Blue BloodSeries of Blood #3
Emma Hamm
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Epilogue
About the Author
Also by Emma Hamm
Copyright © 2017 by Emma Hamm
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover art by Mirella Santana: http://mirellasantana.deviantart.com/
Editing by: Sarah Collingwood, Robert Freund Jr.
Proofreading by: Renee Wood
ISBN: 1-5448-7048-5
Created with Vellum
To all the people who consistently read my books, who have the most wonderful responses, and who remind me every day why I write.
Thank you for enjoying my world.
1
He awoke to the sound of dripping.
Each plink against the stone floor echoed in his mind until it was all he could concentrate on. Drip. Drip. Drip. The water struck the ground as though it was boring into his skull.
He pressed his palms firmly against his temples. The action did not help the throbbing headache behind his eyes, instead, only amplified his disorientation. The repetitive sounds only aggravated his headache.
Jasper groaned as he slowly rolled to his side. Was he hung over? Did he blackout after an attempt to drown in alcohol?
Surely he had succeeded if the pain in his head was any indication. He couldn’t remember anything from last night. Or even the night before. Once more he groaned, clutching his tangled mane of hair. Never again. He was never going to drink again.
Water. The dripping made him realize how parched his throat was. Maybe a cool drink would help. Or, better yet, a vial of Wren’s Juice to take care of his symptoms. The thought made him relax slightly. The pain in his head was only temporary. He had to get up.
He rolled over slowly to place his hand on his mattress. But his palm did not meet soft flannel sheets. Pebbles dug between his fingers and lodged underneath his nails. Hard ground. Not the comfortable bed he had been expecting.
Jasper finally opened bleary eyes to stare down at the cold stone. Then, memory came rushing back.
He remembered the battle. The harsh smell of smoke in the air and the screams echoing in his ears. He remembered the great skeletal beast who had used Lyra like a shield. He remembered watching both of them fall.
His heart had broken. Lyra was everything to him. Sister, friend, love, everything he needed wrapped up in one tiny little package who would never feel the same way about him. She was, in essence, the reason he had kept himself alive for so long.
Memories assaulted him. He would never escape the guilt that plagued him from arriving to the battle late. If he had been a few minutes earlier, perhaps Lyra would not have lost the love of her life. To see her lose someone so important had been damning enough.
Her anguish had called to him. He had then watched a miracle happen as Wolfgang came back to life. Jasper had met Lyra’s eyes and smiled when a billow of air unbalanced him. He remembered looking behind him to meet the unnatural gaze of a red eyed man. A tugging sensation had yanked him backwards by the navel and then…nothing.
There was a gaping hole in his mind where a memory should be. He didn’t know where he was or how he had gotten here, but Jasper did know one thing.
He had to get out.
Rolling onto his knees felt like the most difficult thing he had ever done. The broad expanse of his chest rose as he sucked in air. Breathing hard didn’t help him achieve his goal. In fact, it was a hindrance. The pain in his ribs made him want to fold right back onto the ground.
He grunted and pushed hard at the stone beneath him. Though his biceps shook, he managed to rock back onto his heels. He pressed his palms against his thighs and tilted his gaze towards the ceiling. Never had kneeling been so difficult. And he’d been knocked down by a few impressive opponents.
Once he caught his breath, he canted his head to look around. He realized with shock that he was in a cell. Iron bars surrounded him on every side, growing down from the ceiling to embed themselves in the ground.
There was nothing in the cell. No bed. No food. No water. Not even a bucket to relieve himself in. He was caged him like an animal.
An angry growl vibrated his throat. They would not contain him like this. He lumbered to his feet as rage poured adrenaline through his veins. His balance was off. He listed to the side and he landed hard against the iron.
Immediately, his flesh sizzled.
He hissed through his teeth and stumbled away from the bars. Jasper clutched onto the burning flesh of his arm. True iron was hard to come by these days and it had effectively trapped him in this tiny square.
His train of thought scattered as panic set in. He tried to teleport out of the cell but was unsuccessful. Pinpricks arced up his spine and exploded in the base of his skull.
His shout of anger and pain echoed around him as he attempted to use his power once more. Jasper fell to his knees as he pushed himself to teleport past the iron. He ground his teeth until the muscles in his jaw bounced. His hands curled into fists that shook with the need to strike something. Anything.
He would not be caged. He would not remain here and wait for whomever had captured him.
Panic made him little more than a beast as he lunged towards the iron bars. His large hands wrapped around them with no consideration for the agony. Tendrils of smoke drifted in the air as his arms
