Red Blood (Series of Blood Book 2) Emma Hamm (the beginning after the end read novel .TXT) 📖

and older than time itself, Blood Magic always took from its user far more than it gave back. No wonder he was capable of so many terrible things.

No wonder he had so many scars.

She stumbled to her feet and rushed towards the door. Her aching ankle was all but forgotten in her haste.

“Lyra!”

His shout made her pause. She looked over her shoulder in acknowledgment.

“You will return.”

“I have no reason to.”

There was a hesitation to her response even she heard. Lyra wanted to be able to say confidently that she would never return to this graveyard. But she had a horribly sick feeling that what had happened here tonight would be impossible to forget.

He was a drug that she had injected directly into her veins. She knew nothing of this strange man, nor of his world. But she could feel the electricity running through her veins and the imprints of his hands that remained on her flesh.

A quick nod was her only response before she disappeared out the door.

Wolfgang’s eyes lingered upon the opening for many moments after she had left. His chest rose and fell in steady motions. He knew he was breathing steadily because he was counting each breath in hopes that she might return.

By the time he reached one hundred breaths, he was forced to admit to himself that she was not returning. Not this time. He was confident she would return at some point. There was no question in his mind that she had felt the same thing he had.

Mungus clacked his feet against the ground to get his attention.

“Yes, Mungus?”

Wolfgang turned to stare at eyes that woefully stared back.

“Yes, I do believe we are in trouble. Come bring those to the altar.”

Lyra had interrupted a rather important moment. Much spying was required to obtain all the information Wolfgang needed to understand what this Malachi wanted. He did not believe in the slightest that the creature was bad simply because he was bad.

The only way to obtain the truth was to look into the past for oneself. Luckily, Wolfgang had only the limit of his own lifeforce. There was plenty of that left to take a peek through time.

As Mungus laid all of the ingredients from his rib cage on the altar, Wolfgang ran a hand down his jaw.

“Do you remember the archaic book from Salem I found many years ago?”

Mungus replied as only a dead man could. He gave no hint that he understood Wolfgang was speaking to him.

“Well, I remember. A Magician or a Witch always begin to lose their soul when they choose to practice Blood Magic. I can attest that this knowledge is truth. I have been the shell of a man filled with power for a very long time.” He leaned forward and plucked a blade from the altar.

“I spent only a moment with her, and I swear I felt my soul again.”

His hands were delicate as he drew the sharp edge against his palm. His body would be wounded, but healing was a simple thing to do. Blood speckled the altar in dark red droplets.

Wolfgang paused only a moment to look once more over his shoulder in case she was not really gone.

Chapter 7

“Are you paying attention at all, Lyra?”

She blinked a few times and looked towards Burke who was seated at the corner of the kitchen island with a piece of pineapple attached to the fork he was brandishing at her.

For some reason, he had thought it was a good idea to have a team breakfast. She would admit that Wren’s cooking was delicious. But she wouldn’t admit that this was a good idea. Breakfast was meant to be a relaxing time. Not a paying attention time.

“No,” she replied with a cheeky grin.

“This was a bad idea,” Burke grumbled.

“I told you that from the beginning. You just didn’t listen to me.”

He sighed and put his fork down with a clatter. Which meant the pineapple was free game, as far as Lyra was concerned. Her hand swooped and popped it in her mouth.

“Excuse me, that was mine,” he growled at her.

“You put it down. I put it in my mouth. I believe that means it’s mine.”

Laughter from Wren’s side of the table was followed by a snort. “Shouldn’t I be the one eating after Jiminy?”

“Oh, you suck face enough to have his germs all in you. I need to get my immune system boosted. Therefore, fruit is mine.”

“Lyra, you are tempting fate.” Jasper always was the person trying to stop her from doing something foolish. She turned to slowly cross her eyes in his direction.

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Am not!”

Burke slammed his hand down on the table. “You two are adults. That game is not acceptable to play right now.”

“You’re absolutely no fun. How are you ever going to be a dad if you can’t play games?” Lyra crossed her arms firmly over her chest with a smug smile.

Burke’s mouth gaped open and closed before he managed a stuttered, “Th-that’s not what we’re talking about right now.”

“Fine, but I want babies soon.”

“We’re not even engaged!”

“Good enough. Anyways, what were you rambling about?”

“Our next mission.” He leaned down and rested his head against the table. Burke mumbled something against the wood.

“I can’t hear him. What did he say?” Lyra asked.

Wren patted his back. “He needs an adult.”

“Too bad, he’s the adult.”

She leaned back to rest her feet on the table and grinned. This was the first day she had felt like herself in a very long time. Perhaps because she had spent two full days covering everything reflective in her apartment with sheets. There was nothing that Bones could talk to her through, and she finally had a little bit of peace.

Which meant she had finally managed to piece together her thoughts on the Graverobber. None of the people around this table were aware she had snuck out to meet with him. In fact, they were still trying to plan on how they were going to get information