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

Wolves made of fire sprang from her hands. They bounded away, scorching the ground and singeing the trees they passed. Black oozing sap fell in streams in their wake.

“What are you doing?” he asked. “That could be anyone.”

“Not anyone. This is Malachi’s doing.”

Her eyes glowed. They were no longer a sunrise, but an endless pool of power. He was looking into flames again. Yet, this time, they were buried deep in the recesses of her eyes.

“Mercy.” He stepped towards her. “Where are you?”

“I can see through them,” she answered. Her eyes did not track his movements. “I can see what they see.”

He was afraid of her and not for the first time. He had never known such a creature as this. She could do far more than he had expected. More than any other he had met could do.

Now, he understood why they had locked her up.

“You need to come back here.” His hands hovered over her arms. She radiated heat. “If it is Malachi, we need to run.”

“I will destroy him and his men.”

“No you won’t.” He stared down at her skin and wondered if he was being a fool. “We need to go. That’s the only way to stay safe.”

“Jasper, I don’t think she’s listening,” Bluebell muttered.

Mercy’s eyes were completely glazed over. There wasn’t much he could do, although he did attempt to snap his fingers in front of her face.

She did not respond, leaving him with no choice. He touched her. He clasped his hands down on Mercy’s arms and squeezed just enough to gain her attention. Heat bled through his palms as though he had stuck them into an open fire. It was not enjoyable, but it was necessary.

His wings flexed, fluttering as though to pull him away from her. But he wouldn’t flee from the pain. Not now. Not when her magic stuttered, and the flames in her hands extinguished.

She blinked up at him.

“Why are you touching me?” she asked.

He didn’t have an answer. His heart beat rapidly. “I don’t know.”

Her chest rose and fell as she drew in a long breath. He felt it too. Around her, he could barely breathe.

Just as he was leaning down towards her, Mercy’s hair caught fire. The long red strands floated around her head and her eyes filled with rage.

“He has sent many soldiers,” she said. “Many to capture me again.”

He released her, his hands already blistering. “Then we need to run. How close are they?”

The flames disappeared from her gaze. The wolves ran through the trees, illuminating the dark forest around them. Shadows chased behind them. Jasper knew what they were.

Men.

He reached out and grabbed Mercy’s hand. “Scratch that, we need to run now.”

For once, she didn’t argue. Mercy bolted with him as the wolves caught up to them. They coiled along her body, disappearing once they touched her skin. Together, Mercy and Jasper bounded over fallen limbs and ducked under branches. They twisted around trees, so they could keep ahold of each other.

They stomped through creeks, Mercy blasted branches out of their way with her magic. And every chance Jasper had, he teleported them as far ahead as he could.

Jasper glanced at her as they ran. “I can teleport us out of this forest!”

“No!” she shouted back. “We keep running!”

“Where are we going?”

A wicked grin spread across her face and she pulled away from his grasp. In some twisted way, they were enjoying themselves. He shouldn’t be. Armed men were chasing them down, he should be taking this situation seriously.

But she had started to laugh as they ran. The trail of her burbling chuckles had kept him running for a different reason. He didn’t care that they were being chased. He didn’t think about what would happen if they were caught.

All he wanted was to catch her.

Her long legs kept her away from him. She was a natural in the forest, whereas he had lost his tricks. His wings helped. They would spread and bank when they made a sharp turn. He grabbed larger branches and swung himself ahead of her.

Her grin was enough to quicken his blood. She was beautiful in a feral, untamable way. He wasn’t certain she could ever be caught, not truly.

Jasper could hear the water rushing before he saw the great divide. A ravine awaited them. He jumped without thought, feet catching the crumbling edges and propelling him to safety.

She hesitated behind him.

When he turned, she gave him a rueful smile. “Phoenixes still can’t fly.”

“You’re tall enough!”

“My height has nothing to do with this.”

“Use those long legs!”

She snarled and backed up. Her bare toes dug into the ground as she sprinted towards him. No hesitation made her pause as her body flew over jagged rocks and raging water. Her teeth bared, she seemed fearless. Feral indeed.

He watched her with fascination. She was fearless as no woman he had ever seen, but then, she wasn’t exactly a woman. She wasn’t made of flesh and bone, but fire and ash.

Her feet hit the edge of the ravine, and he reached for her, snaking his arm around her waist as she teetered on the edge. Her palms hit his chest as he yanked her against him.

She was warmer than normal humans. Feverish hot, his hands burned where he touched her. His hand on her waist shifted, seeking some part of her that was cool. He could feel the soft swell of her hip. He could feel her ribs expanding in tune to his.

She was still in nothing but a button down shirt. And he wasn’t wearing a shirt at all.

He grinned. “Between us, we make one fully clothed person.”

“Are you saying you’re cold and would like my shirt?”

“Would you give it to me if I asked?

She cocked her head to the side. “There are better ways to warm up, Fairy.”

When she leaned closer, he thought all his fantasies were about to come true. Instead, just before they touched, she gently blew a spark from her mouth. It landed on his lip, singeing his