings, in a place where she had felt safe, she had no way of holding them back. She bit her lower lip, trying to stop the sobs as they pushed their way up from her stomach and furrowing her brows while she stared unseeingly at the flames.

  When Mathias appeared again and came to stand next to her, she raised her eyes to meet his. She smiled and took the glass of blood he offered to her. He turned to face Venturi and handed him a glass.

  "I'm sorry ... this is Venturi,” she said and they both looked at her.

  "Let us not stand on formalities.” Mathias sat down on a pile of books next to her. “Where is Valentine?"

  She placed her glass down and looked deep into his eyes as her own filled with new tears. “I don't know. Arkalus and Kalinor have him. I don't know where he is Mathias. I don't know."

  He reached into his pocket and produced a small white handkerchief. Handing it to her, he patted her hand.

  "Dry your eyes. Valentine would not want to see you like this. He is strong and stubborn, much like you. He will survive. Kalinor takes an unfortunate pleasure in tormenting his victims, much like the Tenebrae, I believe?” He turned to look at Venturi.

  She frowned when Venturi averted his gaze and stared at the fire, showing no sign of answering Mathias’ question or defending himself. What kind of things did the Tenebrae do to their prey? She got the feeling that there was a deeper reason behind why the villagers in Romania had been so kind towards them. Did they fear the things that vampires did because of the Tenebrae?

  "What will they do to him?” she asked.

  Mathias sipped his blood thoughtfully and then raised his brows. “There is only one thing they can want from him and that is information about you. Arkalus and Kalinor believe that you will destroy our kind. They will want to know about the power you command and any weaknesses you have, and to get that information Kalinor will torture Valentine to the very brink of death."

  "No,” she said and went to stand but found Mathias’ hand on her arm stopping her. “I can't stay here when they're going to hurt him."

  "Where will you go, child? You do not know where they are holding him. The Aurorea have as many places to hide as your bloodline probably does and I do not know them all. I have been out of touch with my family for centuries. Only Valentine would know."

  She slumped into the chair and curled up, burying her face in her hands. She didn't stop the tears that came or the sobs that racked her body. She didn't care if Venturi and Mathias saw how weak she'd become. All she wanted was to get Valentine back, and it seemed impossible. For all she knew, Kalinor could be torturing him while she sat around doing nothing.

  "I have to try,” she whispered and drew back. She stared at the stone of her amulet. It glowed softly, shining red in its depths but purple around the edges. She knew it was a response to her feelings. Her thoughts of Valentine seemed to change its colour, just like the threads of magic had changed to red when he'd touched them. “Everything seems so much harder without him."

  "I know, child, but Valentine will survive and we will find him.” Mathias placed his hand on her shoulder and she sighed.

  "Travelling is almost impossible.” She lowered her hand and thought about how difficult it had been to sneak onboard the train from Paris to London. It was the only one where security had been before boarding. They'd had to get into the station by sliding down an embankment and running along the tracks.

  Mathias frowned for a moment and then sat back. “I can at least help with that. I have contacts that may be able to get you a passport, but we will need to take your picture."

  She nodded. She'd never realised that she could be photographed. It would be interesting to see what she looked like.

  "I have something else you can help with,” she said and rummaged in her pocket.

  Mathias’ eyes were immediately on the silver case when she produced it. He held his hands out and she placed it into them, amused at the careful way he handled it as though it was more precious than anything on Earth. He went to the table.

  Picking up her glass, Prophecy frowned when she noticed the religious objects that were stacked to one side of the table. She hadn't remembered seeing them before. She didn't know how Mathias could stand being around a crucifix. Dragging her gaze away, she wiped her eyes and thought about how she could make herself feel more calm and collected. Her constant sway of emotions was beginning to take its toll and she was sure it was half of the reason she couldn't sleep. A shower and a change of clothes would probably go a long way to relaxing her. Mathias’ assurance that Valentine would survive whatever ordeal Kalinor had in store for him was a comfort, but she still felt a sense of urgency. Valentine wouldn't be able to hold out forever and if Kalinor and Arkalus learned that her power responded to Valentine and his safety, they would use him against her. She had to find him, and to do that she had to sleep.

