Prophecy

Chapter 15

Rafe's POV

Our bodies were so close, our lips clashing together and our breaths fast. I'd never felt anything like this before and my body craved more, my hands trailed from her hips to her waist and up her back finding that hidden zip. I moan against her lips and we pull even closer I can sense her cursing the clothes between us my thoughts equally matching hers as she curls her fingers tighter into my shirt. She moans and I pull her harder against me finally finding that all important zip, my fingers grasp it and I sense her freeze under my touch. Sense and coherent thoughts flood my mind as we step apart, our chests both heaving. The voices begin their whispering and I hear hers dominant above the rest. "My poor daarrling, did you enjoy your moment together it was quite a show." Her voice continues and I attempt to block it out, turning from Dahlia I walk from the enclosed garden and from the corner of my eye I see the look of hurt flash and my heart throbs dully in pain.

Walking past the gossipers talking about Dahlia being the long lost daughter I storm from the room, feeling Dahlia's gaze burning into my back. The usual emptiness fills me and I stick my hand in my pocket closing my fist tightly around the tourmaline, clenching it until my knuckles are white and the dull throb in my heart is returned forcing myself to feel the pain of walking away from her, forcing myself to feel the passion and the slowly fading electricity on my lips. As much as I grip at the tourmaline it barely helps, making it dig deeper into the palm of my hand till a small trail of blood starts to drip as I walk through the icy corridors, staining it against the cleanliness. "You know I like this one. She's got power and ugh I suppose personality but I especially like her power."

I hear the malicious smile on her lips and shake my head violently trying to get rid of her; all she does is laugh and laugh. I stumble down a familiar corridor, heading towards a closed off part of the palace that I had visited the last time I had come here. I breathe through my teeth as she laughs manically, shadows start to press in around me and I clutch tighter at the crystal as blood flows more freely from the palm of my hand. I throw myself against a locked door, using my strength to shoulder it open, I fall in with a gasp "You know, you should really stop squeezing that little rock so hard, I can easily get around the little protection it has over you." Her voice echoes around my head, getting louder as the other voices copy her words.

"Just leave me alone, you old hag." I call out into the empty room exasperated and again she laughs, the shadows become thicker and start to close in around me, I call out and fight, my punches aimlessly falling through their nonexistence. Giving up I fall to the floor on my knees, dropping the crystal and giving up what feeling and what protection I had left, letting the cold return. "That's right baby, don't deny your true right. You know this year you should really commit and say yes. I may have your soul in my grasp," I see her pale and twisted face in my mind's eye, her hands clenched around a bright light, she squeezes and pain contorts my body. She smiles "But I still need you. You see this measly half-life is boring and I want it all. Now that either means having you as my king or her as my pet..." She pictures Dahlia's face in my mind and I scream in fury.

Her voice eventually fades from my mind as her power weakened with the rising sun "You can't stop me Raphael and you won't." Her last words ring around my head as I lift myself from the floor, wiping the dried blood from my hands preparing to face the day. Preparing to face Dahlia's hurt expressions, leaving the abandoned room I follow my own blood trail back to the main part of the palace wiping them away as I go. The auras around me flare as I pass by the busy corridors tidying up from last night's ball. Auras of other people started appearing around two decades ago when I met with the Oracle for the first time; she tried to help with my soul but instead managed to unlock a part of my awareness, allowing me to see people's auras. I shut them out trying to concentrate on merely finding my own feelings rather than experiencing everybody else's.