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

he moved and the throbbing in his head jumped into overdrive. Pressing his hand against his temple didn’t ease the pain.

Ella chuckled quietly. “That’s normal. Portal travel is not like any other kind.”

“I can teleport,” he said through gritted teeth.

“It’s not quite like teleporting either.”

“What can you tell me about this place?”

She shook her head. “Not much. None of us know where we are. Only that this is somewhere beyond the city and that it used to be some rich man’s estate.”

“A building?” Jasper gestured around them. “This is a cave.”

“Malachi has a new Illusionist working for him. Originally, Malachi had cast this spell. The control changed when he lost the magic and hired a new Illusionist. Now it is a cave because his current ‘employee’ thought it would be more appropriate. It used to be the inside of a building, but he did not want us to have any clues where we were.”

“He traded up powers I’m guessing?”

She winced. “Something like that.”

“What does he have now?”

“Hag, if he’s still using the power of the last person he killed here.”

“A Hag. Great,” he muttered. They were not particularly powerful creatures, but they were capable of seeing glimpses of the future. Not to mention that they couldn’t be lied to. It was a natural trait their species used to their advantage. Any lie uttered in the presence of a Hag would turn the speaker’s tongue against them. Usually, they would choke to death.

“It could be worse,” Ella said.

“How so?”

“We could be dead.”

Jasper looked around. Though it appeared to be the inside of a cave, he could easily believe it was all an illusion. “I don’t think you can really say we aren’t dead yet.”

“My heart still beats.”

“Funny how people use that as a measure of life.”

When she didn’t respond immediately, he turned to meet her frustrated gaze. She pursed her lips. “You never told me your name.”

“Jasper.”

“Bluebell.”

Ella inclined her head. “It’s nice to meet you, Jasper.”

“And Bluebell,” the Fairy said forcefully. The tension at the back of his eyeballs suggested she might actually get angry if he didn’t introduce her to the Unicorn.

“And Bluebell, the Fairy,” he begrudgingly added.

Her smile tightened the skin around Ella’s eyes into faint crow’s feet. “It’s very nice to meet you as well, Bluebell. Is that not a female Fairy name?”

There it was. The truth that always astonished people. He rubbed the back of his neck and blew out a breath. “Yeah. Yeah, it is.”

“Your creature is not the same sex as you?”

“Unusual, I know.” Jasper shrugged. “I think she’s the unlucky one. Stuck in a male body isn’t easy for such a little thing.”

“And such a large male body.” Ella looked him up and down with a frown. “Perhaps she is lucky to have you as her protector.”

A snort echoed in his mind. “I don’t need a protector.”

“She doesn’t need a protector.” Jasper omitted the Fairy’s sarcastic tone. “She needs a father. Or a keeper. I’d put her in a cage if she were in front of me.”

“You would not!”

He could almost feel the Fairy buzzing around in his skull, and he grinned. She was so easy to rile. Most jokes were lost on the Fae as they could not understand the concept of lying. They considered every word to be truth. After all this time, she ought to know when he was teasing.

Ella grinned then. He was nearly blinded by the sheer beauty revealed in the simple act. Even covered in mud, she was intimidating. Such beauty was rare and should not have been wasted on the likes of him.

Her smile did not waver even as he flinched back. “I doubt you would put her in a cage, Jasper. It is good to have someone who is willing to speak to me.”

“Be that man or Fae?”

“Man or Fae,” she agreed as she shifted. Her ripped pants flashed glimpses of delicately long limbs.

Jasper was so caught up in the sight that he forgot to hold his tongue. “How did you end up here?”

The words hung between them like electricity. The air crackled with the weight of the question and the pain it could so easily cause. She lifted her gaze to meet his once more.

“I wasn’t allowed outside on my own, but my guards were unable to protect me from Malachi’s men. I was lucky he was interested in me,” she shivered. “What the Hellhound did to my guards will haunt my nightmares for a very long time.”

“How did he find out you existed?”

“I’m still not sure the answer to that question. We were careful. So careful.”

“I would think you’d have to be.” He couldn’t imagine having a Unicorn in his family. That was asking for trouble.

Unicorns were naturally unable to defend themselves. They were innocent beyond reproach and were carefully guarded. Their horns could not only heal but also bring people back from the dead. Legends said Unicorns were used to keep the last Dark Fae king alive for centuries.

Jasper usually did not put much weight on such rumors. But as he looked at the glistening horn protruding from her forehead, he couldn’t help but wonder.

“Yes, it is true,” she murmured.

He winced. “Was it so obvious I was wondering?”

“It’s always obvious,” she said with a soft smile. “There is not a person I have encountered who has not wondered what I am capable of.”

“Your guards must have been very talented men to keep you hidden for so long.”

“They were good men to the very end.”

They fell silent for a few moments as he lost himself in the dark stories she had told. She shouldn’t be here, Jasper thought with a ferocity that startled even himself. She should be somewhere safe with someone taking care of her.

“That’s a Unicorn for you,” Bluebell said with a dreamy sigh.

His response was to arch a golden brow.

“They can’t help it; it’s part of their natural defenses. Everyone wants to take care of them. Or did you not know that?”

He shook his head.

She tsked. “Fairies should know these things.