Yay, update! ;)

Love you, my babies!

Pick your favourite ship name - Valphira or Satine?

Also, shoutout to the #unholysquad <- don't know what that is? Comment and find out ;)

***

Vampires are pale, but because of Valentine's unique gift to walk in the sun his skin has color and he could pass off as the sun God. His tan and muscles that can make you question everything about his origin. At this moment Valentine lost the sun-kissed complexion his face and the little hue of pink that was on his lips. He stares down at the body on the floor with his mouth dropped.

I, myself, look down at the mangled body and gasp aloud as I notice one delicate white flower floating in the sea of blood around the body.

Datura.

How did this happen? Who is this? I notice the rings on the left hand and remembered that I have seen them before. I glance around looking for more signs but there is so much blood and ripped clothing that it's hard to tell. All I can tell is that he's male and he was very important to Valentine.

"Valentine," I whisper. "Who is-"

"Astor," he interrupts with a pain and strangled voice.

My heart drops straight to the cold ground and my mouth dries. Astor was innocent and didn't even want to meddle with these affairs, why would Datura kill him? He was Valentine's most trusted friend and ally – he didn't do anything to deserve this fate.

"Are you sure? I mean, it could be anyone," I ask not wanting to believe that this could happen to someone as lovable and as innocent as Astor.

He squeezes his eyes shut and nods.

I've never seen a vampire cry and it may be because they don't have the feelings strong enough to cause tears but today that changed. Valentine's eyes are lined with blood, leaking from the ducts around his eyes indicating his sorrow for his dear friend. His jaw tightens as he keeps his sadness within his own reach. I place myself in front of him and look up at his pained face.

"We grew up together. Astor was the brother I never had," he whispers.

I place my hands on either side of his face, feeling the stubble on his jaw and cheek as I massage his skin. His head drops down to meet with mine with our foreheads and noses touching. His body temperature has reached a point where it feels like I'm touching ice and his breath is like the blistering wind.

"I'm terribly sorry," I whisper softly so that only he could hear.

Valentine's shallow breathing has become more relaxed and composed. He takes my hands in his and traps them between us, holding on for dear life. I can feel his sorrow and his pain and that only makes my worry and anxiety worse. My heart is beating so hard that it feels as if it's beating for him too, pumping life into both of us as if we are one.

He opens his eyes and they meet with mine - they have turned a pitch black and the whites of his eyes have turned red, letting me see the impact of Astor's death to him. I never knew Astor very well but I knew that he and Valentine were very close, even close enough to call family. He shakes his head in agony, most likely wanting to burn the image out of his head.

Valentine suddenly stops and he narrows his eyes at the spot of white beside Astor. He picks up the white flower and frowns. I examine it closer and realize that it was not even a flower, but a perfectly folded piece of parchment. He gently pulls the paper apart, unfolding it until it's nothing but a wrinkled piece of paper. I begin to look at it curiously, wanting to read it myself but Valentine's entire attention is on the message, out of my reach.

"What does it say?" I ask, wanting to know everything.

Valentine looks up from the paper and his frown deepens, making his entire face droop down with immense sorrow.

"Valentine," I try again but he only gives me a hardened expression, obviously trying to block me out. I make an attempt to snatch the paper out of his hands, but he quickly pulls away and he places the folded letter into his pocket. "Give me the letter."

"It's nothing important." He gives me a stern expression and I am about to submit, but I'm not willing to do so this time.

"The hell it's not," I say adamantly through my teeth. "It's important enough that Astor had to die."

He breathes in sharply and he grips my upper arm. Whatever he is keeping from me, I will definitely find out and I'd prefer to know now before doing anything else. "The letter was directed to me, Saphira. She was trying to prove a point - that she'll kill everyone I love."

I pointed my index finger to his chest. "Then whatever is on that paper wouldn't matter. I know she will do anything to end the vampire race, but you can't do this alone, Valentine, even if you were the strongest vampire in the world."

"I can't have more people die, especially you." Valentine starts to walk and he pulls me along with him, it wasn't an aggressive move for him but a sudden one. He leads me out of the room and makes me follow his every step. The damn vampire is seriously asking for it and I'm more than willing to give it to him. I make a very stupid attempt to free myself but his grip is like a metal vice around my arm, not letting me go anywhere.

His words do paralyze me and affect me enough to give my entire heart and soul to him. It feels good to know that someone cares about you as much as you care for them. Without each other, we might not be able to survive and knowing that we might be more than a mere couple makes everything a lot stronger between us.

I love him.

"Must you always do this? I am perfectly able to walk!"

"I know you are, sweetheart. I also know that you are stubborn and would not have followed."

A clutter of voices breaks out from the end of the hallway and I spot the human girl from earlier along with a few others maids and guards behind her. Her eyes still wide and her face is puffy from crying. I can tell that she hates it here even without getting in her head. The poor girl has been through too much.

