A Call of Vampires (A Shade of Vampire #51)(70)

The mother and father were beautiful creatures, with long black hair and vibrant jade eyes. Their clothes were simple but of good quality and skillfully tailored to fit their figures. The mother was doing most of the talking while she sat in a rocking chair by the fireplace, knitting. The father, on the other hand, gave me the strangest of looks—a mixture of curiosity and hostility that made me very uncomfortable. Rewa often had her eyes on Blaze, who, in turn, did his best to stay close to me. He’d noticed my defensive stance, despite my attempt to cover it up with bland politeness. His midnight-blue eyes scanned me as I kept my focus on the Mara mother.

“Where was your son last seen?” I asked.

A muscle twitched in the father’s jaw, and the mother sighed.

“Adon loved to hunt,” she said, a pained look in her eyes. “Even when he was told it was too dangerous. The night he went missing we had our first argument about it. We begged him not to go, and Adon said that if we cowered in front of the menace, it would win.”

“So you saw him here?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I mean, yes, I last saw him here, but Gussy, the neighbor’s son, said he saw him go into the Valley of Screams. He had his sword and shield with him, and a cloak on, but Gussy knows Adon as well as we do. He’d recognize him anywhere.”

I glanced at the father and noticed his persistent stare. It hit me then: I was worried over nothing. We had a badass fire dragon in the room.

“Is there something you wish to say?” I asked the father, straightening my back.

As if caught red-handed doing something he wasn’t supposed to, the Mara shook his head and looked away for a second.

“My apologies,” he said. “It’s just that I’ve never seen a fire fae before… I’ve only heard about you and your powers, but… We were born here, and we’ve never had contact with the outside world. Forgive me if I’m gawking.”

“That’s okay.” I gave him a half-smile, relaxing my shoulders. “Did your son have any enemies?”

“No, not that we know of.” The father shook his head, then glanced at his wife, who did the same.

“Adon was a good son, and a good friend. He wouldn’t hurt a fly,” the mother added.

“He hated the city.” The voice of a little girl shot through the room, making us all turn our heads. A young Mara, no older than seven, stood in the doorway hugging a plush toy and wearing a floor-length cotton nightgown. Her long hair was braided into a single tail, and her eyes were wide and pale green.

“Mira, what are you doing out of bed?” the mother asked, putting her knitting tools aside.

“Adon hated the city,” the little girl insisted. “He didn’t like anyone here! He didn’t like the way we live, the way we fe—”

“That’s enough, young lady!” the father’s voice boomed, as the mother got up, took the girl in her arms, and vanished upstairs.

We watched in silence, listening to the girl objecting upstairs, as the door closed behind her and her mother. The father cleared his throat, then gave us a weak smile. I noticed Rewa’s stillness, her eyes fixed on the Mara.

“Forgive my daughter,” he said. “She’s been having trouble sleeping since her brother disappeared. She loved Adon very much.”

“Is it true, what she said?” I asked.

“A little.” He chuckled nervously. “Adon was a good boy, he just didn’t always fit in. He was a bit rebellious by nature, but it was always harmless. He wanted to go out and explore the world. He’s always had a mind of his own. To be honest, I’m still holding out hope that he simply left on a whim, but I’ve agreed to cooperate with your investigation nonetheless… My wife thinks something happened to him, but I’d rather think he deliberately hurt our feelings and ran off to see new places, than think him… gone.”

His voice trailed off, tears glazing his eyes. I could only imagine what this family was going through.

“Thank you for your candor,” I said slowly.

“Maybe we should leave these people be for tonight,” Rewa intervened, “and visit the next family on our list?”

Blaze and I both agreed and got up. The father walked us out, and I gave the living room one last glance. Everything was so neat, so pretty and picture perfect, with soft cushions and framed paintings. Who would do this to them? What dangers lurked in the Valley of Screams that could strip a city of its people at such an alarming rate?

As the door closed and we were left standing in the middle of the alley on a lower, residential level of Azure Heights, I let out a heavy breath.

“We’ll get to the bottom of this, one way or another,” Blaze tried to reassure me, his eyes fixed on mine. “Come on, let’s go to the next family.”

“They’re on the level above,” Rewa said, then put her arm around his. I couldn’t help but frown, unsure of what it was supposed to mean, as a gesture. She noticed, and smiled. “I’m a single, young Mara Lady of noble descent. It’s most appropriate for me to walk with male company at this time of night. I mustn’t be on my own.”

“So, what, I’m not in need of a male companion, then?” I asked, my tone flat and eyebrow raised. I was having trouble digesting her flirtatious looks and moves toward Blaze. On the other hand, he didn’t seem to mind much, which was probably what irritated me the most. Then again, Blaze didn’t seem like the kind of guy who paid attention to such social cues.