Red BloodSeries of Blood #2
Emma Hamm
Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Epilogue
About the Author
Also by Emma Hamm
Copyright © 2017 by Emma Hamm
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Book cover by- Mirella Santana http://mirellasantana.deviantart.com/
Editing by Sarah Collingwood - sacollingwood36@gmail.com
Created with Vellum
There are a lot of people to thank nowadays for my books and the inspiration I find. Of course, as per usual, I have to thank my family for their continued support in everything that I do. And some of that is pretty crazy so, I appreciate it.
Second, thank you to all of my friends who listen to me prattle on and on about the characters that don’t exist. Yeah I know guys. I’m more invested in the lives of characters I make up, but thanks for listening to me hash out what might happen if X met Y in a world that’s in my head. You have no idea how much it means to me.
Third, thank you to my fearless editor Sarah who never fails to remind me how much I need her. This book wouldn’t be what it is without you. So much love sent your way!
And finally, thank you to my readers. I wouldn’t be able to live my dream without your loving support and kindness every day.
Chapter 1
The store held expected items. Clothing, jewelry, necessary bits and pieces of human life. However, normal was not something this store specialized in.
The woman standing on the center podium was a particularly strange creature. Her hair was left free to swing along her waist in a smooth waterfall. Her hair was so dark that in the right lights it looked blue. She was all of five feet tall on a good day in heels, but she had never let anyone think her small simply because of her height.
She was a Siren. Or at least used to shared a headspace with one. Lyra had been lucky enough to have a rather quiet soul sharing her body. Sirens weren’t the kind of creatures that wanted to fight or argue. Her Siren had decided when Lyra was very young that they would merge their souls. She was tired of living as long as she had and quite liked the little girl whom she had just met.
All of their knowledge was shared in the moment their souls had combined. Lyra knew everything the Siren did, and the creature was no longer a separate entity. In the end, it was likely easier for both to them to be combined. Lyra was too headstrong to be comfortable with another voice in her head, and the Siren was tired.
She tilted on the podium to see how the boots looked from behind. They were knee high black leather with silver spikes for heels. She shimmied just a bit to see how they affected the height of her behind. Not bad at all. Lyra thought they were incredibly good looking and also practical.
After all, she did have to fight on a daily basis.
“Jasper?”
Seated near the door, the large man stirred and shook his lion-like mane. He had clearly not been paying attention in the slightest. His eyes were half mast, and he met her angry gaze with a bored expression.
“What is it now, Lyra?”
“What do you think?” She twirled once again.
“They look stupid.”
She blinked at him. Lyra wasn’t happy with that answer. She liked the shoes. She liked sparkly things and every item that would make her feel as though she was also sparkly. Lyra frowned at him. “That’s not very nice.”
“They’d look good on someone else.” Jasper pulled a switchblade out of his pocket and began to clean underneath his nails. “Just not you.”
“Wow,” she muttered. “What got stuck up your behind today?”
Lyra turned around on the pedestal to look at herself in the mirror. She thought they looked lovely. Paired with tight black pants and her glitter tiger shirt on it, Lyra thought she was radiating “badass”.
Apparently not.
She smoothed a hand down her stomach. The tiger shirt was supposed to be enchanted to give the owner a sense of confidence. “Waste of money,” she muttered. It wasn’t working at all.
She’d have to get back at the Hag who had sold it to her. There were plenty of people who wanted that enchantment peddler locked away for good. Lyra would have to let a couple words slip out to the right people.
“Lyra.” Jasper stood up and stretched his back. “We’re supposed to be scouting. Not shopping.”
“Scouting for what anyway?” She turned a little to see how the boots made her behind look again.
“They already told us that when they sent us out. Were you not paying attention again?” he replied. When she did not stop staring at herself, Jasper cleared his throat.
“I’m not turning around.”
Once more, he cleared his throat.
“What!” She spun on her heel and tossed her hands up in the air. “What do you want with the throat clearing?”
He nodded towards the pretty woman in the corner who was staring at them with wide eyes. She obviously wasn’t prepared to have people arguing in her shop. Likely, she dealt with much more civilized people than Jasper and Lyra. They were both known for causing trouble wherever they went. Especially when they were together, and they were always together.
“She’s not going to repeat anything we say,” Lyra growled. “Right?”
The woman was nodding before Lyra even had to ask. “O-of course not.”
“Lyra, anything we say is confidential. We can’t risk it.”
Jasper was always the one who wanted to do the right thing. Lyra thought