  Sipping the blood, she was about to stand when she caught sight of Venturi. He was looking at her, his eyes narrowed intently and his lips pursed in thought.

  "Is something wrong?” she asked with a quizzical frown.

  "Nothing,” he said and then followed her lead when she stood.

  She kept her senses locked on him as they walked towards the table where Mathias had cleared a space for the scroll. She was surprised that Venturi had managed to bite his tongue all throughout her conversation with Mathias. Maybe he was going to be different from now on, just as he'd said he would.

  She glanced across at him when he came to stand on the opposite side of the table to her. He was still watching her with that same pensive look. She sipped her blood, trying to focus on Mathias as he unrolled the scroll but finding it impossible when Venturi was looking at her. Raising her eyes, she looked at him through her eyelashes and found that his attention was finally with the scroll. She didn't like the way he looked at her sometimes as though she was the prey and he was the hunter. There was a hunger in his eyes that made her insides flip and forced her to avert her eyes, and she hated the way it made her feel as though he had some power over her. The only one who had a similar but stronger power over her was Valentine. In a single look, he could make her tremble, and one light brush of his finger against her skin was all it took to make her burn with desire.

  Her eyes widened when she realised she'd been staring into Venturi's eyes while thinking and she could see by his stunned look that her emotions had been showing. She silently cursed herself. Now he would think that she returned his feelings for her.

  Drinking the rest of the blood, she placed the glass down and focused on the half of the scroll that Mathias was now pawing over.

  "I recognise some of these glyphs.” Mathias smiled at her and she returned it.

  "You think you'll be able to translate it all? I don't know how much it will be able to tell you but I'm sure when we find the second half of it we'll know exactly how I'm supposed to fulfil this prophecy."

  He nodded and adjusted his glasses. “It will take time."

  "I can help,” Venturi said and she looked at him. The corners of his mouth tugged into a brief smile.

  "Thank you.” She lowered her eyes to the scroll again. “Will it be better to have both of you wor
king on this?"

  "It will double the chances of success if nothing else,” Mathias said and then paused with his finger halfway down the scroll. “I have not been able to locate the second half, but I will keep working on it. I have asked many of my contacts to discreetly ask people they know about its whereabouts."

  "I don't know what I'd do without you,” she said and touched his hand. “I have two more things to ask of you."

  "Go on,” he said.

  "One is that I can have the room you so kindly allowed me to use before so I can get cleaned up.” She saw him nod but hesitated, unable to find the right words to say the second request that she had.

  "And?” Mathias frowned at her.

  She shut out the look of unease that Venturi was giving her.

  "The other ... I would like to sleep,” she said, dropping her gaze so it rested on the table.

  "I do not see how I can help in that matter.” Mathias’ voice was laced with confusion.

  She ran her finger lightly along the grain of the wood on the table, building up the courage to raise her head and explain to him what she wanted.

  "Do you still have Valentine's jacket?” Her head moved a fraction so she was staring at Venturi's hands where they were grasping the table so tightly that his knuckles were white.

  "I do, but I cannot see how it will help you sleep."

  "There's something in the inside pocket. It's a box,” she said and looked straight into Mathias’ eyes. “I need you to drug me."

  "Prophecy, no!” Venturi interjected and she stared at him.

  "It's the only way for me to sleep and I need the vision it will bring me. Can't you see I can't go on like this? I can't. I need to find him.” She turned to Mathias and grabbed hold of his hand. “Please, Mathias. It won't hurt me. Just let me sleep a while. I'm so tired and I can't focus. I have to see if sleep will bring me a vision of Valentine. I have to find him before Kalinor..."

  He placed his hand over hers and squeezed it. “I will help. Go and prepare yourself. I will come shortly and do what you have asked."