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

at home, he was going to tell her all about himself, what he was, reveal the horrific visage of his other-self, the form that sent people screaming, the form his ex-girlfriend Rei had called horrific and unlovable. If she could still bear to be near him after she had witnessed the monster within, maybe he could also make her understand why he could not claim the kiss he so desperately craved. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her, he wanted her more than he could ever hope to express, but it was impossible. She deserved the truth. She deserved more than him sitting awake on the sofa holding her, praying she wouldn’t wake for a little longer so he could savour the closeness, the comfort that being near to her brought him. If she couldn’t accept him for what he was, if she reacted the same way as his last girlfriend, then at least he wouldn’t have to concern himself with being unable to resist the temptation of her advances.

The street near the park was bathed in darkness, reminding him of the recent outbreak of vandalism. Flicking his lights onto main beam, a reflection of light blinked into existence. Dazzling at first, the chrome beckoned his attention as he recognised the discarded frame. Touching his brakes too hard, his bike skidded to a halt, falling against the road with a loud crunch as he jumped from it, running to the abandoned bicycle. The name Afterglow stencilled upon its frame struck him like a solid blow. Removing his helmet, he pushed his hand through his hair, turning full circle as his gaze desperately panned the surroundings, hoping to spot her. He called her name, and when she didn’t answer he did the only thing he could think of. He called his father.

A car slowed as it drove around his abandoned bike, the passenger asking if he needed help before continuing on their way. Unable to think, he removed his device just as it started to chime.

“Tess, I was about to call you.” He could hear the tremor in his voice giving away barely a tip of the torrent of emotions he was feeling.

“Are you with Ashley?”

“That’s why I was going to call. She was meant to meet me at her house, but when she didn’t show I went looking for her. I don’t know where she is. I’ve found her bike, but…” He trailed off, his vision once more desperately searching the surroundings, hoping to find her, to find answers. The more he spoke, the more he felt his panic rise. This could not be happening.

“I’ll be with you in five.” The call disconnected, leaving him to wonder exactly how she knew where to find him, but his time for reflection was soon interrupted as the flashing lights appeared at the end of the street.

He watched helplessly as his father’s car pulled up, followed by another black vehicle with three other Blue Coats inside. He sent them to question the nearby residents while he cordoned off the scene, his vision continually flitting to his son with a look of obvious concern.

“Give me a hand moving your bike, Con.” As he lifted it up, his father swept up the plastic shards from the broken indicators. It was busy work, but Conrad was glad of the distraction as he wheeled the bike further away, resting it on the kickstand. His father watched him, opening the passenger door of his car as he returned. “Come sit, tell me what happened.”

“Has her chip been disabled?” Conrad questioned, the moment he pulled the door closed.

“First things first, tell me what happened.” As Conrad relayed the events of the evening, he noticed his father open the windows, dispelling the building heat that had misted the glass, creating a blur of flashing lights and shadows. As he brought his account to a finish, Conrad turned, holding his father’s gaze.

“Has her chip been disabled?” he questioned again.

“You know I can’t tell you that.”

“Dad, this is Ashley we’re talking about. After what’s been going on, there is no way this can be random.” Pushing himself back, he heard the seat protest against his sudden and violent shifting of weight.

“Right. Now it’s time to let me do my job. You go home, there’s nothing more you can do here.” A slight rapping on the back window alerted him that one of the Blue Coats was seeking his attention. After a hushed exchange, a small zip bag containing something was passed through the window. “Do you recognise this?”

Conrad studied the smashed contents, the sight of them rekindling memories of all the times he had placed his hand upon Ashley’s. “That’s Ashley’s watch,” he confirmed. “Why would someone remove something so valuable?”

“It’s the latest model,” his father said, turning the bag over in his hands as he scrutinised the contents. “It has a tracking feature inbuilt in case someone got into trouble or broke down. If so, the watch can be used to send an instant SOS without the need to go through the chip identification process.”

He heard what his father hadn’t said, that the feature had been added in case someone was abducted and their chip disabled. It was an extra measure of security included due to the growing concerns.

“Okay, Con, you’ve done all you can. Try to get some rest. I know I promised not to say anything about what we uncovered, but I think at this point I need to let the precinct C.O. in on what we know about Ashley. That way, he can start looking into known trading rings. I’ll open a line of communication with P.T.F. and see if they can locate her brother. He needs to know what’s going on, and maybe he knows something about her origin that will help.”

“Dad.” Conrad’s hands were grasping the legs of his jeans so tightly that his fingers cramped. His gaze remained unfocused, with the threat of unshed tears forged from anger and fear. He couldn’t bring himself to