Page 27 of Ignited Spirits (Haunted Magic #3)

“I can do that.” Joseph reaches out a hand for Mateo, who takes it reluctantly. They shake, and I feel the tension ratchet down a notch or two, much to my relief.

“How long are you planning to stay, Isabel?” the jaguar asks from his spot on the sofa.

“We should probably be leaving now.” I’m sure we’ve already been here longer than my dad or brothers thought we would be. And I know Dad’s anxious to see for himself that Mom’s okay.

“Anything you need before you go?” Mateo leans his head against the back of the sofa, looking worn out. I wonder what he was doing before we crashed his party that has him so tired.

I open my mouth to tell him no before realizing we never got a chance to ask Anya about the spell. “Does Angerona know much about spells? We think Lua is crafting one, but I have no clue what it could be.”

Tilting his head back and forth in thought, Mateo eventually nods. “I think she should have some idea. I can’t promise anything, however. Would you like to go talk to her before you go?”

I nod. “If she’s up for it, that’d be great.”

Mateo’s mouth twitches up on one side. “ Abula Angerona will always be up for helping her favorite mage.”

He pushes up from his seat and strides for the door, not bothering to make sure we’re all following him.

I jog after him, his long legs eating up distance faster than I can keep up with. When I finally catch up to Mateo and slow to a walk, Luca’s the one to put a warm palm on my lower back. He doesn’t say anything, but his quiet strength is still a reassurance.

Glancing behind me, I see Bishop, Cain, Levi, Archer, and Joseph following closely.

We only walk for a minute or so until we reach the familiar vine-covered building Angerona lives in. Mateo knocks on the cheery blue door before pushing it open. “I brought you visitors,” he calls out to who I assume is the cura we’re here to see.

I smile when I walk in and see the neon blue, dark purple, and lime green mismatched furniture that fits the old woman perfectly. I hope when I’m as old as dirt someday, I’ll be as fearlessly myself as she is.

It takes me a few moments of looking around before I spot Angerona from her perch at the kitchen table. She gives me a warm smile that I do my best to return. I’m still a little nervous around the woman who can accurately predict the future.

“Grams?” Joseph questions from where he’s frozen by the door.

“Joey? What are you doing here?” Angerona rasps when she gets a good look at the mage behind me.

I glance between the two of them in surprise, trying to spot the similarities. They have the same light blue eyes that are so pale they look grayish in some lights. Both of them have an oval face, and I can see a few freckles on her weathered cheeks.

“It’s… a long story, Gran.” Joseph rubs his neck as he shoots a sheepish look at Angerona .

“I have time.” When Joseph doesn’t elaborate, she sighs. “Does your father know where you are?” Her lips twist in disgust at the mention of Joseph’s dad, and I wonder what the story is there.

Joseph barks out a humorless laugh. “No. He’s the one who turned me into the council. Why the fuck would I let him know that I escaped?” He pauses for a moment, and his face crumples. “I miss Mom. She would’ve helped instead of ratting me out.”

“Me too, child,” she tells him softly.

“Clara’s dead,” he whispers so quietly I can barely hear him.

Angerona ’s expression softens, but she doesn’t look entirely surprised by the news. I wonder if who I assume is Joseph’s girlfriend’s death was something she had already seen in one of her predictions.

She doesn’t say anything as she pushes to her feet. Shuffling over to Joseph, she wraps her thin arms around him. Joseph stiffens for a moment before he desperately hugs her back. His shoulders shake with silent sobs as Angerona holds him and offers wordless comfort.

I glance away, feeling weird watching his vulnerable moment with his grandma. Which brings us to the weirdness that Joseph’s grandma is Angerona . I mean, it makes sense. He definitely has powers beyond a regular mage, but what a small world.

Who would’ve thought I would accidentally send Angerona’s grandson to her after breaking him out of prison while I was looking for my dad?

Not me, that’s for sure.

After a long moment, Angerona pulls back but keeps her hands wrapped around his upper arms. “You will be okay,” she rasps. “Maybe not right now, but you will get there. I promise.”

I can’t tell if she’s being reassuring or if she’s relaying things she’s seen. It would be strange trying to figure out what all your grandma has seen about your future. I’m glad Gran doesn’t have that cura ability.

Joseph’s lips tilt up in a ghost of a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Thanks, Grams.”

Angerona pats him affectionately on the cheek before clasping his hand and leading him over to Mateo. “Have you met my other grandson? I adopted him when he was but a cub. I think you’ll like him.”

“I have. He seems like a great guy. I’m glad you have someone who looks after you down here, Grams,” Joseph tells her sincerely, not seeming the least bit jealous that his grandma adopted Mateo as her own.

“He is a fine young man. I’m very proud to be able to call you both my grandsons, and I am delighted that you two are getting along so well. Did you come over just to bring me Joey, or did you need something?” she asks Mateo.

I refrain from mentioning the pissing match they just got into and the fact that Mateo locked up Joseph before I got here.

I’d rather let the old woman believe that her two grandkids are besties.

Although, Mateo and Joseph seem to be looking at each other in a new light after they discovered their shared connection.

Who knows? Maybe they will become best buds.

A blush stains Mateo’s cheeks from Angerona’s praise. He looks down to try to hide it. “Isabel had a question about a spell Lua Mater might be performing.”

Angerona sobers at that information. She turns to me with raised brows, wordlessly demanding I tell her more about what I saw.

“We tracked Lua down to a back alley in a small town. She was trying to get rock from the Earth’s core for some sort of spell. Lua said she had almost everything she needed for the spell and couldn’t wait six weeks, before killing the dude who couldn’t get the rock for her.”

Angerona goes white. She clutches at the chair she’s standing in front of, her knuckles standing out starkly from how hard she’s gripping it. When she gets over her shock, she sinks down into the chair and places her head in her hands.

Well, that’s not a good sign.

I cautiously walk over to the table and sit down next to her. I don’t pressure her into talking or demand any answers. Instead, I just patiently wait for her to be ready to speak.

Cain lowers himself into the chair next to me.

He drapes his arm over my shoulders, and I lean into him, resting my head on his shoulder.

I fight the urge to fall asleep right then and there because it’s very much not the time to get some shut-eye.

But I think my system is crashing from all the adrenaline earlier.

When Angerona does finally speak, I bolt upright, startled from what must’ve been a light doze.

“Lua’s spell aims to drain the magic from the core of the Earth.

Without its magic, the Earth and all the life it has created will waste away within a matter of days, if not hours.

” Angerona pauses as she coughs a few times before continuing.

“If Lua manages to do that, there will be no stopping her. Ever.”