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

He found he had once again lost all manner of speech.

“He’s the last Phoenix. It was once a mighty species that was capable of a great many things. And it would be a shame to see it die. I’m not his host, Jasper. He’s turning me into his mate.”

“Right now?” His question was a raspy whisper.

“Someday soon. I’m not Phoenix yet, so Ignes is not particularly interested in me like that. But I will be, someday, the key to rebuilding my race.”

He shook his head. “That doesn’t make sense. You’re human.”

“Not for much longer. Two, maybe three hundred years, is how long I have to remain human. I will continue to lose all the parts of myself that are human until I am like him. I understand your confusion. I didn’t think it was possible either. But I’ve seen the changes. I’ve felt them while I slept. And it’s getting faster now that I’m awake.”

Jasper’s mind was reeling. She wasn’t going to remain human? He wouldn’t be the only romantic interest in her life?

There were too many questions. For now, he had to push aside his pride and understand who she was.

“So you’re not human?” he asked.

“I told you that.” She stared up at him with those sunset eyes that he found so fascinating. “I can feel it slipping away. And when I do feel human, it’s like those moments are duller than they ever used to be.”

As she stared at her long fingers resting upon her knees, he finally stepped completely out of the water. “Is that what you want?”

Mercy’s head snapped up. “No one’s ever asked me that before.”

“Not even Ignes?”

She shook her head. “It’s a necessity. They deserve a second chance. I am honored to be able to take part in bringing them back to their former glory.”

Though his chest ached and his head felt as though someone was poking around in it, Jasper wanted to fully understand. So he knelt on the ground in front of her, ready to listen.

“Can you explain to me why the Phoenix kind are so great?” he asked. “There is very little known about them, so you can understand why I’m having difficulty seeing this as a good plan.”

“They’re the heart of everything.” She stared into his soul when she met his gaze. “They were the original creations of the Five. The first creatures that crawled out of the lava like blood and took their first breath. The knowledge they held was tied directly to the earth. They knew more than their creators. More than the Gods themselves.

“Ignes tells me stories of them. I’ve seen them in his dreams. They were beautiful and deadly and everything I always wanted to be. But now I can’t see them anymore. I see their great wings, I see the healing they are capable of, but it doesn’t feel the same. Ignes and I are broken. We know that we should feel responsible for creatures that aren’t human. We should want to take care of them.”

Mercy shuddered and fell silent.

He leaned forward to press his palm against her cold shoulder. “What do you feel now?”

“Anger,” she said. “Rage. The neverending need to destroy.”

Slowly he nodded and tried to process what she was saying. The Crone had been right. She really could turn into a monster so easily that he would never be able to toss a leash over her.

“That’s not what I see,” he finally said.

She blinked up at him.

Jasper smiled. “I see a woman who is not afraid to stand up for herself. A woman who was daring enough to ride upon the shoulder of a Giant; yes, I woke up for a while as he carried me. And I see a woman who would dance in flames to make others smile. Yes, you are dangerous, but that does not mean you are bad.”

“You don’t see the world the way I do.” She licked her lips.

“Mercy,” he began, “I believe if you want to be good, then you will be good. We need to take you to the Five.”

“They’re gone,” she told him firmly. “The gods abandoned us a long time ago.”

“They didn’t. I work for them.”

She scoffed. “You do not!”

“I do. I found them a long time ago, when I was incapable of controlling myself. I had lost my way and ended up on the wrong path, protecting some very bad people. And then I met the Five, and I realized there was another choice. I believe meeting them would be valuable for you.”

Bluebell stirred inside his mind. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

He furrowed his brow in question as Mercy stared off into the distance.

“It’s just, well, she doesn’t seem like she’s in a place to be meeting gods. Perhaps we should give her a little more time,” Bluebell said quietly.

The problem was that they didn’t have time. He had already been gone long enough. Guilt ate away at him. While the others were likely fighting battles, risking their lives, and attempting to fulfill the prophecy, Jasper had been galavanting in the woods. Worse, he’d known for a while that Mercy was part of the prophecy.

He had been so captivated by her that he couldn’t bring himself to leave. It was as much his fault as hers that they had been found. That others had died.

“Okay,” Mercy replied. “Take me to your people who think they are gods.”

“We’ll have to teleport a few times to get rid of any Trackers. I can’t risk Malachi following us back to them.”

“I would imagine not.”

She took his offered hand. He pulled her lithe form against his chest and held her close. His shirt, though tattered, had remained upon her frame. The fabric was soft like silk against his skin, but Mercy did not melt in his embrace. She coolly accepted his touch and shivered.

He remembered suddenly that he had left Ella’s horn somewhere in his tent. But last he had looked, all the tents had