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

Natural Creatures wrote a nonfiction book about some journey with phoenixes. What I remember most was this black-and-white author photo of him wearing a white turtleneck and a raptor glove. I couldn’t help but laugh at how serious he was trying to look while he rested his chin on his gloved fist, and even Atlas couldn’t hold back his smile at how funny I found it.

“That man is Kirk Bennett. The museum curator who would’ve hired your parents to protect Gravesend, and then traded her egg away for Emil.”

Tala breaks into a sprint, shoving shoppers out of the way, and I follow in the path she’s cleared. Kirk runs past the stairway and through a dark tunnel where there are no lanterns in sight to light his way. I cast fire, but Tala is still several feet ahead of me, tracking Kirk by his pounding footsteps. She dives forward and tackles him, his face splashing in a deep puddle; he’s lucky if it’s only dirty water.

My fire-orb illuminates his face. “We haven’t had the pleasure, Kirk.”

“Please let me go,” he says. “I didn’t do anything!”

“Innocent people don’t run away like you did. What are you doing here?”

“I’m running an errand,” Kirk says.

“For what?”

He’s biting his tongue until I inch the fire-orb closer. “For whom—Luna.”

I tap Tala’s shoulder and ask her to ease up on him, but she’s too furious. “What are you getting for her? Where is she?”

The Starstifler can wait if we get a location on Luna now.

“I don’t know where she is! I’m picking up some oils and herbs used to strengthen phoenixes, and an ointment for shifters. She’s planning on sending someone over to grab them in the next few days.”

I’m not going to camp out in his home. That can turn into a trap quickly.

“Do you know who I am?” Tala says.

“A Halo Knight,” Kirk says.

She rolls him onto his back and removes her mask. “My parents were murdered in your precious museum over a job you didn’t honor.” He tries to apologize, but Tala’s fist connects with his chin too fast and hard. “Your word means nothing.” She drives her knee straight into his stomach. “You profited off phoenixkind and couldn’t bother protecting the precious first life of one who had centuries of lives ahead of her.”

Kirk begs for her to stop as she raises her fist. “Please! I’ll do anything! You want Luna? We can set up a trap for whoever comes for her order. They’ll know more than I do!”

Tala finally gets off of him. “You have ten seconds to get out of here.”

“Thank you, thank you!” Kirk is gasping for breath as he runs down the tunnel.

“Do you believe him?” I ask.

“My parents once believed him. I won’t make their mistake.”

Tala chooses an ordinary arrow and loads it into her crossbow. She aims with nothing but the sound of Kirk’s running to signal where he is. She takes a deep breath as tears slide down her blushed cheeks. He’s one of many people responsible for the death of her parents. Tala shoots the arrow through the darkness, and the fleeing footsteps stop and his anguished cries echo through the tunnel.

“He deserves to be a stranger to breath forevermore,” Tala says. “But I’ll settle for having him locked up for his crimes against phoenixes and my family.”

FiftyThe Silver Star Slayer

BRIGHTON

One look at the news proves that I’m not this country’s problem child.

Allegations against celestials have been increasing lately. Sometimes it feels like there’s a new one every day. But the three that have dropped this morning are rough: the invisible high school coach spying on students while they’re changing in the locker rooms; the boss with fire in his eyes as he corners his assistant for refusing dates with him; and the mother who blinded the children who bullied her son at school.

“I don’t know how Sunstar is going to counter Iron during Monday’s debate,” I say to Prudencia as she finishes her breakfast. “I got to get back out there, try to help.”

“We blew up a building the last time we tried to help,” Prudencia says.

“Technically, the other specter blew it up.”

“I’m sure we can trust Iron to make that distinction.”

“I want to give Sunstar something to fire back with.”

“Brighton, no matter how much good we do, Iron’s people find ways to twist it.” Prudencia takes my hand. “I know you’re feeling powerless even though we know you’re not. But it’s not safe right now. You couldn’t even go home without getting attacked. We’re lucky no one died that night.”

I’m relieved none of my neighbors got killed. I am. But this is one of those moments where I’m grateful Prudencia is telekinetic and not telepathic because she would be disgusted to read my mind and see that I wouldn’t mourn some losses for the greater good.

It’s hard to be the Infinity Savior when I can’t save people.

“Okay,” I say, which feels like a weak promise I might break at any moment.

“Maribelle and Tala should be back with the potion ingredients soon, and then we can disempower the Blood Casters for good. That’ll paint Sunstar and her proposal for the Luminary Union in a better light. Sit tight with me for a little bit longer?”

She kisses me behind my ear, then twice down my cheek, and then finally my lips. We fall back onto the bed, and she sits on top of me, closing and locking the door with her telekinesis, which has definitely become a turn-on for me. My phone keeps vibrating, but I ignore it as my hands reach underneath her shirt and as her hands unbuckle my jeans. Even though we had the room to ourselves last night, we didn’t have sex because we weren’t sure when Emil was going to pop back in, but tonight I’m assuming he’s with Wyatt again or curled up with some phoenixes outside, I don’t care. I’m about to kick off my pants when Prudencia grabs my phone.

“You have so many notifications,”