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

agape. Jasper liked surprising her every now and then, and this time, it had been a home run. She probably wasn’t a fan of him moving on. Frankly, neither was he.

Jasper would always have a special place in his heart for the little girl who had wanted a strand of sparkling beads. He had delivered them to her bedroom and fallen in love with her that instant. But that childhood infatuation couldn’t compare to the ache in his chest every time he saw Mercy.

His footsteps echoed in the hallway as he clomped towards the front door. On a whim, he paused by his bedroom and left the sandwiches on the dresser. He still had a few tricks up his sleeve to surprise Mercy, and fully intended on seeing her shocked expression.

He walked into the bathroom with soft steps. The only time she emerged from her stupor was when Jasper surprised her. He had come to love the way her face changed in those moments.

Mercy was usually so stoic. Her expressions rarely changed. Her eyes always watched the landscape around them as though someone was going to attack them. Maybe she was used to that.

But, when Jasper surprised her, her forehead wrinkled and she would open her mouth slightly. Then the corners of her lips would tilt upwards in a slow smile that lit her eyes with vivid emotion.

He missed that. More than anything else, Jasper missed seeing that fire in her eyes.

Snagging the sandwiches on the way out, he stepped out the front door and journeyed east. The bench overlooking the nearby pond was her favorite place to sit. That it was within earshot of the cabin was a comfort to Jasper.

Malachi had gone underground again, but he remained a threat underlying their daily lives. The closer Mercy stayed, the better.

Her red hair glinted in the sunlight. Strands of gold and copper sparkled as though metal was now growing from her head. He wouldn’t put it past her. The more she withdrew into her mind, the more Phoenix like she became.

“Hello there, darling. Have a sandwich.”

She took the offered plate, settling it in her lap without a glance. She always made it seem as though he was disturbing her, even as he eased his weight onto the groaning bench. Yet he saw a change in the way she was sitting today. Her spine was straighter. Surely that was a good sign.

When she did not respond, he lifted his sandwich and took a large bite. “I have a surprise for you today.”

“Do you?”

He heard the curiosity in her voice and grinned. “Maybe if you looked at me, that would be a good start.”

Slowly, Mercy turned her head to him. He loved these moments. Her eyes widened in shock and her hands immediately raised to brush over his cheeks.

“Your beard is gone,” she said in awe.

“It’s different. You’ve never seen me clean-shaven before.”

In the months they had been on the run, Jasper had rarely been given the luxury of having soap. After the fall of Haven, everyone was so frantic that cleanliness hadn’t been a priority. It was only in the past few weeks, here at his family home, that they had all settled into a regular routine again.

His long hair had been cut short, his face was bare, and his wings were out in the air. He could imagine how different he looked to her.

“You look wonderful,” she said. He watched her look down at herself, measuring the old clothing of his mother’s, her own weight loss, and he saw the moment she found herself lacking.

Jasper tucked his finger under her chin and lifted it up. “So do you.”

“I’m still broken.”

“Yeah.” He brushed his thumb over her lips. “I’ll take you broken, whole, or in pieces any day.”

She smiled softly and tilted her head into his palm. “I’m trying very hard. But it’s like I’m missing bits or the places where they should go are gone.”

“You aren’t a puzzle. You’re a person.”

“There’s something missing though. I keep hearing a voice in my head.”

His lips twisted as he failed to hide a smile. “We all do.”

“This isn’t Ignes. It’s a woman, I think. I recognize her voice, but then when I think I know who it is, I lose the memory.”

He straightened. “Is it one of the Five?”

Mercy shook her head. “No. It’s a similar kind of power but not one of the Five. It doesn’t feel like them. There’s no overwhelming sense of strength, and she’s not urging me to complete some task or find information about you. She just wants to help me heal.”

That sounded familiar to Jasper as well. “Sounds like bells?”

“No, more like rustling leaves.”

Jasper recalled the mysterious white magic that had aided him in the square. Was the same entity contacting Mercy now? He considered telling her about it, but decided to let her have the voice to herself. If it was helping, he wouldn’t interfere.

“I wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Maybe you have a Guardian Angel.”

“Those aren’t real.” She nudged him with her shoulder. “But maybe.”

Only then did she eat. He watched her take delicate bites of the sandwich as her eyes glassed over.

This would change; he would continue helping her piece herself together, helping her learn to love herself. It was no insignificant task. For now, he could be content that she was eating.

“Mercy?” he asked.

She made a soft sound as she chewed. He remembered her eating with gusto back at the camp of creatures. He had been surprised by how much she could pack away. Now, that was a distant memory.

Jasper stretched his arm out on the bench behind her. “How much do you love me?”

She froze. Even her jaw stopped working to chew as she slowly looked over at him.

Deer in the headlights. Just the way he wanted her. Jasper had to work very hard to not grin at her. He knew that she wasn’t an emotional person. Saying the words had been like pulling a tooth out of her