Red Blood (Series of Blood Book 2) by Emma Hamm (best short books to read .TXT) 📕

a waterfall of dark color. Giving her head one perfect shake, she let the Siren out to play. By the time she turned the corner into the dank recesses of the Market, she was ready to take on any foe.

Woe be the man who tried to stop her lest he be eaten whole.

“Lyra!” The shouts began.

Oh, they knew her here. They knew her well. But the creature they knew was one of loose lips and even looser hips. She was the woman that was bound by a contract and only continued to sink herself even further into trouble.

All the while she could care less. A Siren didn’t care about a debt. She only cared about the moment she was living in and cared little for the consequences. Lyra had lost herself in that manner of thinking for a lot longer than she wanted to admit.

“There’s my girl.” A large woman walked around a stall covered in brightly colored furs. The woman was a lost species of Troll, easily realized by the leathery skin that stretched across her bulbous frame.

“Giselle.” Lyra gritted as she was yanked into an unwelcome hug.

“It’s been a long time since our girl returned to this place.”

“I was here just a little while ago for the Harpies.”

“And still too long.” The Troll’s voice was extremely deep. It grated on Lyra’s nerves, but she had an appearance to keep up.

“Giselle. I’m looking for a man.”

“Ah.” The woman stepped back to look her up and down. “You never usually have a hard time finding those.”

“I’m looking for a man known as the Graverobber.”

Giselle flinched backwards. Her large frame was pressed against the tiny stall as her jowls shuddered. “You aren’t looking for a man.”

“I believe I said I was.”

“You’re looking for a monster.”

Lyra heard crickets. A monster? Her head swiveled to stare at the man holding a cage of bugs next to her. “Shut them up or say goodbye.”

His adam’s apple bobbed as he rushed away from them.

“Giselle,” Lyra growled as she advanced upon the Troll.

“No. Never.”

“I think you’re going to change your mind in five seconds.” Her fingers stroked the blade at her hip.

Giselle’s eyes watched the movement, but even that didn’t change her mind. She shook her head firmly while her hands scrabbled to find something to defend herself with. “Never. I will not speak to you about that creature.”

“I need the Graverobber, Giselle.”

Both of the women froze as a deep voice voice interrupted them. “Now what would you want with a man like that?”

She recognized that voice even though she shouldn’t. A small smile crossed her mouth before she slowly turned on her heel. The graceful movement caused her hair to swish against her spine in a lovely way as she locked her gaze with mismatched eyes.

“Couldn’t stand being away from me for long, handsome?” Her eyes looked him up and down. A happy sigh escaped her lips. “Shame that you didn’t get in touch with me sooner.”

“You’re in my part of town. Why?”

“Oh honey, you gotta give a girl a little foreplay.” Lyra licked her lips. Perhaps it was a good thing she had come here after all. She could let loose, enjoy the man in front of her a little more than she might usually. And then she could go back home without feeling any guilt because what happened here, she left here.

Including this impressive hunk of man meat that was quickly going to be another notch on her bedpost.

“What is it that you want with the Graverobber?” he asked her.

“That’s between me and him. But there could be a little between me and you, too.”

Giselle tried to scoot past Lyra. She couldn’t have that. She had more to say to the Troll woman who had been a pest long ago. Giselle had never known when to let sleeping dogs lie. Or, as it was, letting dead sailors remain at the bottom of the sea..

She whipped the blade from her hip and buried it deep into the post behind her. Silver metal gleamed and quivered just in front of the Troll’s nose as she let out a small whimper.

“Be nice to the weeds,” the man growled.

“Weeds?”

He leaned forward to place a hand on the knife’s twin at her hip. “They are weeds compared to your beauty.”

Did he really think compliments would distract her that easily? Usually they might, but he was touching her favorite knife. She jerked in the opposite direction before he could take her weapon. “Didn’t your mother tell you not to play with toys that weren’t yours?”

“I believe she always said to share.”

“Well she lied.” Lyra gritted through her teeth as she turned to gather the knife she had thrown at the Troll. Jerking her chin, she let Giselle rush past her and disappear into the crowd that was staring at them.

“I’m not going to ask again.” His tone was firm.

“You’re so much more forceful here than the first time I met you, darling. I like this side of you.”

“You’re in my domain now.”

“This place?” She laughed. “This isn’t anyone but the Lords’ domain. Now if you want to tell me that you’re one of those, frankly I’d have to say you’re lying.”

“How would you know?”

“Because I know them.” She leaned forward and whispered, “Intimately.”

“Why am I not surprised?” He stepped away from her and made a disgusted noise. “If you know the Graverobber so well, why don’t you know how to find him?”

“He’s the only one I haven’t had the pleasure of…well. The pleasure.” Lyra didn’t know why she was giving this man such a hard time. She didn’t know why she had started their relationship this way at all.

But there was a part of her that wanted to be the bad girl around him. She wanted him to look at her with interest because she was an uncontrollable Siren woman. It was shooting herself in the foot. Sirens weren’t particularly well liked creatures.

His eyes heated for a moment. She wouldn’t have even caught the shift if she hadn’t been