Silver Blood (Series of Blood Book 1) by Emma Hamm (bill gates book recommendations .TXT) 📕

him that, but I also knew one of the gargoyles at the gate.”

“Of course you did. I think I know what happened after that. Flash forward please.”

“We ran into the alley and had to fight those creatures off.”

“I remember that.”

“You weren’t comfortable fighting.” Burke’s voice had quieted as his eyes searched hers for any sense of recognition. “I turned around to convince you, but you weren’t… well to be honest, you weren’t you. One second you were frightened and the next something else was telling me it knew how to fight.”

“E?”

“Yeah.”

“Did it?”

“Did it what?” he asked.

“Know how to fight.”

Burke paused for a few moments before slowly nodding. “Yeah. Yeah it did.”

She listened for a moment for the voice inside her head. Surely E was going to say something. Surely E would explain what happened and why there was a blank space in her mind. But the creature inside of her stayed quiet.

“Did E explain what happened?” she asked.

“A little.”

Her arms splashed as she shifted in the water. A tiny block of ice floated past her arm and drifted to hit her knee. He really hadn’t spared any effort when E had told him that ice water would wake her up.

Her teeth started to chatter.

“You shouldn’t still be in the water,” he grumbled as he leaned towards her. “I’m sorry. I should have noticed sooner.”

“I can do it.” Wren slapped his hands away from her arms as he tried to scoop his hands under her armpits.

“You’re freezing.”

“Mhm,” she mumbled the affirmative as her blue fingers clutched the edge of the bath.

“Wren.” Exasperated, he took a step towards her. “This is ridiculous.”

“Sure.”

But she still pushed herself out of the tub by herself. Her knees were shaking, and her arms felt like they weren’t made of flesh anymore, but she managed well enough.

“Turn around,” she directed.

“Excuse me?”

“Just do it.”

Burke turned on his heel, and she slipped the sodden velvet from her skin. Shivering, wet, and naked, she turned towards her bed and slid underneath the covers.

“So cold. So cold.” She kept saying over and over as she yanked the blankets towards her.

“Can I turn around yet?”

“Cold. Ice cold.” The nest around her grew until she was buried underneath mounds of colored fabric.

“I’m turning around,” he said as he spun. Wren was not where he had left her. His eyes searched the room when he couldn’t immediately find her underneath her mountain of blankets. “Really, Wren?”

She glared at him. A blanket was pulled up to her chin and covered half of her face, which likely made her glare significantly less powerful, but she could feel the welcomed heat crawling up her body. “Yes.”

He rolled his eyes but dragged the stool from her tub over to her bed. He settled his weight onto it once more and leaned forward to place his elbows against his knees. Her eyes fixed onto the strong lines of his fingers as they tangled with each other.

Wren pushed pillows behind her until she could sit up. She swung her legs towards him and wiggled her feet under the blankets. He leaned forward and grabbed one of her feet. Wren didn’t think he was even thinking when he started to rub her toes through the blanket.

A lock of hair had fallen across his forehead. He was trying to keep her warm.

“Domestic,” she murmured. His hands stopped moving for a moment before they continued. The worried expression on his face nearly made her reach out to touch him. But this wasn’t him taking away her worries. He wasn’t here for that.

“Excuse me?” He wanted her to repeat those words, she just knew it.

Wren shook her head. “What did E say?”

“About what?”

“About why I can’t remember anything. I know you were talking to E while I was waking up.”

“I don’t think you want to know.”

“It’s my body, Burke. I deserve to know.”

But she didn’t know if she was ready for the truth. Wren didn’t know why E had taken over her body, but if E was blocking it out so that she didn’t experience it… Well. It was safe to say that Wren wasn’t certain that she wanted to know.

“E said that it can take control over your body if it wishes. Were you aware of that?”

She nodded.

“Well,” he paused to take a deep breath and continued. “It appears that’s what E did. You weren’t able to fight, but E had the knowledge to do so. I’ve never seen anything move the way you…E did. Frankly, its skills are impressive, but it was concerned how you would take this.”

“Is that why E’s not talking to me?”

“I suspect it’s resting.”

“Why would it need to rest?”

Burke shrugged. “It expended a lot of energy to force you out of the way, Wren. I don’t even know what it did, but even E wasn’t doing so well by the time you made it out of that alley. You passed out in front of me, and I took you home.”

“I heard you talking to E.”

“Just before you woke up. E woke before you.”

“E was still in control of my body?” That had never happened before. Wren didn’t like how things were changing right in front of her. One moment, she was able to have complete control over her limbs, and the next, she couldn’t manage to blink her own eyes.

“It was explaining that pushing you aside like that was a little rough for your mind. You needed rest.”

“So E forced me into a sleep, in my own body, and then it decided to let me keep sleeping? It’s not possible for E to be awake without me!”

“A dreaming mind can be separate from its creature.” Burke leaned forward. “Listen, Wren. I think E wants to ensure your safety. I don’t agree with its choices for you. Not in the slightest. But it does seem to care about you.”

“It cares about the body we share,” she growled.

“It cares about you. And you know that.”

Wren grumbled, but she knew he was right. What she wanted to know was why E