by F. E. Heaton
Sighing at the two of them, she leaned against the table and shook her head.
"Prophecy, tell your hound to release me!” Venturi was the first to look at her.
She shook her head again.
"He attacked me!"
"I'm not blind, Venturi, I'm certainly not deaf and I definitely don't control Valentine. You're no match for him and you know it. Don't try to get me to rescue you because you had the stupidity to get in over your head,” she said and her eyes slid across to Valentine. He was in vampire guise, his expression dark and his fangs exposed while he growled low at Venturi. “When Valentine is done with you, he'll release you."
She made herself more comfortable and smiled at Venturi, showing him that she really wasn't going to make a move to get him released. She knew better than to get between two men when they were acting like this. She'd seen it so many times at her family's home and generally it was about a girl, just like it was this time. Only this time it was about her for a change. She'd never had men fight over her.
This didn't seem like an appropriate time for it to happen, but she wasn't going to tell Valentine to back down. She had her suspicions that a part of this was Valentine trying to release the anger and sorrow that was building inside of him, and she had to let him get it out into the open. Venturi just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he had foolishly given Valentine the reason he needed to attack.
Leaning back, she waited for one of them to speak. She believed what she'd said. Valentine could easily kill Venturi if he wanted to, especially if he felt there was a chance that Venturi wanted her to himself.
Venturi snarled at Valentine.
Valentine's fingers tightened around Venturi's throat and he slammed him into the wall.
"Why don't you tell Prophecy how you ended up where you are now? I am sure she would be interested to hear how you got into this situation,” Valentine said.
She looked expectantly at Venturi. “Well? I would like to hear it."
"I came around to find him at the table. I knew he was an Aurorea and I thought he was one of them. It was a mistake.” There was fear in Venturi's eyes and, in a way, she felt a little satisfied on seeing it.
She just didn't know why.
Was it because she knew that Valentine was scaring Venturi and hopefully that would mean that Venturi would no longer place his affections on her? Or was it just because Valentine was defending her in a way, making sure that Venturi knew that she was his and he would kill anyone who tried to take her away from him? She decided that it was a bit of both.
Valentine looked at her. “What he is neglecting to tell you is that he tried to kill me with this."
Her eyes dropped to the broken wooden cross when he nudged it with the toe of his boot.
Her eyes widened a little and she shifted her gaze to Venturi.
"You tried to stake him?” she said with raised brows, not quite believing it.
"I have had quite enough of people doing that,” Valentine said.
She didn't hear Venturi's reply while she stared at Valentine. People had been trying to stake him? Her stomach dropped. The wound on his chest. Someone had staked him? She felt sick. It had been so close to his heart. She pressed her hand into her stomach and furrowed her brows while she looked at him. He turned his head to face her and his eyes changed from vivid blue to green again. Before she could say anything, he'd dropped Venturi to the floor and she was in his arms.
"I am fine,” he whispered next to her ear and she grabbed fistfuls of his jacket, holding him against her.
It had been so close to his heart. Just a few centimetres left and he would have been gone.
Venturi snorted and coughed. She ignored his display of disgust and sighed against Valentine's neck.
"Was it...?” she said.
"Arkalus.” He confirmed it for her.
"Why?” She closed her eyes and swore again to kill Arkalus.
"You,” Valentine said with a slight laugh. “Everyone keeps trying to take you away from me."
"I'm not going anywhere. I'll kill them all if they tried."
"I would kill them for just looking at you."
She smiled at the way he'd said the words loud enough for Venturi to hear clearly. Releasing Valentine, she looked over his shoulder at the man in question and caught the sour expression on his face. Valentine moved away from her and back towards Venturi. She noticed that now Venturi was free, the fear in his eyes had evaporated.
"What happened here?” she said and her eyes moved between Valentine and Venturi. They were staring at each other, neither of them showing any sign of looking away. She wondered if there was time for her to find the scroll before they acknowledged that she'd even spoken. She could probably leave the room and they wouldn't notice.
She coughed delicately and smiled when they both looked at her.
Valentine folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes on Venturi. “Answer her question."
Venturi frowned at her. “You should teach him some manners."
"He'll teach you some if you don't answer me,” she said. She didn't want to choose a side, but if they were going to force her to, she was going to have to disappoint Venturi. “Tell me what happened here. I was talking on the phone to Mathias when he was attacked. Where the hell were you?"
He sighed. “I was hunting. We had been working on the translation for over a day without sleep and we were both hungry. He showed no sign of leaving his work, so I offered to hunt so he could continue translating. When I came back, the door was open and I heard the commotion. I ran straight in, dropping the canisters in the hall. I was too late to save Mathias and I was not given the chance to see his killer. The guards blocked my path and all I remember after that was a sharp pain. Then I woke up and found him here."
He nodded at Valentine. She looked at him. He was playing with something. She frowned when she realised that it was the dart that had been in Venturi's neck. He was twirling it between his fingers, his eyes fixed on the feathers as they blurred into each other.
"What is it?” she said when she saw how pensive his expression was.
