Infinity Reaper by Adam Silvera (new books to read .TXT) 📕

and chased dolphins. Elsewhere, a song-rook, best known for their ability to regenerate body parts, was victim to a hunter’s bird trap and lost his foot, and as the phoenix surrounded himself in his violet flames, his Halo companion said his farewells. Hours later the song-rook woke up from hibernation and immediately regrew his foot, to the grieving Halo’s relief.

“. . . these examples and more suggested that the phoenixes were tapping into their past lives to strengthen their present ones,” Wyatt says as he closes the book. “This is a power that always exists in them. It’s as instinctive as learning how to fly and as primal as breathing. Should a phoenix sense their muscle memory is off, they can simply go back in the past to remember it. Fascinating, yeah?”

“I witnessed this firsthand with Roxana,” Tala says. “I was seven, and a boy in my training circle called her damaged because Roxana wasn’t casting any thunderstorms after her most recent resurrection. I punched him in the nose.”

“Of course you did,” Brighton says.

“Care for a reenactment?” Tala asks.

Who would blame her at this point? Between Brighton shouting at Iris, who can literally rip his arms off—and happily rip them off again if they regrew—and now running his mouth to Tala, who’s pissed at him for having phoenix blood, he can’t keep his attitude together.

Tala turns away from him. “One evening, Roxana set her nest on fire and went to sleep. She didn’t wake up the next morning, and I cried every night that followed, swearing I’d cared for her wrong. It was the most painful month of my life. And then she woke up. The sky thundered, and I danced in her downpour.” This is the first time I’m seeing Tala beam as she watches Roxana. There’s so much love there. I’m sure that month Tala believed her to be dead must’ve been unimaginable suffering.

“Similar situation with Nox,” Wyatt says. “Two lives ago he was tracking a wounded phoenix in a forest and his senses couldn’t have been more off. To this day I would put down ten pounds that he was only guessing. Then Nox stopped and began hibernating. I was familiar with retrocycling, but to see it in action was astonishing. I could’ve done without fending for myself in a forest for three nights, but Nox woke up and it took mere minutes to find the common ivory in a cave.”

Wyatt is very proud of Nox too. His smile can light up the sun.

“How does this work for humans?” I ask. “Do we try and retrocycle in our sleep or something?”

“Here’s where the guesswork begins. Tragically for you all there is no flame to light your path. Perhaps it happens in your sleep or you meditate or set yourself on fire or dance naked under the sun. I personally fancy the naked dancing experiment,” Wyatt says as he looks me in the eye.

I’m burning up. I’m definitely rocking a vibe from Wyatt as I avoid his gaze. I don’t know if he’s super flirtatious with everyone or if he’s going for it with me, but Wyatt is certainly more direct than any of my encounters with Ness. I’ll never know what the deal was with Ness, but I always feel ridiculous even entertaining that someone as beautiful and brave as him would’ve been interested in someone like me. I’m probably imagining everything with Wyatt too.

“This doesn’t serve me,” Maribelle says.

“It might,” Tala says. “You don’t have control of your sensing power and that can make you a more lethal opponent to the Blood Casters. But only if you go straight to the source of your power.”

Maribelle considers her words, but I wonder if that’s going to be enough for her.

“Let’s get started,” Brighton says.

“Slow your racehorse,” Wyatt says.

“No, my mother’s life is on the line here.”

“Absolutely, absolutely. I need some prep time to do some more research and decide on our best approach. I promise to share my findings by the morning at the absolute latest.”

“What time should we come back?” I ask. I’m not sure where we’d even go since Iris doesn’t want us back at the cottage. Maybe we’ll sleep in the car.

“You’re welcome to stay here. Two more guestrooms remain. I’ll bunk here in the library. Tala, you mind escorting them?”

“Yes,” Tala says.

“Thank you.”

“You misunderstand. Yes, I do mind. I will work with them as long as this makes sense for phoenixkind, but I’m not putting mints on pillows or changing sheets,” Tala says. She goes out to the balcony and lies down beside Roxana.

Wyatt leads the way himself, muttering about how much he’s loving how good we’re all getting on. There are two beds in each guestroom, and as much as I’d love to give Brighton and Prudencia some privacy, Maribelle makes it pretty clear she’s not welcoming me in her room when she closes the door behind her. Hanging out in a library all night sounds chill, but this simple room with a black-and-white portrait of a flying phoenix and a view of the first courtyard will do.

“Until tomorrow,” Wyatt says, tipping an invisible hat. “Perhaps later this evening if the mood strikes.”

I stupidly turn away from the window and Wyatt is straight staring at me with lust in his eyes. He winks before leaving us.

Brighton laughs. “Oh, bro. That Halo Knight is hard for the Infinity Son.”

“I don’t think it’s because he’s the Infinity Son,” Prudencia says. “Sorry, Emil, I’m not calling you that. Friend pass. But I do think Wyatt is interested.”

“You should’ve taken him up earlier and ridden his phoenix,” Brighton says with suggestive eyebrows.

Prudencia smacks him in the chest.

“Bright, bigger matters at hand.”

“I’m looking out for you! You’ve never even kissed a guy and there’s a Halo Knight with your favorite accent making a move on you.”

On paper Wyatt is someone I should explore something with, I get that, but just because a phoenix-loving, handsome English guy might be into me doesn’t mean that Ness is kicked out of my