*A/N Check out the next chapter of Innocence!!

Chapter Twenty-Six

Iris’s POV

“Who is Cain?” Robbie growled.

“Who’s Valentina?” I narrowed my eyes crossing my arms over my chest, one eyebrow raised.

“Iris,” he growled low taking a step towards me.

I didn’t know what came over me but I mirrored him “Robert”

He suddenly pushed me against the wall, his tick arms trapping me. “God damn it Iris,” he barked. “Who, the fuck is Cain?”  

“I ask you the same question,” I pushed against his chest.

“I think I’ll just go,” both our heads snapped towards Eliza as she backed away slowly. “Yeah okay,” she turned and ran.

“Iris, tell me,” he narrowed his eyes as they began to turn raven black.

“Tell me who Valentina is then?”

“God damn it” he turned away. “You’re mine Iris,” he growled punching the wall a few meters away from my head.

I gasped “What the fuck Robert!” I barked feeling heat fizzling at my finger tips as my anger started to rise. What if that had been me?

“Iris you are mine,” he growled again pinning me against the wall again. This argument was wearing thin.

I pushed him with as much force as I could muster managing to get enough space between us so that I could duck under his arm. “You see this,” I pointed to the area where my neck joined my shoulder. “I don’t see a claimant mark, do you? So no Robbie I’m not yours.” And with that I turned and started to go.

 He grabbed my hand. “Iris...”

“Save it dick” I growled letting the heat that was radiating from core travel down my arm towards my hand. He gasped letting go.

I couldn’t believe he would walk into my room growling, dragging me out demanding why a man was in my room. When I had tried to explain and woman touched his arm, telling him to calm down. I had only learnt her name when Eliza had growled it.  

I soon found myself walking down a gravel path, ranting to myself. The cool evening air cooling down my flaming cheeks as the darkness began to press against me.

“I didn’t mean to intrude earlier,” a sickly sweet voice entered my hearing. I spun round to see the girl from earlier, my eyes narrowed. “I am Valentina by the way,” she stuck out her hand. “It’s nice to finally put a face to your name,” she smiled too sweetly. “However,” she looked me up and down. “I didn’t expect you to look so... unique.”

“Yeah well,” I shrugged not caring what this whore wanted. “No offence I have no idea who you are,” I glared.

She chuckled. “I suppose he wouldn’t want you to know,” she smiled.

I couldn’t help but pick up the Italian accent that seeped threw her words. Was this the formidable Aletta? Had she simply just changed her name? And if so why was she here? Or more importantly why was I still here? If she was back then surely he wanted her back and I should just disappear with Cain and Harper. Sadness washed over me at the thought of leaving. I cursed myself for get attached to Robbie, letting myself dream of a life with him.

“And why is that?” I raised an eyebrow, trying to put on a brave face.

“Well I am a part of a very dark past,” she shrugged. “One that he tried very hard not to bring back here.” She muttered the last part. Hope fluttered in my chest before it suddenly died, but he had brought her back!

 “It still doesn’t explain why you are here?” I snapped.

She chuckled again. “I’m not here for Robbie if that is why you are pissed.”

“And why would you think that?”

“Well the raised voice would be a start and also the shortness in your voice.” She smiled. “I’m not who you think I am,” she gave a sad smile bowing her head.

“And who do I think you are?”

“You think I am Aletta even though I told you my name was Valentina,” she said quietly.

I shrugged looking away. I wasn’t gonna confirm my thoughts aloud to her but from my silence I thinks he took it as I did think she was Aletta.

She sighed. “I am Aletta’s younger sister.” And that was meant to make me feel better? “I had a crush on Robbie when he first started going out with Aletta, still kind of do.”

“Yeah that makes me feel better,” I said more to myself than her.

“I suppose it wouldn’t,” she chuckled. “ I told him not get married to Aletta and that she would only break his heart, I knew that but I think I was only telling him for my own selfish reasons.” She shrugged.

“Great so you’re the younger sister of a woman I can never compete with, god my week just gets better and better,” I huffed crossing my arms over my chest.

“But you’re gonna compete with her,” she said. “Everyone at some points has to compete against their lover’s past loves. You’ll always be compared to someone, its life.”

