The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 3 From the Ashes by Melissa Myers Read Free Book Online Page A

How could it be
haunted? After all, we just built it, remember?” Sovann said
gently, his voice filled with patience. “Maybe you should show
yourself, Emily. That might make her feel better,” Sovann
suggested, turning to look in the direction he thought Emily was
in.
    Emily fought back a snort of amusement as she
watched him gaze at the empty corner. She remained silent and
turned her attention outside the window she was perched in, hoping
to catch a glimpse of what she knew she wouldn’t see. Jala and
Marrow had been gone for days now and no matter how long she
watched for their return, she knew in her gut she wouldn’t see
them. Jala had left her behind, just as Shade had done, and she had
never seen Shade again.
    It wasn’t truly Jala that she missed, though.
It was Marrow. She identified with the Bendazzi better than she did
these perfect pretty Immortals. He was a predator as she was, and
he understood things the immortals couldn’t seem to grasp. Like the
smell of scented soap alerts prey. Emily grumbled silently and
shifted a bit closer to the window. She had no doubt at all that if
she showed herself to Sovann and Wisp another bath would be in her
future.
    A ragged sob followed by a slamming door
heralded Wisp’s victory, and Emily watched in amusement as the
child ran to huddle beneath the window barely inches below her. The
desire to reach down and touch the child flashed through her mind,
but she ignored the impulse. While it might be funny for a moment
to see the child shriek and jump it wouldn’t be worth the lectures
from Sovann that would ensue afterwards.
    “What did you need to speak with me about?”
Sovann asked quietly as he gave Devony a reassuring smile.
    Wisp looked over her shoulder at the door and
then back to Sovann. “Are the wards in place?” she asked
quietly.
    Sovann returned her gaze and arched an
eyebrow before nodding slowly. “Whenever the door is closed the
wards are active. No one can hear us,” he assured her.
    “My brother is here. He wants to speak with
Jala. I haven’t told him what is going on. I left him in the main
house with some food and drink while I came to speak with you. The
only company he has right now is the maid and she had no idea where
Jala is. What should I tell him? The truth didn’t seem a good idea
at the time,” Wisp explained, her words pouring out in a flood.
Wisp brushed a strand of hair from her face and stared at Sovann,
her big green eyes full of expectation.
    Emily’s attention turned from the window to
them and she watched Sovann as he considered the Fae’s words. On
the surface, Sovann was a slender mirror of his dead brother. He
had the same bronzed skin and tawny hair, though he wore his hair
longer than Finn had. Emily, however, had been around Sovann enough
lately to know appearance was the only thing the brothers had in
common. Finn was passionate and spontaneous where Sovann was calm
and thoughtful. He was displaying that thoughtfulness right now and
didn’t seem in a hurry to answer Wisp, though the Fae was quite
obviously in a hurry.
    “I don’t see how they can possibly interfere
with Jala right now…,” Sovann began but let his voice trail off. He
pursed his lips as he gave the matter more thought and shifted a
few items on his work table.
    Emily smiled at the habit. It was one of the
few entertainments she had while working with Sovann on his secret
project. He was very particular about his work tables and liked
everything to be perfectly in place. So when she grew bored she
roamed the room shifting things around.
    “Whatever we tell him, he will report back to
the Fionaveir leaders. It won’t take long for gossip to spread.
Jala didn’t say that we should keep silent on this but I don’t want
to do anything that might jeopardize their returning safely. It’s
not that I don’t trust my brother, but I don’t know how far the
gossip will go. If the Fionaveir leaders keep it to themselves we
don’t have a problem,”