Page 30 of Ignited Spirits (Haunted Magic #3)

IZZY

I hustle to catch up with Hades, my mates and family hot on my heels. He leads us past a bunch of closed doorways before pushing through a set of double doors. They open into a light and airy living room.

My mom is sitting on one of the cream upholstered couches, her head thrown back as she laughs about something with Seph.

The family resemblance between them is unmistakable. Mom and Seph have the same blonde hair, gray eyes, heart-shaped faces, and pale skin. Sitting there together, they look like they could be sisters, if not twins.

The two of them turn our way when Hades descends the two stairs down into the room, and his shoes click against the polished white marble floor.

Seph jumps up from her spot and runs into Hades’s arms. He picks her up and holds her close, like he hasn’t seen her in years instead of probably minutes.

It’s an incredibly sweet moment for the king who is the furthest thing from it.

When Mom spots us, she also bolts up from the sofa and runs full speed at Dad.

She tackles him in a hug that almost makes them both fall to the floor, but Dad saves it at the last moment.

Mom’s crying as she clutches his shirt in her fists.

She’s also murmuring something to him too quietly for me to hear.

I feel a little choked up, witnessing how much my parents love each other. When I was little, I always hoped I’d have a relationship like theirs—one made of true love, mutual respect, and a commitment to always be there. Now, I not only have one relationship like that but five of them.

I’m a lucky girl, and I will do anything and everything to keep them safe.

Mom eventually breaks away from Dad and walks over to me.

She enfolds me in one of her signature mom hugs, and I breathe in her comforting rose garden smell.

After a long moment, she pulls back and wipes a few tears from her eyes.

“Thank you for rescuing your dad, Izzy. That’s not something you should’ve ever had to do, but I am so very proud of you for doing it. ”

I duck my head to avoid her earnest gaze, feeling both uncomfortable and warm and fuzzy from her words. “You don’t have to thank me, Mom. He’s my dad, and he was only in there because of my impulsive magic. Of course I’m going to rescue him.”

My dad walks up beside my mom and wraps his arm around her waist. “None of this is your fault, Izzy.”

I shrug but don’t say anything, because I know arguing with them is pointless. They’re never going to accept that it’s my fault he was there, and I’m never going to believe that I’m blameless in the whole thing.

“Hi! I’m Seph,” I hear Seph greet someone to my right.

Looking up, I see her gray eyes trained on my brothers. Rhys is standing there stoically, his hazel eyes squinted in distrust. Aiden fidgets uncomfortably, shoving a hand through his blond hair.

When Rhys doesn’t say anything, Aiden sighs. “Hey. I’m Aiden.” He gives Seph an uncertain smile and hitches his thumb at Rhys. “And this mountain man over here is Rhys.”

I snort at Aiden’s introduction of Rhys. My oldest brother is bulky for a mage, with his six-foot-two frame packed with muscle. Compared to my wolves and Levi, though, he’s slimmer.

“It’s so nice to meet you, boys. Your mom has told me so much about you.” Seph beams at them, looking like she’s going to explode she’s so excited. Her enthusiasm is contagious, and I can’t help the small smile playing around my lips at her happiness.

Aiden nods and seems to hunt around for something to say. “Sorry to be rude, but who are you?”

I snort at my brother. “That’s our great-grandma, Persephone. She’s Gran’s mom.”

“Oh! Um. Nice to meet you?” Aiden looks over helplessly at me, wordlessly asking what he’s supposed to do in this situation.

I just shrug at him. It’s not like I have a secret cheat code for what to do when you meet your billions of years old grandma who looks like she could be your sister.

Seph reaches out her arms to him before pausing. “Can I hug you, Aiden?”

“Yeah, sure.” He barely gets the words out before Seph is crushing him to her. It’s a comical sight—my six-foot-tall brother being squished by a woman who’s probably five-foot-three on a good day.

When Seph eventually releases a bewildered-looking Aiden, she moves to stand in front of Rhys, giving him a soft smile. “May I hug you, Rhys?”

Rhys’s hazel eyes flick between hers for a long moment before he eventually nods. Seeming to be able to sense that Rhys is the more closed off of the two, Seph gently wraps her arms around him. He’s stiff for a moment before cautiously returning the hug.