“Yeah but no one has to compete with a soul mate.”

“If Aletta was really his soul mate, she would never have let him go,” she shrugged. “I know I wouldn’t have.”

“So why are you here?”

“Well I told Robbie I wanted to have a new start over here,” she looked around the dark grounds as if she was looking for answers. “But to tell you the truth, I can here to see if you were real.”

“What do you mean?”

“Back in Venice you were all he could talk about.” She smiled. “A small part of me thought, no hoped he was making you up. I thought I might still have a chance.”

“And this is meant to reassure me that you’re not gonna steal my man?”

She chuckled. “Don’t worry, I won’t even try.” She smiled sadly. “I can see how much he cares for you, you should explain who this Cain person is to him.”

I sighed. “He’s not what Robert thinks he is, he’s not just some man he is...” I paused. I didn’t know why I was explain myself to her but I felt the need to but I couldn’t think what Cain was to me. “He’s my brother,” I decided.

“That took you some time to explain,” she giggled. “Are you sure he is your brother?”

“My family is old and complicated,” I snapped.

“Thank you for explaining but I think you should explain it to Robbie, not me.”

“Yeah I think you should,” Robbie’s voice echoed in the darkness as our heads snapped up. I took in the silhouette of a pissed off Robbie. I sighed, why did my life have to be so complicated?

“I take that as my leave,” Valentina disappeared back into the castle but not before letting her arm brush against Robbie’s, a growl formed in my throat not before in dying as Robbie flinched away.

“Explain,” he growled coming down to the stone steps to stand in front of me, his arms folded.

“What did you here?” I asked with a sigh.

“I heard some,” he said. “But I want to hear it from you,” his angry gaze boring into mine.  

“I don’t know why you are pissed at me!” I growled. “I should be the one pissed at you for going to Venice,” I pointed out.

I saw him flinch before his gaze hardened. “You see this,” he pointed to where his muscular neck joined his broad shoulder. “I don’t see a claimant mark?” I flinched at the harshness in his voice as tears began to form in my jet black eyes.

“I see,” I sighed batting them away before they could fall.

“Explain Iris,” his voice had soften but it still had an edge to it.

I sighed. “He is my brother,” he looked at my confused.

“I have met Oliver,  and have heard of Samuel but you have never spoken of Cain.” He stepped forward but I took a step back keeping the distance.

“He’s not my adoptive parent’s son.” I sighed. “He is my real brother.”

“But Iris you were found in the woods in a pile of Ash, you have no parents, you are the Phoenix.”

“I know that dick” I snapped. “He is an element, he is water and therefore my bother.” Realization washed over his face.

“Oh,” he muttered as the anger washed away. “Iris I’m...”

“Save it,” I snapped.

“No Iris...” he grabbed my hand. “Please listen,” I don’t know if it was the sadness in his voice or the fact I need the contact but I let his take both my hands. “I didn’t go to Venice to find Valentina.”

“Then why did you go? I thought you were happy here... with me.” I whispered the last part.

“Iris,” he pulled me in a bone hug. “I am, I was but I needed to sell my flat and pack up all my things.” He pulled back explaining. “I needed to do all of that to finally start to my new life, with you.” And with that his lips brushed against mine. “Forgive me,” he whispered pulling away. I nodded burying my head in his chest, breathing in his scent. I had missed him.

____

*A/N

So guys I had some major writer’s block on this chapter but thanks to a really good book here on wattpad I finally come up with this chapter. It’s not great but here it is anyway J

I read all of your comments and sometimes I have no idea what you some of you even say lol it’s a little weird but then you have to be to read my story ;)  

By the way stop pointing at mistakes, I get it but if you wanted a story with no mistakes (which there isn’t any) then buy one. This is free; you can’t really expect it to be perfect. I don’t write stories for them to be perfect, I write them for me and if you don’t like it suck it up or read another book. Sorry to be harsh but I read all of the comments at it really disheartening finding people complaining or pointing out mistakes.

So what do you think of Valentina?

Vote

Comment

And

Follow

Please???

Love Abbie

Xxx