Salvation's Kiss (Tales Of Mython Book 1) by Kathryn Jayne (old books to read .TXT) 📗

you want to freshen up first, there’s a bathroom just off the hall.” Ashley nodded in response, whispering a quiet thank-you before leaving.

Selene turned her attention back towards the blood samples, a weighted expression lining her brow. She could not even consider keeping a record of what she was about to do. If this girl’s blood fell into anyone’s hands, her life would be over before it had begun.

Opening one of the small metal cabinets lining the far wall, she removed a tiny transmitter before plugging it in. When all the lights were aglow, she logged into her network, selecting her own personal decoy data mode.

One of the more convenient aspects of her role was the leeway she was given. Many of her groundbreaking discoveries had emerged from hypothetical work achieved by tricking the computers into believing something existed in order to see how things would react and interact. When first she had attempted this on a live system, she had created a building-wide panic resulting in a twelve-hour lockdown. Since then, she had been given a privacy tool, and a data mode which allowed her to utilise all the system’s functions, while not broadcasting or storing the data unless instructed to do so.

The second benefit was, of course, this impressive laboratory, which had its own manner of preternatural-repelling Faraday cage specifically engineered to prevent detection and infiltration by magical forces. Anything that happened within here didn’t exist as far as anyone outside the room was concerned, which was just as well, given what she was holding.

Chapter 6

Ashley stared at herself in the mirror. It had seemed like a good idea to wash her face, hoping to remove the tell-tale signs of her tears. The problem was, not only had it failed to soothe the redness of her puffy eyes, but now that she had washed away the make-up, the harsh tone of the purple bruise seemed to stand in stark, eye-drawing contrast against her pale skin.

Her stomach churned and she wished she could hide herself away in the bathroom until she could leave. Gritting her teeth, she forced her shoulders back and emerged from the safety of the locked room. This family now knew more about her than any of her closest friends. She had felt compelled to tell them the truth, to share her burdens. More than that, she had felt safe. She liked to think of herself as strong and independent, but the truth was, since the attack she had felt anything but. Steeling herself, she walked slowly through the entrance hall, hoping the hair falling across her face would hide the mark.

Following the sound of a hushed conversation, Ashley made her way towards a large room. It was a kitchen any chef would dream of. Black granite work surfaces encompassed the room corner to corner, sitting atop of the ebony cupboards with their contrasting white outlines. In the centre of the grand room was an island, with a number of high stools surrounding it and a vase of brightly coloured flowers. The sizzling from the brushed steel hobs drew her curiosity as the fragrant aromas assailed her senses.

“Please tell me you were serious when you said I could stay for food.” She tucked her hair behind her ear coyly. “It smells heavenly.”

It had only taken Conrad turning to look at her, for her to regain her internal balance, to feel at ease. It was strange the effect he had upon her; one look from him seemed to set her world to rights. But his smile faltered as his eyes were drawn to the bruise. Before she could rearrange her hair, he closed the distance between them, his eyes smouldering with anger as he raised his hand, gently cupping her face. The touch sent small jolts of energy chasing through her and she felt herself leaning softly into the touch her, own hand finding its way on top of his, almost as if to hold him in place as their eyes met. She found herself frozen, losing herself in the powerful emotions in his gaze. The golden flecks seemed to intensify, growing brighter until gazing within his eyes was akin to staring at the golden hues of sunlight upon a turbulent ocean’s surface. Dazzling. She felt herself being drawn closer, the heat from his body enveloping her in a strong aura of protection. Biting her bottom lip, she committed herself to this one final pleasure, bringing her lips closer to his. His warm breath upon her flesh caused her heart to quicken as she moved to close the remaining distance.

“Welcome, pull up a stool.”

Ashley startled on hearing another voice in an existence that, for a moment, had only been herself and Conrad. She hadn’t even noticed the other figure standing there. Heat flushed through her, her cheeks burning in embarrassment as she turned away, removing his hand from her cheek as she turned her back to Conrad and the other figure.

“I’ll get you a drink,” the older man said. She could hear the amusement in his tone, and dared a glance towards him, relieved to see his easy smile. With a nudge, he handed the spatula to Conrad, urging him towards the cooking food. “What’s your poison?” She must have paled because he stammered over his next words. “W-what I mean is, we’ve a well stocked fridge. Orange juice, apple, lemonade, something stronger maybe?”

“Orange will be fine, thank you, Mr Mendel.” She smiled.

“Reuben,” he corrected, opening one of the cabinets to reveal an integrated fridge.

“You doing okay?” Conrad asked over his shoulder as he attended to the skillet.

“I’m sorry about earlier. That wasn’t how I wanted to tell you.” Ashley grasped the glass, turning her focus to the orange segments floating on the surface of the juice. She took a sip, seeing a flash of annoyance cross Conrad’s features. It wasn’t until he spoke again that she realised he’d misinterpreted her statement.

“And how did you want us to find out? When you suddenly had to