The Primal of Blood and Bone (Blood and Ash #6) Read Online Jennifer L. Armentrout

Categories Genre: Alpha Male, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal Tags Authors: Series: Blood And Ash Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout
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Total pages in book: 401
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
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The hollow, thin laughter ceased.

Kieran inhaled sharply, looked away, and then lowered his chin to his chest.

Attes tossed the broken vial aside, his head lifting. A fine sheen of sweat had broken out across his brow, and his skin had become a ghastly shade of gray.

Her body stiffened.

And I knew the draken blood had finally burned through Attes’s hand and reached her chest.

She let out a low, keening whimper, reminding me of a wounded animal. Then, she started to shake. The whimpering rose into a wail that became a scream as wisps of dark, oily smoke rose.

Attes rocked back, falling onto his ass as he drew his arm to his chest. All I saw was a glimpse of charred skin, dripping tissue, and bone.

Air rushed from my lungs as I lifted my head and pressed it to the side of hers. “I’m sorry,” I rasped, her pain slamming into me, fiery and devastating. I didn’t even try to block it. I let it burn me up like it was burning her. My eyes closed against the damp sting filling them. “I’m so damn sorry.”

Her back bowed as raw, piercing screams tore from her throat, overcoming my apologies. Her agony filled the cell, coating the walls and floor in pain, drenching my soul with it.

“It’ll be over soon. I promise.” I rocked her as I pressed my lips to her temple. Her skin was still cold but no longer waxy. It had to be over soon; I kept telling myself and her it would be as her scream cracked. The sound faltered, splintering into a hoarse rasp before fading into silence, leaving only the jagged sound of her labored breaths. She went completely limp. I felt Kieran lift himself—

“What the fuck?” he erupted.

My eyes snapped open, and I stretched my neck. “What—?”

Shock drenched me as I saw her chest. The skin there was a…fuck. It was a mess of charred flesh and puckered holes that’d better fucking heal without a single scar left behind. But the mark between her breasts…it moved. Shuddered. Wiggled and writhed like serpents—no, not like serpents.

It was serpents.

Two of them.

Thank the gods Poppy was unconscious for this.

Kieran shot forward, reaching for them, but I was faster. Lifting my arm from her waist, I grabbed them. They felt nothing like a serpent should. Their wiggling bodies were clammy, too pliant and unnatural.

They felt like death.

Two diamond-shaped heads lifted, their mouths gaping open. They let out piercing shrieks like countless tortured souls crying out at once.

“The fuck?” I choked out as I flung my arm to the side, throwing them as hard as I could across the cell.

They slammed into the wall, howling. Crimson-streaked smoke exploded from them as they shattered, swirling with an unnatural intensity as they surged toward the curtain-draped wall. The air filled with the sickly-sweet stench of death. The smoke pressed against the fabric, the crimson tendrils pulsing like living veins. The curtains began to peel back, their edges curling and graying with rot. A foul hiss filled the air. Cloth disintegrated into ash as it slithered along the wall, tracing every crack and crevice with eerie determination.

“Essence,” Attes groaned as they reached the iron door. The tendrils hesitated. “His will.”

Kieran scrambled to his feet, the bone dagger still in his hand as I slid off the blankets, drawing Poppy farther away. He jerked his arm back and let the dagger fly.

The essence dropped, pooling at the base of the door. The blade pierced straight through and struck iron, the hilt vibrating from the impact. Kieran shot forward and skidded to a stop. The mist had already scattered, disappearing like fog with the first rays of the sun.

Kieran took a step back and whipped around. “Serpents? That’s what his aru’lis looks like?”

“No, that was his vellá—how his will reveals itself,” Attes muttered as I carefully laid Poppy onto her back. “That wasn’t his aru’lis. It was his essence, the eather that is an extension of his will.”

“He can project his will like that?” Kieran muttered.

“How do you think he’s been jumping from Ascended to Ascended?” Attes drew in a thin, pained breath. “He is the true Primal of Death. There are no limits to how he chooses to project his will, especially as he grows stronger.” Grunting, he pushed himself back until he hit the wall. “He’s gone for now.”

Yeah, neither of us thought for a second that had killed the fucker.

I looked down at Poppy’s pale face and checked her pulse. It was silly. The imprint was still on my hand, and I could see the rise and fall of her chest, but I needed to feel her heart beating.

And it did, once more in tune with mine.

The relief was brief but sweet as my gaze flickered down. I swallowed hard at the harsh sight of her chest. Some of the blood was hers. Some belonged to Attes, but a few smudges shimmered faintly. I had no idea if that was Attes’s blood or the draken’s. Rising onto my knees, I looked over my shoulder at Kieran, my thumb remaining where I could feel her pulse. “There is some clean linen on the table and a water pitcher. Grab them for me.” My gaze cut to Attes as Kieran hurried to the table. “Need one?”


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