I watch them as they quickly rush to the room and I hear as they alert the King of a hostile intrusion. I turn my attention back to Valentine and I return to scolding him about or predicament.

"I would have if you told me what was written on the damn letter."

"Again, the letter isn't for you."

I want to protest but we enter a large hall where multiple people have gathered. Among those people is the King, providing instructions to the guard at what looks like the general of Numidia's vampire army. The plan is that they would make the first descent into Acacia tonight to try to get to Datura before she comes to us. Unfortunately, the evil witch has a bigger advantage since she was able to get into the castle walls without setting off any of the alarms.

Knowing Valentine, he only brought me here so I won't fight him and cause a scene. There is enough going around already - the Kingdom does not need any more drama.

"Half an hour ago, you claimed that there is no more 'yours' and 'mine,' have you forgotten about that, or you just don't care about anything anymore?" My words were the softest I could muster at this time, which is a low and nervous staccato.

The angry vampire gives me an intense glare and he uses quick vampire speed to take me into an empty hallway adjacent to this one. He pins me to the wall, which is a normal thing between the two of us and lowers his head close to mine. A familiar feeling buzzes through my entire body as he touches my bare skin with his fingertips.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" He whispers rather softly in my ear, making the hairs on my neck rise. "I care about you more than anything in this world. You are the very reason this is happening, if I didn't care about you, you'd be with her now fighting for your freedom."

My heart swells from the emotion in his words. The energy between us travels from my scalp to my core, letting me know of the intensity of our connection. A feeling of love washes over me and I watch as his majestic, blue eyes travel over my face.

"Then why are you still keeping things from me? Why is everything still such a mystery when it comes to you?"

"I'm doing it to protect you, Saphira. You are my life," he says so sincerely and so protectively that it makes my knees weak. My entire outer shell crumbles down to my feet as his affection hits me with great force. "I can't lose you."

My heart melts and drips down to my stomach as his eyes glow with love and sincerity. Although he is very cold, I suddenly feel warm because of his hands and his body against me. His thumb caresses my bottom lip and he crashes his lips down on mine in sweet devotion. My head spins as his lips captured mine. His tongue darts into my mouth and I moan as I taste a bit of his blood on the tip of mine.

I want to taste more of him, but I know he's drained and is starving for sustenance. I know Valentine just lost his friend but his kisses are more fervent and needful as if he wants to forget anything that happened today. His hands trail down my body, caressing every bit of flesh he could, squeezing with pressure and I couldn't protest. It feels good and it feels right.

"You won't lose me, no matter what happens. I want to be with you forever, Valentine," I breathe out in heavy pants. "I love you."

He pulls his lips from our kiss and I watch as his eyes widen as he looks at me. This is the first time I've said those words with conviction – with nothing keeping me back. I love him, I do and I won't deny it anymore. I love him even though there is much to know about him. I love him because he showed me how to live. He picked me up and helped me rise from the fetal position I was in for years.

"I love you more," he smiles and it makes my heart pound in happiness. Valentine kisses me under my ear and I moan in satisfaction. "And that's why I need you to stay here."

Confusion cuts across my face but before I can actually push him away, he beats me to it by pushing me harder into the wall. When lightning strikes from the sky it is very instant and it is comparable to the anger that suddenly coursed through my core. A familiar feeling travels through my veins and boils at the pit of my stomach, electrocuting my entire body. I can feel my dark power rise from my palms and I don't know why it reacted so fast.

My head fills with different thoughts, wanting to know the reason behind my thoughts and wanting to know what he is doing. I have a feeling that it has something to do with the letter he got.

"What?" I ask incredulously. "What do you mean?"

Valentine breathes in deeply. "Sebastian is taking a small group into Acacia tonight and I need you here, safe. I can't risk her knowing that you are in her fortress, she'll take you the minute she knows you've stepped foot in her Kingdom."

Heat buds in my palms and a disgusting feeling drops from my head to my heels. "No, I'm going with you."

"I can't let that happen, I can't let her take you again." His voice was a lot more confident and strict this time.

"How do you know she will? She knows what I can do and what I've turned in to, she's not going to risk me being in the heart of her home."

I shove him away but he trapped my hands in his, not caring that I can easily steal his energy and take him down. "I need you to trust me."

There isn't anything to hate about Valentine, but those words are what I hate most about our relationship. Those words are always paired with despair and I absolutely despise the outcome because it is never good.

I hate those words.

***

I sincerely apologize for the SHORT chapter. I will update in a few days versus a week to make up for it.

I'm so sorry that the update is late, I started school last week and I had a ton to do. I'm also in Hawaii so you can imagine all the temptations I have every single day when I step foot outside of my unit.