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

make a mistake so that it may devour her once more. She swore she would do whatever it took not to be returned to that cursed and lonely place.

Lifting her hand to her mouth weakly, she coughed, the sound far less abrasive than before, causing only mild discomfort through her chest as her breathing rattled. She lowered her hand, closing her eyes just moments before a loud noise startled her, reminding her again of her silent roommate. A man was being wheeled in, asleep. She hoped he was good so she could have some company soon.

Chapter 8

Ashley wiped her brow as she sat in the cafeteria picking at the peppers at the side of her jacket potato. She had really wanted it at the time, but now just the thought of eating caused her stomach to lurch. Blowing her hair from her eyes in an attempt to cool herself down, she shifted again, as a fresh wave of sickly heat enveloped her. She tugged at her cardigan, fighting against its stifling embrace before finally removing it.

“What is that?” Tess exclaimed, grasping Ashley’s arm, her eyes fixed on the raw, swollen mark at the crook of her elbow. She had been doing her best to hide the mark, but the tail-end of her fever had caught her off guard. It was no longer isolated to night-time, but came on throughout the day. She imagined—she hoped—it meant it was finally coming to an end, especially since the tag mark had all but vanished. She looked at the angry-looking mark, rubbing it lightly. After the last letting she’d done for Liam, it was starting to itch.

“Oh, it’s just…” She trailed off, glancing around, looking for the figure she despised. After his last visit, she had a growing suspicion that she had seen him somewhere on campus. Scanning the faces of the lunch crowd, she failed to see him, but when he came to her it felt almost as if he knew her, and while he waited for his latest fix of her blood, the small talk implied he knew more about her than should have been possible. It unnerved her to think he had been watching her so closely. Unable to see him, she leaned closer to Tess, finally hoping to confide in her friend and seek her advice.

“It’s what?” Tess demanded, drawing Jack and Conrad’s attention from their own conversation.

“It’s—”

“Didn’t she tell you?” Will questioned, placing his hands on Ashley’s shoulders. As he approached behind her, she shied from his touch, discomfort welling as, despite her attempt to move away, he let his hands linger on her for a moment longer.

Seeing the mark, Conrad snatched her arm from Tess’s grasp to study the inflammation. His piercing gaze lifted from the wound, demanding answers she couldn’t give.

“She’s been donating. I saw her the other night.” Will moved around the table and shot an apologetic look in her direction before glancing over his shoulder.

“Shit, Ash, we talked about this,” Tess interjected. “If you’re strapped for cash…”

“Yeah, I know, but with having time off from work I needed to make up my shortfall.” The lie spun easily from her tongue, but she knew Conrad wouldn’t buy it. The question was, why had Will jumped in when he did? She glanced down at her arm, covering the wound with her hand in an attempt to prevent her friends from staring. “Look, I’m not proud of it, but it was essential.”

“Yeah, you have to take care of yourself,” Will interjected. He glanced over his shoulder again, an action which unnerved her, causing her gaze to stray in that direction, but she didn’t see anything untoward. With a sigh, he leaned close, whispering so only she could hear, “Who knows what would happen if you don’t.”

“Did you need something, Will?” Tess questioned, no doubt noticing the strange uneasiness of his posture and the way his words had caused Ashley to pale.

“Can I get a copy of today’s notes from you or Conrad? My dictator crashed. I know we’re not in the same lecture but I lost everything.” His eyes flitted towards Ashley. “It’s awful when things don’t do what they’re meant to. Now it’ll have to be disposed of. Who knows where things like that turn up when they stop doing what they’re supposed to?”

There was a darkness to his tone that caused the fine hairs on her arms to stand on end. Her burning fever was now replaced with a cold shiver. Now, more than ever, she was certain he wasn’t here of his own volition. His warning was too on-point, too timely. Ashley searched the lunch crowd again as she pulled her cardigan back over her arms, still failing to find the dark-haired vampire who seemed intent on tormenting her.

“They get recycled into new parts,” Tess volunteered, accessing her notes, swiping them across ready for transfer. “Connect?” He touched his device to hers and she transferred the necessary notes. “Everything okay with you, Will? We haven’t seen you lately.”

“I’ve been about.” He shrugged. “I’m still tied up on that project. It’s really eating into my time at the moment. We could always get together after classes. I’ve missed you guys, but”—he glanced over his shoulder again—“maybe we could do a stay-in film night.” Just then Ashley tensed, feeling the looming presence of the vampires approaching. “Anyway, catch you later.” Will raised a hand, turning from them to fall into stride with Devon’s small group as they made their way towards their regular spot.

“Friends of yours?” Ashley heard him ask.

“Nah, just getting class notes.”

“What was that about?” Conrad questioned, his vision still on Ashley who couldn’t meet his gaze.

“I think Will’s in trouble. Remember last year when his gran’s shop started getting vandalised?” Tess began, her gaze drifting over to the vampires.

“You don’t think?” Ashley questioned.

“Yeah, I think he paid them protection money.”

“There’s no way he could afford that.”

“Did you notice the scarring on his arms? What he said about bloodletting, I think he knows