"Why didn't they kill him?” he said and looked across at her. “They killed Mathias because of me. Why not him?"
"Maybe because he isn't an Aurorea. They wouldn't know who he was. To kill a Tenebrae, another bloodline, would raise suspicion. They couldn't be sure his family didn't know where he was. Kalinor needs the Law Keepers on his side.” She smoothed her hair back out of her face and looked at Venturi.
"How do we know he is telling the truth?” Valentine's question hung heavy in the air between them.
She glanced at Venturi and then at the doorway. Walking out of the room, she went to the hall. Relief lightened her heart when she found the canisters there. It wasn't proof, but it would help Venturi's case. She brought them back with her and placed them down on the table. She looked at Venturi.
"Prophecy. You know I have sworn to protect you. I would not lie to you,” he said.
"You lied to me earlier about Valentine."
"I did not lie!” He went to take a step towards her but Valentine blocked his path.
"I believe you,” Valentine said and Venturi looked stunned.
"You do?” She couldn't understand what she was hearing. She had been sure that Valentine wouldn't have believed a word that Venturi had said.
"I do. Kalinor would have no interest in garnering himself another enemy by killing a Tenebrae. He was only interested in getting revenge for my escape, and he chose the only method of hurting me that was open to him. He couldn't take you away from me, so he killed a man he knew to be my close friend instead and stole the scroll while he was at it."
She nodded in agreement. From what Valentine had told her about Kalinor, it certainly sounded like the kind of thing he would do.
"We need to find the scroll. Can you remember any of what you translated?” Her attention turned to Venturi. He looked thoughtful for a moment an
d then nodded.
"Only a fraction, but Mathias wrote everything he'd translated into a journal and he made a copy of the scroll for safekeeping. I don't know where he hid them, but I am certain that the lord of Aurorea would not have found them. They were leaving when I arrived and Mathias was still...” he trailed off and glanced at Valentine.
She gave Valentine a little smile when he turned away and heaved a sigh, his eyes fixing on the glasses that were on the table. He looked pale and she frowned when tears began to form in his eyes.
"I cannot be here. I need to get some air while it is still dark. I need to hunt,” he said, walking over to her.
She nodded and held her arms out to him when the hurt surfaced in his gaze. He'd been strong so far. Her world had fallen apart when she had lost him and she was sure that he was feeling something similar right now. He blamed himself for what had happened to his friend. In reality, everything was her fault. They shouldn't have got Mathias involved. She shouldn't have left her house that night. She felt selfish when she revolted against that thought. If she had to do it again, she would leave the house because it had brought her and Valentine together.
Suppressing her own feelings, she wrapped her arms about Valentine and threaded her fingers into his hair. She held him to her neck, letting him rest his head heavily against her shoulder. His fingers trembled against her back and he sighed into her ear.
"Hunt,” she said and held him a little tighter when he showed no sign of leaving. She had to give him a reason to go. If he left her now, Venturi would be making snide comments all night long about him not staying to protect her. Taking a deep breath, she caught hold of his shoulders and pushed him back a little. She looked into his eyes, seeing all the hurt swimming there, and brought both of her hands up. Cupping his cheeks, she drew his mouth down to hers and kissed him slowly. She smiled when he responded, his lips barely brushing against hers. She was still smiling when he pulled back and looked down at her. She stroked his cheek. “Bring me back something. I've been starving since the crypt."
He nodded and strode out of the door. She watched him go, not taking her eyes off the empty door until she heard the front one open and close. She heaved a sigh and looked around the room. Her eyes eventually came to rest on Venturi and she couldn't miss the black look in his eyes. He had to learn to deal with her and her love for Valentine. She wasn't interested in Venturi in that way. It was cruel to make him watch them being together, but it was the only way to make sure he knew that there wasn't a chance for him.
She waited for him to make a sarcastic remark about Valentine but he didn't.
He gave her a look that showed all the hurt he was feeling and then clenched his jaw and all the pain disappeared. He turned his back on her and looked around the room.
"I've searched upstairs,” she said but he didn't respond. He ran his fingers along the books. She waited a few seconds more for him to say something and then started looking around the room.
She didn't know what was worse or harder to deal with—the snide comments or the silent treatment.
A glance at the corridor that led to the kitchen made her remember everything that Venturi had said to her that night. Valentine was a lucky man, but luck had a way of changing. She wondered if he still intended to make his own luck. He was crazy if he couldn't see that Valentine would kill him if he tried to come between them. If he made the tiniest move on her or just looked at her the wrong way in Valentine's presence, she wasn't going to be able to stop the fight that would happen.
She sighed. She had to break Venturi's silence so she didn't feel so uncomfortable around him. She needed both Valentine and him on her side in this fight. They were strong fighters, and both highly skilled. She needed all the strength she could get, but it was more than that too, they both made her feel as though she could win and save the world.
