Blue Blood (Series of Blood Book 3) by Emma Hamm (books to read this summer .txt) 📕

They had to be made with the opposite of the venom itself, which always resulted in some kind of nasty concoction.

He ran a hand over the well fitting leather. This was decent armor at least, he reflected as he patted himself down. Fitted to his body, there were no curves of fake muscles or unnecessary padding. This armor was meant to be practical and nothing more.

Yet again, he found himself appreciating Malachi’s choices. That was the worst part about the villain seated before him. Not only was Malachi intelligent and charismatic but he was also extremely good at reading other people.

Jasper didn’t want to approve of anything Malachi did, but it was harder than he wanted it to be. A glass of cool water and good armor had almost changed his mind.

He grimaced. “This will do.”

“Good.” Malachi seemed unimpressed. Or perhaps the man simply didn’t care if Jasper approved. He snapped his fingers, and the door behind them opened wide.

Three people stepped in. This time they were real soldiers and not the ridiculous, puffed up versions who had stalked past his cage and tormented the prisoners.

Jasper took stock of the newcomers. The Wisp was a thin woman with a hard look in her steel gray eyes. The Hellhound was a bulkier version of the woman whose hand he had broken, even less feminine than the last. The Dragon was the one he was most worried about. The male stood a head taller than Jasper, and his broad shoulders were covered in black scales.

“We ready?” the Dragon asked in a gruff tone.

“Yes, yes, just a few more moments,” Malachi chided him. “We still haven’t gotten to the best part. I’ve been waiting patiently to see your reaction to this, Jasper. I need you to teleport them to the maze.”

“I can’t teleport anywhere I haven’t seen before.” Jasper shook his head. “It’s too dangerous. I could end up anywhere.”

“What if you had a picture?”

“Can’t you just open a portal? You did that to steal me. Why not now?”

Malachi’s lips compressed into a thin line. “Unfortunately, portals are not available at this time.”

Jasper knew what that meant. Malachi had killed the creature capable of opening the portals, or he had drained its power beyond its ability to heal. Once pushed past its limit, any creature would eventually break.

“I can’t teleport from a photo.” Jasper said incredulously. “If I did that, I can’t tell you that everyone I’m teleporting will come out right. We could all be missing limbs.”

“I’m willing to take that risk.” Malachi’s tone was gleeful. “We’ll do it now.”

“Not me.”

“Yes you, or do you not care for your little Siren as much as I think you do?”

Jasper ground his teeth together. “The photo then.”

Malachi waved his hand again, and an aged photo dropped out of thin air onto the coffee table before him.

Jasper leaned down to peer at the dark edges of trees and snorted loudly. “A forest? That’s all you’ve got? There are billions of trees on this planet. Disregarding the fact that if I knew its species, I might limit it to a few million, there is no way any of us will survive this teleport.”

“Look closer.” Malachi’s eyes reflected madness as he grinned at Jasper. “Don’t you recognize a marker when you see one?”

All Jasper recognized was the distinct feeling of a mouse sitting in front of a cat. Perhaps it would be better to end it now and go back to his cage. There had to be other ways to find his freedom. He was suddenly regretting helping this evil man. Surely he could find another way home?

And yet, this was the only solution he had found in weeks. So, he leaned down again to scour the photo for details. There was a marker on one of the trees. Strangely shaped, it appeared to be little more than vertical lines. Yet, it was something to go on.

He memorized every tiny detail and prayed to whatever gods were listening. Surely there was some other clue to help him.

And then he saw it — the barest hint of something at the edge of the photo. It was a small depression in a tree where fire had once eaten away at the bark. The marker and the chunk taken out of the tree narrowed the chances of disappearing into the ether and never returning.

“How old is this photo?” Jasper asked.

“Somewhere around two hundred years old.”

“Damn it.”

He did the math in his head to try and puzzle what the marker and the wounded tree would look like now. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. Jasper could do this.

He thought.

“All right, this is something that I might be able to work with. You want us to go now?”

“Absolutely.” Malachi sank lower into his chair. “Be my guest.”

The three soldiers stepped forward and stood next to Jasper. He waited, but they made no further movement.

“You have to touch me to teleport with me.” He tried not to snicker when they all appeared uncomfortable.

It was disappointing knowing that he could have teleported home right then and there. He could have left the room at any point, and yet he hadn’t. A long time ago, when he and Lyra were very small, he had promised to keep her safe. A Fairy promise was forever.

Two reached out to grasp his shoulders, and the Dragon placed a threatening hand atop his head. Jasper hated it when people did that. It was the worst handhold during teleportation and made the person the most likely to be lost.

He hoped the Dragon whirled off into the great nothing of the ether. Having to deal with only two of the soldiers would make it easier on Jasper.

His slow exhalation and the soft rattle of his wings were the only things that grounded him.

“Hold on tight,” he murmured as he envisioned the forest, and all four of them disappeared.

His body felt fractured, disjointed, and awkward as sensations slowly came back to his limbs. Teleporting didn’t usually leave him in such a