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

wide spread fingers. “I have not felt a body in many years.”

“Really?” Malachi appeared to be intrigued by that. “How long?”

“Since Legion first absorbed me.”

“And how long would that be?”

“A thousand years?” The question lay heavy in the air, as though she wasn’t quite certain when it had happened.

Malachi took a step backwards but stooped to stare into the very different eyes that were blinking back at him. “You don’t know exactly?”

“It is many years to keep track of.”

“Of course,” he murmured. “Of course, that is far too many for you.”

The long black braid slid off of his shoulder as he ran his hand down her arm. “You are what I think you are, correct?”

“What?” She flinched backwards into the wall. Wren could feel the other woman’s fear at the words.

“Easy there,” Malachi chuckled. “I was not among those who condemned your people. An Illusionist, unless I am mistaken?”

Voices clamored around her. There were too many voices for her to keep track of, and Wren realized that she was standing within a crowd. In the vast expanse of her mind, it felt as though there were hundreds… thousands of other creatures clustered around her.

Rather than feeling crowded, she felt safe. Safer than she had ever felt in her life, in fact. The warmth and strength of E was amplified by her position inside of the creature. She had always been separate from it. Now she was one of the many that made up E.

She worried what kind of ramifications this would bring with it.

“Illusionist, yes,” the creature that was currently directing her body murmured in response.

“Your kind was greatly feared in the old days.”

“Before the End. Yes.”

“My kind was never afraid of yours.” His hand trailed across her cheek.

The others that were part of E did not like where this conversation was going. They shouted to run. They screamed to hurt Malachi. But in the end, curiosity won.

“Why?” she murmured.

His eyes softened, and Wren could hear the other woman’s thoughts as though they were her own. Perhaps they had been wrong about this powerful creature that had given her another life. That had offered her control over a body that had never been hers.

This was an opportunity for her that had never been presented before. She was not a very strong soul inside the vast expanse of E. In fact, she was rather weak. Never had she been considered strong physically or mentally. Now he was offering her a second chance to be just that.

She weaved a little before leaning into the palm that was soon cupping her cheek. Her eyes drifted closed to savor the feeling of touch, something she had not experienced on her own in such a long time.

She sighed.

But he had not yet answered her question. The old days had been difficult for her kind, which had been feared because of their powers. She found it hard to believe that his kind had not been afraid of hers. She didn’t even know what his kind was.

Her eyes blinked opened to find him leaning closer to her.

“Why wasn’t your kind afraid of mine?”

He paused then, and she desperately hoped that he would say that he knew that they were good. He could see inside of her soul and see that she was a kind creature who wanted nothing more than to create illusions of happiness and hope.

For a moment, she thought she saw those emotions in his eyes. This man, this creature, this Malachi whom so many were afraid of, he would see that she was not evil. He would see how delicate and lovely she really was.

Again, she leaned into the hand that held onto her cheek.

He sighed, and she felt his breath flutter against her skin. “Dearest.”

She knew he was good. She knew he would understand, that he saw what she was underneath this borrowed body. Of course he was good.

His thumb stroked the arch of her cheekbone. “Because we are so much more powerful than you.”

In a snake like strike, his palm slammed against her sternum. She gasped as the bones in her body seemed to shake. Wren, along with all the others beside her, groaned as the pain was shared among all of them.

She could see them standing next to her. They were inside her head and yet not. So many shadowed figures standing beside her, and all of them started to quake as his hand pulled against something. She ached, and they knew something she didn’t.

Her eyes tilted down to see his hand slowly disappearing into the cavity of her chest. No blood could be seen, and with sudden clarity, a word was screamed inside her head. She knew then what this creature before her was.

Looking up at him, she managed one last word. “Void.”

A feral grin split his face. “Oh yes.”

Magic aided his hand to sink not only into her flesh but straight through to the soul that currently held control over her physical form. Deeper and deeper it sank. His hand attached to the dark shadow that filled the cavities of her body.

She let out a low moan. Her head shook back and forth as his hand curled around the soul inside her. He squeezed long and slow. Forcefully, he drew the pain out as long as he could before he twisted his hand hard and crushed the fragile soul in his palm.

The shadow that had been part of E shattered. Wren could hear the sound as though someone had dropped a wineglass. But the worst part was that the voice of the woman screamed loud before being cut off.

There was nothing left of her. Nothing but a wisp of black smoke that curled out of Wren’s now gaping mouth.

Malachi leaned forward to inhale that bit of smoke. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he let out a long groan of pleasure.

“Yes. That’s more like it.”

Wren tried to surge forward. She wanted control over her body. She wanted to smack the smug expression of his face so hard