The Darkest Kiss (Riley Jenson Guardian 6)

"Not that I can remember. But I was a kid, so I'd probably lost interest in the whole situation by then."

Which was one major difference between him, and me and my brother. We would have investigated. I had a nose for trouble, and I hadn't been afraid to use it - as the many scars that scattered my body would attest.

"Has the school photo got names attached?"

"Yep." He looked at me. "You think your Aron Young's recent spate of murders has something to do with this Aron Young's disappearance all those years ago?"

"I have no idea what to think. I don't even know if I have the right Aron Young. Right now, I'm just grabbing at straws."

"If it is him, it's a long time to hold a grudge."

"Maybe he needed time to build up courage." Or strength, perhaps. It couldn't be easy for a ghost to pick up solid objects. "Is there anyone up in Beechworth who might remember more about the case? Who was the cop on the case?"

"Old Jerry Mayberry was the local cop. He's retired, but still living up there, as far as I know." He gave me a half-smile. "Haven't been back up there for a while now."

I shifted in my seat and looked at him. "How did your pack react when they realized you were gay?"

"I got more grief from the local kids than I did from the pack." He shrugged. "I think it was a disappointment to my mom, more than anything, because she wanted grandkids. But my sister has had five in the last seven years, so that's one problem solved."

A little bit of envy swirled through me. Having a whole pack of kids had once been my dream, too. But that was gone forever - well, mostly. I still had viable eggs frozen, but I would never be the one to carry them. "Your sister has five kids? How come we've never met them?"

He laughed. "She comes down here to escape the kids, not show them off."

"But I'd love to meet them sometime."

He gave me an amused look. "Spend an hour with that lot, and the whole idea of being a mom will suddenly not seem so alluring. Trust me, they're a handful."

"Kids are. Hell, I was."

"Imagine you and Rhoan multiplied by about ten. That's how bad they are."

I grinned. "No one can be that bad."

"Okay, so maybe I exaggerate a little." The amusement in his expression and the twinkle in his eyes did little to deny the statement. It also showed just how much he loved those kids. "Seeing you're coming back to my place after you pick up your car, you want to stop for some lunch?"

"If you're going to cook it, I'll definitely eat it." My cell phone decided to ring at that precise point, so I added as I reached for it, "At least, I hope I can, if this isn't Jack with another problem."

Unfortunately, it was.

"Riley?" Jack said, as soon as I pressed the receive button. "We've got another one."

"Man or woman?"

"Woman. Another one of the names in James's Rolodex.">I pulled the laser's trigger. The bright beam shot out, slicing the air in front of me and continuing on, through another doorway before shattering yet more plaster and wood.

I didn't hit Young, but just for an instant, I caught a glimpse of a gaunt, ghostly face, thin lips stretched back into a snarl and yellowed canines glistening. I fired again.

Missed again.

Then he was gone, and the sense of wrongness retreated.

I was losing him.

I swore and pushed off the doorway, but the sudden movement had pain burning through every nerve ending and sent the room spinning around me. I grabbed at the wall to steady myself and took several slow, deep breaths. God, it felt like my whole damn shoulder had just gone into a spasm and it fucking hurt.

But I couldn't just stand here. I had to move, had to go after Young, no matter how much agony I was in. I couldn't let him get away.

I carefully shifted my sore arm and cradled it with my left, giving it some support as I walked forward. Young's scent was already drifting, dispersing on the air. What the hell was going on? How could a young vampire - and I still had no doubt that he was young - move around in sunlit rooms so easily?