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

he knew little more than a child. He took it as best he could. Most of the time he’d found himself laughing along with them.

Jasper didn’t have the heart to admit to them how little he knew. Guilt had wormed its way into his chest. He should know more about Bluebell and where she came from, especially as there were so many others who were closer to their creatures than he.

However, Bluebell had always seemed infantile to him. Her thoughts were simple, black and white, and her voice was high pitched. It stood to reason that she was incapable of adult thoughts.

Tiny did not question his creature. Jasper frequently caught him laughing as the creature inside him told jokes. Priscilla teased her Hag that she didn’t know as much as she thought. And Mercy and Ignes were unnaturally close. He often caught them snuggled up by the fire together.

It made a man think about his life decisions. It made him think about Bluebell.

She had never once failed to believe in him. Even the people he thought loved him had their doubts. Bluebell didn’t.

He would never have changed his mind about her if he had not come to this place. These people were changing him, slowly but surely.

They were good people. Every day he worked with them, ate with them, shared stories with them. The more time passed, the more they proved how golden their hearts were. They never once questioned whether or not they could provide him food. They never asked him when he was leaving or even for payment. They simply decided he was one of them.

That was enough.

His favorite time of the day was after the sun set. Everyone would all gather around a large bonfire and tell stories. The Hag was usually the storyteller, as she had been the first night. Sometimes, the others would provide a rare insight into their lives.

The Thunderbird had particularly exciting stories of lightning and riding upon the backs of clouds.

Even in that, Jasper had little to offer them. His stories seemed silly compared to theirs. A farm boy moves to the city, becomes a bodyguard, follows a tiny Siren the entire way, and devotes his life to following her. Only to be cast aside for another.

He had realized how pathetic it sounded before the words ever left his mouth. He didn't know when his opinion of his life had changed so drastically, but he understood now that he had wasted a lot of time on someone who would never return his love.

“Jasper, you’re lost in your thoughts,” Bluebell whispered in a tiny voice.

“Easy to do these days,” he responded quietly.

“But you’re missing all the fun parts! If you don’t listen to the stories, we can’t talk about them later.”

This had also become part of their routine. Bluebell liked to go over every tiny detail. She had always enjoyed hearing about other people’s lives, and now she wouldn’t stop talking about them.

Jasper shifted on the log he sat upon. “You’ll tell me the stories again, won’t you?”

There was a pause before she responded, “That would also be fun. Do you think I could tell the stories as well as them?”

“I do.”

A soft, happy hum was his answer.

The others were finishing the remaining scraps of dinner. Firelight lit their faces with a soft glow. He realized that in a short amount of time these people had become important to him.

Priscilla shuffled over to him and eased down. Jasper heard her bones creaking.

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

He took the tankard of ale she held out to him. “I am.”

“That’s good to know.” She smiled. “We were hoping you would like it here.”

“Is that so? Well, I thank you for welcoming me. This has been an experience I never thought I would see in my lifetime.”

“I received a message for you, from an old friend.”

He froze with the tankard raised halfway to his mouth. “A what?”

“A message. She said she had told you before but wanted me to reiterate it.”

“So I know your friend?”

“I doubt anyone knows her. But we have always shared an age. She said to tell you that you must learn to control her before you have to find a leash.”

He instantly remembered a different time in a swamp and a house that appeared out of nowhere. But more than anything, he remembered a wrinkled face tucked beneath a mound of blankets staring at him.

“The Crone?”

“It is one of the names she is known by, yes.”

“I wouldn’t have put her as the type to have friends.”

“We have known each other since we were children. She helped me realize that it is not such a bad thing to always be an old woman.” The Hag paused to stare into the flames before she cleared her throat. “Might I ask a question of you?”

“I don’t think I could say no to you.”

Jasper was pleased when her cheeks flushed red. “Was she speaking of Mercy?”

He was almost certain the answer was yes, but how could he say it? The Hag was Mercy’s friend. Who wanted to hear that someone they cared about needed to be leashed?

And yet, he owed Priscilla this much for all she had done to help him. “I believe so.”

“Hm,” Priscilla muttered and raised her thumb to her mouth. She nibbled at the nail with her cracked beak before she responded, “Has she fallen that far into madness?”

“She did in the prison. But here, she is different.”

“That’s because she’s with us. We calm her, and allow Ignes to run on his own.”

“Did he create the lava pool?”

“Safely away from all of us, yes.” Priscilla studied Jasper, her eyes surrounded by fine laugh lines. “But she cannot hide here forever. She is meant for greater things.”

“Have you heard the prophecy of the Five?” he blurted out.

“No.” Priscilla sounded surprised. “But we do live far away from civilization.”

His voice deepened as he repeated the section he was supposed to solve. “Forgotten in moss is the creature that sees. One who destroys, ruins, and decrees.”

“And you