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

“Good.” He nodded his head. “In ten years, you will return to me. You will become my weapon to control. Everything I tell you to do will be done without question.”

She held herself steady and did not flinch as his fingertips danced upon her cheek. “I will not.”

“You must. You signed the contract.”

Only then did a gasp escape her parted lips. “You lied to me. You tricked me!”

“I did nothing of the sort. You asked, and I will give you everything you desire. Now, little girl, you must pay the price.”

NOW

She jolted upright with a gasp. Her bed was soaked. Not from sweat but from the overwhelming amount of water that poured from her ears, eyes, and nose.

Coughing, Lyra swung her legs until her feet touched the slick floor. She ignored the sound of dripping water, which sounded like the ringing of bells. Darkness swallowed the room and, with it, a sense of calm.

She was not in that alleyway. She was not standing in front of Bones or anyone who was coming to collect. She was safe, in her own bed, with her feet firmly touching the ground.

A soft click from the pull of her lamp illuminated the room. Soft blues and greens further calmed her senses. She had created an oasis for herself in her bedroom.

Tanks of water burbled in the corners while brightly colored fish lazily swam through effervescent bubbles. The soft hum of the filters usually lulled her into sleep. Tonight, Lyra found that they wore upon her nerves.

“Damn it,” she whispered as she stood.

Nightmares had not plagued her sleep for many years. She had banished the terrible memories into the deepest depths of her mind so she could not think of them. It was her own personal shield.

“Water,” she muttered as she made her way towards the bathroom. Water always helped when she was upset. Plus, she had lost a considerable amount of it as she ruined her bed in her sleep. She’d have to buy another one now.

A shiver danced down her spine.

She froze as the distinct feeling someone was watching her made the hairs on her arms raise. There was a shuffling sound behind her. Not loud, as though someone was walking on her carpet. But soft. As though someone was trying not to be heard.

No knife was strapped to her waist. No weapon was easily reachable. But Lyra had been known to kill a man with her hands before. She could do it again.

Slowly, she rotated until she could pinpoint the sound. Her mirror, propped against the wall to make her space looked bigger, held someone entirely different than herself.

Bones watched her. His eyes were darker than she had ever seen them and reflected hellfire. A slow grin spread across his midnight skin as his hand raised to scratch the glass with elongated fingernails.

“Lyra.” His enchanting voice called to her. He was also so charming, so convincing that he would help her. Lyra now knew he didn’t help people. “Lyra, it’s time.”

“I will not be returning to you,” she spat towards him.

His brows furrowed as his mouth twisted into a snarl. “You signed a contract.”

“A contract I didn’t understand. I was just a child!”

“You were of age. You were capable of making your own decisions.”

His palm slammed against the glass. The sound made Lyra flinch backwards until she realized that he wasn’t coming through her mirror. He was trapped on the other side.

The safety gave her a false bravado. She was the queen of acting, and this was going to be her greatest performance.

Straightening her shoulders, she flipped the ends of her wet hair over her shoulders. Long tendrils of dark strands tangled around her arms like seaweed. She stalked towards the mirror and gripped onto the metal edges hard enough for the frame to bite into her palms.

“You and your kind are nothing to me. I will not return to you. I will not listen to you. I am breaking the contract now.”

He leaned close until they might have touched if the mirror hadn’t separated them. “Your time is up. You already belong to me whether you want to or not. Little girl.”

She snapped. Her fingers curled into claws around the mirror, and a feral growl burst free from her throat. With a scream, she yanked the mirror towards her.

It seemed almost as though time slowed before the glass hit the ground. Lyra felt the wind as it passed by her face and watched in horror as it shattered into thousands of pieces on her floor. Shards of the mirror decorated the ground beside her feet.

She could see him still. Thousands of images that all reflected those dark features grinning up at her. Bones was one of the most powerful creatures in the Black Market. When he said he would find her, he would.

The glass cut into her bare feet as she crunched through the carnage. Her heart raced as she fled the room, but Lyra did not dare look behind her. She could not. Whatever phantom was conjured in her most sacred place would only chase her if she looked.

Tiny bloody imprints of feet smeared against the cool stones of Haven as she ran. She did not look back. She did not make a sound other than the jarring rush of air in and out of her lungs.

Lyra shouldered the kitchen door open and burst into the room. She stilled as the cool air touched her flushed skin. Darkness made her other senses heighten. The hum of the icebox mixed with sound of her own heartbeat. As her eyes adjusted, she could see the shadowed outlines of countertop and cabinets.

This was home. This was safe. She was safe.

A deep breath shuddered out of her body as she walked forward to grab a glass. The door squeaked softly and the clink of glass sounded jarring. They were normal sounds, though. These were the sounds of a home, not a prison or a dungeon.