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

“No, she cannot. You know that more than anyone, don’t you, Jasper? But the reality is this: I will kill this little Phoenix if she does not obey. I have no care over whether it remains alive or not. It’s better for me if it doesn’t. But if she does come to me willingly, they will both live.”

Jasper’s eyes burned with hate as he locked gaze with the evil man. “You once told me that the only truth about you is that you lie.”

“It makes it entertaining doesn’t it?” Malachi leaned forward with a grin that seemed jagged in the strong shadows.

“We are not on your chessboard,” Jasper growled. He stepped forward aggressively.

He wanted to protect Mercy. Jasper had always been the one to protect people, just like he had protected Lyra and the other people in his life. The strong had to protect the weak, or the balance of the world would be unbalanced.

But he had somehow forgotten that Mercy was not one of the weak.

She walked away from him as a pillar of fire. From where he stood, he could see the flesh burning off of her body and revealing the molten core within. She was nothing more than cooled lava by the time she reached Malachi’s side. But more than that, he swore he could see the distinct outlines of wings growing from her spine.

“Give him to me.” Her voice echoed.

“In a moment.” Malachi grinned when her hand lashed out to grapple onto his arm. “Oh, Mercy. Did you think I wouldn’t come prepared? Water Elementals are painful to your kind, aren’t they?”

Steam rose from their point of contact. Jasper could only hope that Mercy was close enough to Ignes that the creature was healing her. But Ignes was no longer moving in Malachi’s hand. The little lizard was limp and swung with every movement as Malachi gestured.

“Come here.” Malachi ran a finger down Mercy’s cheek. “You are such a beautiful creature. It’s a shame you cannot be mine. But you have to pay for killing my men. Surely you knew that.”

“I will kill you someday.” She uttered the oath as though it were a prayer. “That is a promise.”

“Don’t make promises you cannot keep, child. They’re petty.” Malachi patted her cheek once more and lifted Ignes for her to see. “Now, I need to make certain you are no threat to me. It’s a shame you had to choose this path. It is not the one I would have chosen for you.”

Malachi drew her into his arms in a mock embrace as he squeezed one last pitiful cry out of Ignes. Jasper could see Malachi press his lips where Jasper’s had been only moments before.

He launched himself forward. Two Minotaurs caught his shoulders, but they were unprepared. Pink Fairy Dust hit them square in the face. Jasper’s wings beat at one while he grabbed the other by the head and twisted.

More Minotaurs rushed him, five men pouncing to hold him down as Malachi disappeared into the smoke. They only released him when their leader had left. Jasper might have followed them if he hadn’t heard Mercy’s pained cry.

Her hands cradled Ignes to her chest. The Phoenix was unmoving and frighteningly silent.

Jasper stepped forward, but he did not know what he could do. Instead, he crouched in front of her as she cradled Ignes in her hands.

“I’m sorry,” she said to the Phoenix as tears made of fire slid down her cheeks. “This never should have happened.”

Mercy lifted a hand and plunged it into her own chest. She cracked open her ribs silently, as though the bones no longer existed. Within the safe haven of her breast, he could see the most unusual thing. There was no heart within her. Instead, it was a glowing ball of white hot magma. She slid Ignes into the heat, and he melted away.

“Is he safe now?” he asked.

Mercy nodded, but her eyes were vacant. She lifted her hands and brought them towards the ground. Her palms met the solid earth while the flames answered her call. They funneled towards her in great veins of light until she inhaled them all.

It was then Jasper saw Priscilla’s crumpled form on the ground. Mercy saw it, too, but she remained gravely silent.

Somehow, that was all the more terrifying to him.

Mercy stood on unsteady legs and made her way towards the silent form. Jasper swore he could feel the ground shake as she fell to her knees before the Hag. Mercy rolled Priscilla onto her back, and blood trickled from her beak. Burns covered her body from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, where her hair had been singed away.

Mercy gathered Priscilla in her arms and rocked back and forth. He couldn’t hear her crying, but a ripple of heat warped the air around them. Jasper’s fists clenched through a great wave of fear as he tried to prepare himself for what would come next.

The ground shook again, a large hand wrapped around his waist, and lifted him into the air.

Tiny clutched Jasper to his chest. “We have to leave.”

“We can’t do that!” Jasper struggled against the impossibly strong grip. “We can’t leave them there!”

“You don’t understand, boy. What you’re looking at is something like a nuclear bomb about to go off.”

“What?” Jasper wildly looked back at Mercy. “She’s too weak. Ignes is too weak.”

“I don’t think she cares about that right now.” Tiny hurried backwards. “Just watch.”

And watch Jasper did. Great billows of power rolled off of Mercy. Wave after wave of visible light until she threw her head back and screamed. This time, it was different. This time, there was nothing human left in that sound.

This was the cry of a wounded beast. This was the cry of a woman who wanted revenge.

With the scream, the rolling power grew. Heat blasted out of her body in all directions, and great, fiery wings burst from her back, stretching towards the sky. And still she screamed.

“I cannot let her