Black Blood (Series of Blood Book 4) by Emma Hamm (scary books to read .TXT) 📕

the edge of the dream. Her hand passed through its bubble much easier this time, almost as though her dream understood that she wanted to walk, not linger. Water cascaded around her and disappeared into silver starlight.

Burke was waiting. Here in the Dreaming, outside of a dream, he was little more than mist. She could feel his soul even without seeing his face.

“I told you,” she said. Her dream coalesced beneath her feet, dripping glass onto the bubble beneath her.

“I’ve never seen this done before.”

“I don’t know if anyone else can do it.”

“What are you?”

She didn’t have an answer for him. He drifted in a lazy circle before floating away. “You’re made of moths, you know.”

“Malachi said the same thing the last time I saw him.”

“In a dream?”

“No, on the paths of time.”

“Strange. We all look our true form in the Dreaming, I assume you also look that way in Time.”

Lydia had never thought about what she might look like. She had seen Sil was humanoid. But perhaps she had chosen a form. Pitch had.

That begged the question, did she have Sil’s old form? Or had she created an entirely new visage for herself?

She would have to ask Pitch if they all survived this.

They passed a dream made of crystal clear glass. Within the bubble, a woman was suspended inside a bubble of thorns. She had a book pressed to her knees and flipped the page as Lydia walked by. She had no idea what kind of creature the woman was, or if was even a creature, but using a dream to relax was compelling.

Another mist joined them, spiraling around Burke and coiling at Lydia’s feet.

“Are you searching for Malachi?” it asked.

“We are. We need to locate him in the real world to destroy him.”

“I will join you.”

Lydia arched a brow. “Why?”

“His dreams are poisoning the others. We care for the dreams, and he enjoys destroying them. If you want to stop him, we will do everything we can to help.”

“Do you know where he is?”

“Yes,” the Dream Walkers voice deepened in anger. “I know exactly where he is. We’ve contained him, for now, so he cannot hurt any more dreams.”

She quickened her pace, sprinting after the two Dream Walkers as they flowed like a river. More joined, mingling with the others until they were a blanket of white mist rushing toward a single goal.

“Jump!” Burke called out to her. “Your dream can’t keep up!”

Lydia glanced down and whispered, “Come with me.”

Leaving the dream felt like a bad idea. She was not a Dream Walker, and could not find it again if it became lost. The globs of glass climbed up her legs and shrank to curl around her collarbone.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

And she jumped.

Her feet sank into the mist that was surprisingly solid. Running on top of their already moving mass sent her hurtling closer Malachi’s dream prison. The wave of Dream Walkers rolled, pushing her forward until she saw it.

Veins of darkness splintered out of the dream. Thick black ooze dripped from their ends, hardening slowly to make them stretch even further. White mist of Dream Walkers pushed bubbles out of the way, ever vigilantly protecting the precious creatures within.

Lydia slowed, the surrounding light dimming as they approached.

“What is happening?” she asked.

A Dream Walker next to her, feminine in voice and form, responded. “He’s infecting everyone around him. Somehow, he’s learned how to devour powers through dreams. He doesn’t have to even touch the creatures to steal their souls.”

This was worse than she ever could have imagined. Lydia’s blood raged hot and her power flared. Moths burst into flight all around her.

“It’s time to take care of this. Once and for all.” Her fists clenched. “Are you ready Burke?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s figure out where this bastard is hiding.”

She sprinted forward, funneling herself into a stream of white light that speared into Malachi’s dream. Burke twisted in the air and followed her.

There was nothing but darkness in Malachi’s dream. Lydia landed hard, falling to a knee and pressing her fist against the ground before standing. She blinked.

The Void dreamed of nothing? There were no clues. No key points. Nothing but a barren wasteland of night.

“Burke?” she asked.

“I’m here.”

“Can you still figure out where we are?”

“I can locate him, but it will take time. If he finds me, then he will try to stop me.”

“I’ll distract him.”

Lydia reached a hand forward, light already flowing from her palm. It was so easy to flex her power. She whispered life into moths that burst forth between her fingers. They carried her golden magic and spread their warm glow through the dream.

It was then that she saw Malachi. Huddled in the farther corner of his dream, curled into a ball. His hands flexed against his ribs when her light settled on him.

She hesitated. That was not the posture of a man taking down the world. It wasn’t the Malachi she had expected at all. He was smaller, somehow. Younger. Or perhaps merely weak.

“Malachi?” She made sure her footsteps could be heard, padding toward him slowly.

“Go away.”

“Are you injured?”

“No.”

He shuffled his feet, squeezing his body as far away from her as he could.

Lydia could see him now. His emaciated form made her wince. He was hungry, starving, but not for power. A shower of golden sparks erupted from a moth that shredded itself over him. He flinched.

“What has happened to you?” she asked.

“They happened.”

“What have they done?” She knelt in front of him, cocking her head to the side to peer at his face hidden in the crook of his arm. “Malachi, tell me what has happened.”

“They made me feed. I gorged myself on power and I gave it all to them. But the voices are still screaming in my head and I can’t make them go away.”

“The souls you’ve killed?”

“No.” He lifted his head. Tear streaked cheeks were burned red by salt and scrubbing. “My ancestors.”

Something brushed her shoulder. Fingers, but not human ones. Long tipped claws outlined the shape of her shoulders