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

hand made a soft snicking sound as he opened them.

“I don’t believe this will hurt.” He made certain his voice was quiet so the bird wouldn’t move.

The wire was unfortunately much more tangled than he thought. He had to hold the traumatized bird down firmly with one hand and saw at the wire with the other. Throughout the entire ordeal, his fingernails were bleeding profusely. He wouldn’t allow the small animal to feel pain. It was already stressed enough.

Finally, he freed the bird. It flapped its wings on his desk and stared down at the healed leg. Perhaps it was as surprised as he that it had survived with little more than a few lost feathers.

“There now,” he said. “I told you not to fret.”

A tingle raced down his spine. He recognized this feeling. It was as though someone had trailed a delicate touch from the back of his neck to the small of his back. Feather light, it reminded him very clearly of a young woman who haunted his dreams.

Lyra. She was here. The Siren had tormented him since he had first discovered her existence.

She was beautiful in a way he could not remember seeing before. The way the light reflected blue off of her dark hair made his stomach clench. The smile that spread across her face and revealed a dimple made him wonder how she had become so cold.

Certainly she was one of the most attractive people in existence. Yet, it was hardly her beauty alone that had so enthralled him. She wasn’t frightened by him.

It was to be expected that she not flinch away from a few scars. He had seen the way she was capable of fighting. She was no stranger to pain. But she did not fear him even when he revealed the darkness that had created the scars.

Wolfgang had never been ashamed of his power. Choosing Blood Magic was the first step to becoming who he was. The necessary step to becoming a man capable of protecting his people and creating life out of nothing.

“Mungus, my cloak.”

The skeleton moved faster than Wolfgang had seen him move since he still had flesh on his bones. He had just managed to swirl the fabric in a great arc, which settled onto his shoulders when he heard her footsteps.

A grin spread across his face. She did not hide herself from him. That was also good.

The door banged open to reveal his beautiful Siren who did not fear him. She swept into the room like a storm, all thunder and lightning. She wore a leather jacket unzipped nearly to her belly button and little more than a bra. He was distracted by how much flesh was revealed as she stopped in front of him and crossed her arms.

“Welcome back,” he said as he looked her up and down.

“I wasn’t planning on returning, but the Five insisted.”

Wolfgang cocked his head to the side and stared deeply into her eyes. “I don’t believe you told the Five.”

“You should believe it. I did. Now I’m back to talk to you about returning with me.”

“No.”

“No?” Lyra raised a brow as though she couldn’t believe he had said that word.

“I do not wish to fulfill the Five’s wishes. I will remain here where I am needed.”

She appeared to be stumped. Her mouth gaped open for a few moments before she snapped it shut. He found he quite liked making her uncomfortable.

“Well.” She cleared her throat. “I don’t know why you wouldn’t. They’re the most powerful beings in existence. It is an honor to have them call upon you.”

“And that makes them qualified to order me to do their bidding?” Wolfgang scoffed. “No. I choose my own way.”

He turned back towards his bench to check on the bird. She made him forget himself, which was likely to turn into a problem. Wolfgang had many things he kept track of, and he couldn’t afford to lose focus.

The bird flapped its wings. The soft movement of air stirred the edges of his cloak, which parted to reveal a painfully thin body covered by velvet pants and a silken shirt.

Lyra’s intake of breath made him squeeze his eyes shut for a moment. He was not overly concerned with how people thought of him. His body was certainly not something pretty to look at. He was aware of this. But he didn’t want her to look at him with pity. His body no longer had to be strong.

“What is that?” she asked.

“I—” He did not know how to explain. So he did not.

“A bird?”

He blinked a few times before he realized she must not have seen past his cloak. Relief made it difficult to croak his answer. “Yes.”

“I’ve never seen a bird that looked like that before.”

He tensed as she moved to stand next to him. The heat from her body leeched through the sturdy weight of his coat and warmed the flesh of his arm. Wolfgang had not known that such a simple feeling could be so addicting.

“They call it a chameleon bird,” he answered her quietly.

“I can see why. Does he ever stop changing colors?”

“She does not.”

Deep blue eyes turned to meet his gaze. For a moment, he heard the sound of waves.

“It’s a girl?” Lyra asked.

“Yes.”

“How do you know?”

His eyes did not want to leave the welcoming home of her ocean eyes. And yet, his gaze strayed from hers to follow the long line of hair that rested against the swanlike column of her throat.

“The male is plain. He has no colors and is much smaller than his counterpart.”

“Seems to go against the laws of nature if you ask me. Aren’t females usually small and ugly?”

“The laws of nature are not the same as they were years ago.” He pulled himself away from staring at her further. He held a hand out for the bird, which hopped onto his offered perch.

“Do birds always allow you pick them up?” Lyra asked.

“No.”

“This one is special?”

“This one knows she’s going home.”

He reached towards Mungus and settled