Silver Blood (Series of Blood Book 1) by Emma Hamm (bill gates book recommendations .TXT) 📕

“No,” he growled as he swiped for her again.

Things were quickly getting out of control. Some of her patrons were leaving, which meant she was going to sell even less tonight. She would probably be regretting this for a couple of weeks with this mistake looming over her like a blinking sign that still worked. Unlike her door.

“I’m sorry?” She dodged his hand again.

Rupert had just managed to grab a hold of her shirt when a hand clamped down on his shoulder. The long fingers were perfectly manicured, and Wren had a stunned moment of shock as she wondered how such strong hands didn’t have a bit of dirt underneath their fingernails.

“I believe your business is done here.” The whiskey voice again made her want to melt, and now he was saving her hide. Who was this man?

Wren wrested the fabric of her shirt from Rupert’s pudgy fingers and stepped back further until she was pressed against the wall of shelves. Rupert turned to glare at the man that wasn’t letting go of his shoulder.

“I don’t think so.” Rupert exhaled into the man’s face. “The lady has a bone to pick with me.”

“I’m certain that you are the kind of person to ‘pick bones’.” Wren flinched as the man smoothed his fingers across Rupert’s jacket and settled it more firmly upon his shoulders. That wasn’t a good move. Satyr’s didn’t like to be touched except by their chosen sex.

Some of them fancied men, others fancied women, some even fancied both. Likely, there were more Satyrs who fancied both more than only one. Wren knew for a fact that Rupert was not one of them. He liked the ladies and particularly did not like the men. He viewed them as competition that needed to be wiped off of the earth.

In short, this was not going to end well for either her or the mystery man.

“You shouldn’t have done that.” Rupert growled the moment before he headbutted the man in the face.

If it had been a normal person, that headbutt would have broken the man’s nose. As it was, Rupert had the added help of horns that had split the skin on the man’s forehead as well. The wounds gushed open and blinded her would-be savior as Rupert used his substantial weight to push the man all the way onto the ground.

He sprawled onto her floor in a tangle of long limbs and black fabric.

“Now, where were we?” Rupert said as he turned back towards her.

“Nowhere?” Her voice was shaking. “I think you’ve gotten your fight. No need to look to me for more.”

“Oh that was just a warm up.”

“E,” she muttered as she tried to stay just out of Rupert’s grip. “A little help?”

“I’m curious to see what he does.”

“Rupert?” she asked. He growled when he heard his name and started clambering over the counter. It was a difficult task for him as he was rather short and particularly overweight.

“No. The other one.”

“Now’s not a time for you to be channeling Cleopatra’s grandmother and falling in love with tall, slightly dark, and handsome.” She tossed an empty vial at Rupert’s head.

“3. 2. 1.”

E had barely managed its countdown before that strong hand once more grabbed onto Rupert’s shoulder and hauled him back over the counter.

She nearly felt bad for the Satyr. He had really expended quite a bit of energy getting over that counter and was already breathing hard. He wasn’t particularly dangerous. Wren wasn’t certain if he would have really hurt her or just tossed her around the shop a little bit.

And anyways, they all had magical creatures inside of them. They healed so much faster than the average human. She might have had a split lip and a few bruises, but they would have been gone by the morning.

Rupert was just angry and rightfully so. No one wanted to be given bad Juice by someone that they trusted. Of course, she wasn’t ever going to let him set foot back in her shop after this. He was costing her money.

“Do you have any idea what I am?” The mystery man’s voice was as calm as ever. But Wren could feel the power underneath that tone.

He held Rupert firmly in place with one hand on the man’s shoulder and the other wrapped around his throat. Compared to the short and squat Satyr, the other appeared to be impossibly tall. His broad shoulders swamped Rupert as he loomed above the angry creature.

“Don’t care.” Anger had clouded Rupert’s judgement, clearly.

“I’m a Dream Walker.” The mystery man blinked his eyes, and the lovely shade of green was gone. In its place was an electric blue that seemed to glow so brightly that Rupert’s face held a bit of the same shade. “I’m going to find you when you sleep, Rupert. And I’m going to make you live your worst nightmare over and over again.”

The words shattered through Rupert’s gaze of red as though they were a bullet through his brain. He started to stutter a response but paused as the hand on his throat flexed.

“You’re going to leave this place and never come back. You will not raise another hand towards any woman. Do you hear me?”

“I do,” Rupert croaked.

“You’ll see me again, friend. In your nightmares. I’m going to make sure that you have them every night for the rest of your pitiful existence.”

“Who do you think you are?” Rupert’s hands were claws that pulled at the man’s grasp.

“The name’s Burke. I’m certain someone like you recognizes it.”

Rupert froze and then began to whimper. He dropped limp in the man’s hands and started to whisper prayers over and over again. Burke curled his lip at the sight and dropped the Satyr onto the floor.

“Get out.”

Wren had never seen Rupert move so fast. His legs were moving a mile a minute as he banged his shoulder into her door, put out one of the last two remaining lights, and disappeared into the night.

She threw her hands up into