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

“I have a—” she paused, “friend who has a deal with Bones. He is less than kind at exacting his payment.”

“Ah.” This was all starting to fall into place. Now he understood why she instantly chose to distrust him. Now he understood why she flinched so easily and was frightened of Blood Magic.

Lyra leaned forward to touch her fingers to the water. Her movement was entirely innocent if he had not known what she was. Sirens were meant to be in the water just as much as a Nixie.

The other women stared at her fingers for a moment before they all started to move together as one. He rarely saw any of them without the others. Though they were entirely human in body, in mind they were more animalistic. They were similar to Trolls in that way. The humanity that had gifted them life drifted away in the currents of their magic.

Curious as always, his favorite of the three reached out to touch Lyra’s fingers. A small bubble rose and burst between them in response. Magic such as only their creatures could make.

Wolfgang’s face twisted in sad smile. He had seen such reactions before. When a creature found something that was akin in spirit and mind, there was always some kind of happenstance. The more common species, like the many shifters, frequently saw strange things occurring when another of their kind was in close proximity. Shelves would move, winds would raise, harmless little things that were a warning or a welcome to the other.

He would never feel such a thing.

“If the Lords were created to help people,” Lyra murmured, “then why aren’t they?”

Wolfgang rose his frail arms to gesture around him. “Am I not?”

“Sort of.”

“Explain,” he demanded of her.

“You’re keeping them in captivity. That’s not exactly helping them.”

“You want them to be free?”

“Wouldn’t they want that?”

Her brilliant eyes turned towards him. He saw much in those eyes, which hid the rolling of great waves and the thunderous crash of water. But he also saw a deep sadness that could not be hidden in their depths.

Wolfgang did not have an answer to such sadness. He did not have an answer to many of the questions she had not yet uttered.

“If they were free, they would be dashed against the rocks their bodies are unable to swim away from. They would be devoured by magically enhanced sea creatures that are far stronger than their soft human bodies. Here they are safe. Every desire is looked after. If they choose to leave then they may do so.”

One of the Nixies swam to his side and reached out a hand. Her fingers trailed along his leg in greeting before the other did the same. This was the ritual for all three. Every time they saw him they lingered upon his wound because a long time ago they may have been able to heal it. Now he did not permit them to waste energy upon one such as he.

“You’d be hard pressed to convince me the Lords are doing good with their work,” Lyra huffed.

“We all have our methods. I provide a safe home for my territory and passage to the other Lords sections of the Black Market. Above my home I ensure that the streets are safe.”

“I heard of that.” She turned towards him. “How do you do it? There is virtually no crime in this section of the Market.”

“Ah.” He shook his head. “Now that is a secret I cannot tell.”

“A secret for a secret?”

“Intriguing,” he murmured. The thought was a tempting one. She was sincerely the most odd creature he had ever met. Not to mention the only thing that currently devoured the empty spaces of his mind. It wasn’t a pleasant way to exist. But perhaps knowing more about her would assist in clearing his mind.

Although, his secrets were unlikely to make her impression of him any better. She already distrusted the Lords. He didn’t need her to tell him. Wolfgang could feel how uncomfortable she was was with the topic as though her emotions were tangible. The more she found out about him, the more likely she was to realize that he was not precisely a good man.

He was an average man with good intention who frequently realized his actions made him a bad man. Everyone had their flaws.

“Agreed,” he finally said. “On the condition you trust me enough to begin.”

“I haven’t even thought of my secret yet,” she said with a laugh.

“Why did you really come back?”

Lyra stared at him with a shocked expression on her face. He hadn’t thought it was such a difficult question, but perhaps to her it was. He already knew the answer. Wolfgang simply wanted to hear her say it.

“Because I need to do what the Five tell me to do.”

“Lie.”

“Because I wanted to ask you about the Lords.”

“Lie again.”

She huffed out a breath. “Because I was bored.”

“Why do you insist upon lying when we both know the true answer is rather simple?”

Wolfgang discovered he enjoyed when she stared at him with that angry expression on her face. Perhaps he had won a battle. Yet the war between them was unending.

She licked her lips, and his gaze followed her movement. “I was curious about what you were capable of.”

“And?”

A muscle on her jaw ticked. “And I was curious about you.”

“Now was that so hard to say?”

He leaned forward to swirl the water near their feet. A small spark of blue light erupted from the tip of his fingers and giddily jaunted across the pool until tiny waves decorated its surface.

Small bits of magic such as this were what entertained him. There was so much he was capable of, and so much of it had a harsh price. He had found in the many years that the things he most enjoyed were the smallest bits of magic. A slight breeze that knocked petals from a tree or a moment where one experienced more vivid color than the earth