Blood Secrets-Valorian 1 Read Free

went over the evidence they had obtained so far. Haunting, melodious strains of a vampiric aria floated from the speakers of his office stereo. Sung by Nadja Devanshi, his preferred chanteuse, The Crimson Moon was his favorite opera. Everything seemed clearer when he listened to her poignant voice.

    Right now, he had a need for some clarity.
    Oddly enough, he hadn’t received a call from the baron’s office. Maybe the warnings he gave his people about keeping their mouths shut in the lab had worked this time around.
    Maybe this time, if he prepared himself quickly, he could be the one calling the baron with the bad news, instead of the other way around.
    He flipped through his pages of notes and through the evidence log. The autopsy had gone as planned, with nothing showing abnormal. The COD on the girl was exsanguination. No surprise there. Her carotid artery had been punctured, her throat then slit and she bled out. They were still waiting for the results on her rape kit and toxicology.
    Caine suspected that they would find XYV, vampire sperm. Sex was very closely linked to bloodlust in the vampire community. For the most part, a vampire could control it. If a case of bloodlust came over a vampire, he or she could engage in sexual activity and the hunger would pass, replaced by rapturous sexual pleasure for both partners.
    It had been over five years since they’d had a vampire slaying in Necropolis. And that case had been proven accidental. The perpetrator had been sentenced to three years in jail for the accidental killing of his witch lover.
    Running a hand over his face, Caine wondered if they had a re-offender on their hands.
    He’d have to check his case journal, look it over and call Mahina to look up the vampire and question him to see where he’d been over the past twenty-four hours. Caine hoped not. During the case, Caine had ended up liking the quirky vampire. He’d really hate to have to put the guy back in jail.
    Perhaps the offending vampire had acquired some of his dead lover’s spells. The markings on the door frame of the hotel room and on the victim were definitely magical.
    Lyra had gone through her texts she had packed into the small shelf in Caine’s office, but couldn’t find what she was looking for, so she asked to go home. She had archaic texts there in her extensive magical library. Some of her books, she claimed, were two thousand years old, and passed down to her from her grandmother. So far, Caine hadn’t heard back from Lyra.
    Unfortunately, they weren’t able to get an accurate bite radius measurement. Therefore, they couldn’t hit the OBRN, Otherworld Bite Radius Network, a database with all former vampire and lycanthropy bite offenders—a system Caine had developed himself. When a perpetrator was arrested, their fang circumference was measured and their tip-to-tip length recorded. Just like fingerprints, vampires and lycanthropes had individualized bite marks. If they could’ve matched that, they would’ve had a suspect. However, as it stood, the knife wound ruined any chance of an accurate measurement. Maybe the perp’s bite was on record and that’s why he slit her throat?
    This case definitely had the makings of a disaster. For all the communities. What did a vampire, human and witch possibly have in common? What was this young girl doing in Necropolis with a vampire?

    It was illegal for a human to be in the city. The city crossings, all four of them, were like border controls, and everyone coming or going had to produce identification. But so far, there had been no record of a young human girl crossing the borders. Caine had them check every point of entry around the city. And no one reported seeing or recording anyone fitting the victim’s description. So how did she get into the city? Smuggled in?
    Most likely. But why? For the sole purpose of killing her? If so, they had a larger problem than just one murder.
    The pager on his desk by the stacks of paper suddenly