Infinity Reaper by Adam Silvera (best new books to read txt) 📗

she cried in life, it was always hard for me to watch. This time I won’t turn away. “I know it’s hard, Lestor, but her visions have never been wrong. The last time we didn’t trust her power, it only broke our hearts even more. . . .” She places one hand on her stomach and rubs Papa’s arm, soothing him as he fights back his own tears.

I’m confused until I realize that Mama must’ve had a miscarriage—a loss that Sera would’ve foreseen. I don’t know how painful that must’ve been for them, and if they ever planned on telling me, but I want to hug Mama and Papa so much.

The desperation and devastation is building within Sera. “I wish more than anything to have seen our girls grow up together. . . . I’m heartbroken I won’t even get to see my little sunflower blossom. But you two can. I need you to raise Maribelle as your own. Do not let anyone, especially the Blood Casters, know that she’s mine. I can’t have my mother using her the way she’s used me my entire life.”

Mama nods immediately, so ready to welcome me as her daughter, and Papa is still in shock. “We’ll love her as we already have,” she says. “It will never feel like a charade, but what do we do if her powers take after Bautista? There is no fire in our bloodlines.”

“Then bind them,” Sera says as she hands Papa the journal. “Bautista tested my potion on Price, and it worked. When she’s older and safe, you decide what she knows or doesn’t. But her life is more important to me than the truth. Understood?”

“Yes,” Mama says.

“Lestor?”

“You and Bautista saved our lives. We’ll do anything for you,” Papa says.

Sera stares into her daughter’s eyes. “Be strong and be loved, Maribelle Córdova de León. Your father and I have constellations of love for you.” She kisses baby Maribelle’s forehead and squeezes her against her chest before passing her over to Mama.

There’s something about this handoff that makes me feel like I’m watching myself being born.

“Be well,” Sera whispers to everyone.

Papa opens the window and he’s the first to fly out. Mama makes sure the blanket is secured around the baby before pausing to give Sera one last look. Then Mama smoothly flies outside, and Sera and I watch them soaring into the distance.

This is the first time my family took to the skies together. And the last time my birth mother ever saw me.

Forty-SixBautista De León

EMIL

In every great time-travel story, the person returning to the past brings spoilers with them.

Even though I know Luna is ultimately the one who kills Bautista, I’m still not sure how this battle is going to play out between the original Spell Walker and this basilisk Blood Caster. I so badly wish I could take over so Bautista can catch up with Sera and Maribelle and say his goodbyes, but I’m powerless in this space.

Green acid flies toward Bautista and he shoulder rolls into a room with shelves of colorful gem-grenades. He’s calculating something as he ducks behind one of the dozen barrels in here. I almost hide with him, but the Blood Caster can’t see me when he comes in.

“Who was that precious baby?” he asks.

Back at Gleam Care, when Stanton attacked, he was able to track us quickly. I don’t know if this Blood Caster has the same abilities, but he’s moving fast in the direction of Bautista. I can sense that Bautista is nervous. I don’t know if it’s because he’s in a room of explosives or because an adversary might figure out that Maribelle is his daughter.

The Blood Caster stops in his tracks, sniffing the air, and Bautista hops from behind the barrel and jumps into this unbelievable swing kick that connects with his jaw; it’s hard to picture myself doing that, and I can actually fly, unlike Bautista. They trade blows, missing each other every time until the Blood Caster is building acid in his mouth and Bautista chops him in the throat and takes him down with an ankle sweep.

Bautista runs to the doorway. “I’m not going down alone,” he says as he throws a golden fire-orb into the wall of gem-grenades. He charges down the same hall where Sera and Maribelle ran off, so focused that he doesn’t see the index card with the potion ingredients on the floor. In moments, the loudest explosion I’ve ever heard echoes through my ears as fire and electricity blow apart the room. An alarm rings through the halls. Bautista continues running away like he’s a track star escaping an apocalypse, never once looking back at the electrifying, fiery chaos raging behind him.

Once he’s in the clear, he stops to catch his breath. He doesn’t feel any remorse for killing the Blood Caster, or destroying the property. I could’ve never protected my life as quickly as he protected his. But if I had to take care of Brighton? Maybe. I hope I never have to find out. I repeat the ingredients over and over to make sure I no longer have to be a soldier.

The former Blood Caster, Price, comes running down the hall. “What’s happening? Are we under attack?”

“No, I thought blowing up the place could be festive,” Bautista says.

“You enjoy being a dick; I’m going to get out of here—” Price stops talking as a spear with green flames pierces him from behind and he drops dead as quick as a blink.

We turn to find a crew of reinforcements—two Blood Casters and a group of acolytes, guessing from the look of them. The man who threw the spear with phoenix fire has a black ponytail and huge muscles. He might not have his spear anymore, but he could probably crush someone with his burnt hands. There’s a woman with three eyes, one of them shut, and four arms with fingers that won’t stop twitching; hydra-blooded for sure. These must be some of the earliest Blood Casters, if not the first. The