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

their killers to justice, they provided no insight into how they met their demise, or by whose hand. When Solomon had pulled their ancestor from the realm of the dead, they had maintained their connection to that plane and now, whenever an innocent life was taken, the person could cry out to an ifrit, seeking justice. This was the reason his kind found work in homicide. Often, they were drawn to the scene of a murder by the blood of the wronged, but whoever had killed these people had been careful. He could sense it had happened in this territory, and the only reason he would be unable to locate the scene of their death was if someone had driven an unused nail into the blood. They hadn’t done it quickly enough in some cases, but Reuben was certain there were more deaths than there had been calls for justice, and the fact someone knew to take such action spoke of the murderer’s age. Very few knew of this ancient lore.

Rubbing his temples, he turned his focus to the paper map lining the far wall. While technology was also used to track data, sometimes seeing the information this way helped him to interpret it better.

Small red pins marked the areas of abductions. Normally, the map would possess black pins too, but no bodies had been recovered. Those in the department were hopeful this meant the victims were still alive, but he had informed them at least some were deceased. Worse still, there appeared to be no correlation between the places people were abducted from. By now, normally some manner of pattern had emerged, but here, the only pattern was that there wasn’t one. Nor was there a specific profile. The people being abducted didn’t fall into any age bracket, nor did they all share a single interest or trait.

Leaning back, he turned his thoughts to the evening. Selene had been correct, it had been a long time since Conrad had brought anyone home to meet them, and he couldn’t remember the last time his son had smiled so much. They had been sitting watching an evening movie together, as a family, when he had noticed that Ashley had closed her eyes and beads of sweat were forming on her forehead. As he examined her more closely, he could see she was shivering. Nudging Selene, he drew her attention towards her, noticing Conrad had already seen his friend’s condition. She jerked almost fitfully, as if lost to a nightmare. When Conrad had lightly touched her arm, she had startled and, letting out an ear-piecing shriek, had struck out before realising what she had done. She froze, like a deer in headlights, her chest heaving. After a flustered apology and explanation about the night-time fever and hallucinations, Selene had given her something to help her rest, and Conrad had shown her to the guest room, deciding to turn in for the night himself.

Reuben had spent the time since checking and rechecking all the crime scene information. There had been a lot of foot traffic disturbing the gravel, but no signs of a struggle. The forensics came back with a lot of results, most of which had been ruled out as things expected to be found in such a public place. With no evidence of any foul play, it seemed likely this case would either be ruled a suicide, or go cold, as he predicted. It wasn’t unheard of for two vampires, whose clans were at odds, to take their lives together in a grand romantic gesture; perhaps they would believe this is what had occurred in this instance. One thing was certain; from the evidence he had seen, Ashley was not at risk of being discovered.

“What’s the verdict?” Selene questioned, moving to stand behind him and placing a gentle kiss on the crown of his head.

“She’s clear. But we do have another problem. I witnessed something in the kitchen today. We’re going to have to talk to Conrad. She turned his eyes gold.” There was a heaviness in his voice that even he heard, and he regretted that it stole the smile from his wife’s lips.

“Ashley?”

“Mmm, before dinner. I’m sure he must have felt it himself. Do you think she’s the one he was talking about when he was asking if a human could survive courtship?” He moaned in delight as Selene’s fingers began to work their magic on his shoulders, easing the building tension.

“I have no doubt. You’d have to be blind not to see the way the two of them look at one another. It reminds me of us,” she said, kissing the crown of his head gently.

“Except you were never in any danger of been combusted if things got a little too heated.”

“I don’t know, you still make me burn,” she said, chuckling as she moved her kisses to his cheek. He swivelled his chair, grasping her hips, pulling her to sit on his lap.

“Do you think the Elder blood will make a difference?” After what happened with his last girlfriend, Reuben had been certain his son would shun romance of any kind, such had been his vow, sworn in anger and heartbreak after her hateful reaction. It was something he couldn’t understand, a reaction that had no explanation. The fact Ashley had managed to dissolve his resolve so quickly sung to the connection he felt. It pained him as it seemed this romance, too, was doomed to fail.

“I honestly don’t know. That girl’s a law unto herself. I imagine it’s possible, depending on her affinity.”

“I did discover something interesting, though.” He teased another kiss from her. His thoughts of Conrad’s emotional pain made him more appreciative of his own happiness.

“Oh? No, wait, don’t tell me you’ve run a background check on our son’s friend.” Her brow creased in a scowl that warmed his heart. He would never dare tell her, but the way her nose wrinkled, combined with the skittering of freckles, made her appear more cute than