Moving along the bookshelves, she pulled each of them out, hoping that one of them was a lever that would open a door to another room. It worked in the movies. She idly toyed with the silver star around her neck while she moved about the room. She ran her fingers over the objects on the mantelpiece and then went over to the table in the middle of the room. Her eyes came to rest on the Mathias’ glasses. She'd watched Valentine while he'd been straightening them out. It had made her feel so sad inside. His actions had seemed so final but hopeful at the same time, as though by fixing the glasses, he could fix what had happened. She knew that he wanted his friend back and that he couldn't deal with the feelings inside of him. That was why he'd wanted to hunt. It was the only way he knew of expressing his feelings. If Venturi hadn't been present, she knew he would have turned to her for comfort. He would have been more open if they had been alone.
She picked up the glasses and sighed.
"I can't believe he's gone,” she whispered to them, her brows furrowing when her emotions got the better of her. Her throat tightened with her feelings of loss. Tears blurred her vision and she didn't bother trying to stop them. It was better to let everything out than to hold it in. “I feel ... so empty ... so responsible."
"Do not,” Venturi said.
She started a little when she realised how close he was to her. He was barely a couple of feet away. She kept her eyes fixed on the glasses, not wanting to look at him and let him see the upset in her eyes. It would only lead to him attempting to comfort her, and the idea of that made her feel torn inside. The man who should have offered her comfort in her moment of sadness was Valentine, not Venturi. She didn't want him, but it was him who was with her. She hated him for it. She hated them both in a way. She hated Valentine for not being with her, and she hated Venturi for being with her.
"If it is anyone's fault, it is Valentine's.” Venturi moved a little closer.
Her grip on the glasses tightened and she suppressed her desire to growl at him for what he'd said. Instead, she let her moment of anger pass and placed the glasses back down on the table. She stared at them, tracing her fingers around the rim and straightening them so they were neat.
"Don't blame Valentine,” she said in a sombre and distant voice, her eyes still fixed on the glasses and pot of ink. The two objects seemed to embody Mathias so perfectly. It was what she always remembered about him. “Valentine already blames himself and that's enough. With everything he's been through ... he didn't need this.” She closed her eyes and lowered her head, causing the tears to slip onto her cheeks and roll down them to her chin. Her whole body tensed and she took a deep breath, sighing it out. “This is my fault, just as the death of your lord was and all the other countless people who have died."
She heard Venturi move and breathed in sharply when he placed his hand lightly on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. She resisted the temptation he offered her. She would find no real comfort in his arms and it would only make things between them worse.
"This is the nature of warfare,” he said in a low soothing voice. “People will die, Prophecy, but they die for their cause and it is their choice to make. You cannot save everyone. You must look to the greater good."
When he touched her cheek, wiping away the tears, she turned away from him and walked to the other side of the room.
She wrapped her arms about herself and sighed.
"He's been through so much, Venturi.” She looked at him briefly and then stared at the window. “He stood by me at a time when everyone was against me. I've got him hurt so many times. He was so hurt. It took so much for me to heal him and now this. Physical pain is replaced by emotional and I can't fix that."
She could feel Venturi watching her and she wished he would speak. She knew it hurt him to hear her innermost thoughts and feelings about Valentine, but she needed to speak to someone.
"Time will heal all of our wounds. Valentine will learn to live with what has happened,” he said.
She lowered her head again and her eyes traced the patterns in the rug. “I'm sorry about your sire."
"It is in the past and nothing can be done to change i
t."
Moving across the room, she briefly hugged him and then went past him to the corridor between the lounge and the kitchen. She didn't want to look at him. If she didn't, then she wouldn't see the false hope she'd just re-ignited in his eyes.
She ran her fingers over the wooden panelling and thought about what she'd done. She frowned when she felt a bump and traced her fingers over it. It felt like an edge. Running her hands out in different directions, she followed the line of it. It was a door. She stepped back and looked at it, searching for a handle or a way in. She pressed against it and was surprised when it clicked and popped open.
Placing her fingers into the crack, she pulled it open and then looked at Venturi. He was watching her with a look of wonder and she hoped it was because of what she'd discovered, not because of what she'd done. She'd only hugged him because she hadn't been able to find the words to thank him for listening to her and comfort him over the loss of his sire. She knew it had been a mistake the second she'd done it.
Raising her hand up, she called the magic and let it glow faint and purple above her palm. It lit the way, guiding her down the creaking wooden steps into the darkness below. It was cold and the air felt dry. She made the magic a little brighter, using it to light the room when she reached the bottom step.
"Venturi?” she called and found he was right behind her.
"This looks promising,” he said, peering around the room.
She focused and the magic became brighter. When it flickered red, she smiled. Her thoughts kept veering off to Valentine, affecting her magic.
Walking around the room with Venturi, she couldn't see any scrolls or books. It was empty except for a few tables along the walls. When she found herself back at the point she'd started from, she sighed and frowned. They had to be here somewhere. Did Mathias have a hiding place in this room too?
She noticed the switch on the wall and flicked it. The room became bathed in a dull light and she looked at the dust encrusted light bulb that was hanging from the ceiling. Reaching up, she ran her fingers over it, cleaning away the dust and letting it shine more brightly.