While Rhys is loving, caring, and open with the people he trusts, he’s almost as distrustful of strangers as I am.

I don’t know if he’s always been this way, or if it’s because of the constant threat outsiders posed to our family due to my forbidden magic.

Either way, Rhys is more reserved with Seph, but she doesn’t seem to mind.

Seph eventually pulls away and notices me watching the whole thing. She skips over to me and wraps her delicate arms around me. “It’s good to see you again, Izzy.”

“You too,” I squeak as I try to pull in air past her doing her best to crush my lungs.

When she lets me go, I try to subtly gulp in air, not wanting to make her feel bad.

Luckily for me, Seph is already crossing over to Hades. He has a soft smile on his face as his mate approaches. When she’s in arm’s reach, he snags her around the waist and tugs her to him.

It’s always weird watching Hades with his mate. He seems almost normal while he’s holding her. It’s like she consumes all his focus, making him forget that he’s supposed to wear his unhinged mask.

After a long kiss, Hades pins me with his black and red gaze. “Is there a reason for this family reunion, earthling?”

Seph smacks him on the stomach and levels him with a glare. “Call her by her name, Hades.”

He sighs but indulges his mate. “Fine. Is there a reason you’ve invaded my home yet again, Isabel? And when will you leave?”

Letting out a long-suffering sigh, Seph shakes her head at Hades but doesn’t attempt to chastise him this time.

“There is indeed a reason, Hades. Believe it or not, Infernus and your castle aren’t actually my favorite places to be.” As cool as traveling to another realm is, I would give almost anything to just have a day at home in my room with my mates. Without any problems or crises to solve.

He raises an eyebrow at me. “Care to share with the class?”

“My family needs sanctuary from the mage council, and I need to find a way to stop Lua from draining the Earth of its magic.”

Hades blinks at me for a few seconds, shocked into silence. “Come again? I must’ve misheard you, earthling, because there’s no way Mommy Dearest is really trying to drain an entire fucking planet of its magic.”

“I wish I were joking.” Part of me is still clinging to the hope that this is all a bad dream that I’ll wake up from soon.

The rest of me knows the unrelenting insanity is just part of being me.

“But that’s what Angerona said the spell Lua’s attempting is likely for.

And it tracks with what we know about what she’s been doing on Earth for the last couple hundred years. ”

“Angerona? Now that’s a name I haven’t heard in millennia. I don’t know why I’m surprised the old bat is still alive.” Hades shakes his head before pinning me with an expectant stare. “So, how are you going to stop her?”

A giggle edged with hysteria escapes my mouth before I can stop it. From the corner of my eye, I see my mates giving me concerned looks, but I try to ignore it. “That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?”

Shoving a hand through his intentionally messy navy hair, Hades stares into the distance for a moment before he nods to himself. “We should consult my advisors. Surely the best and brightest minds in Infernus will offer more direction than your feeble earthling mind can.”

I don’t even have the energy to be offended by Hades’s digs at this point. I do laugh when Seph hits Hades in his stomach again and chastises him for being rude.

He distracts Seph with a kiss and then strides toward a door at the far end of their living space, tugging Seph along with him. Hades doesn’t spare the rest of us a glance.

Realizing he isn’t going to wait for everyone else, I hustle to catch up to him. “Right now? Don’t you need to give notice for a meeting? People have lives. I doubt they can all come to a meeting with minutes’ notice.”

I hear footsteps behind me as we walk down a long corridor, so I assume my mates followed me. The white marble gradually fades into the black rock of the rest of the castle partway down the hall. By the time we reach the door at the end, all the light and airy touches of Seph have completely faded.

“I’m the king. I don’t have to give any notice.

It’s their job to jump when I say—whether that’s to come to a short-notice meeting or throw themselves off a cliff.

” Hades gives me his signature you’re dumber than a bag of rocks look.

I wonder if he uses that look for everyone or if he reserves it especially for me.

Hades pushes the door open and walks out into a section of the castle I haven’t been to yet. That’s not saying much, because I haven’t seen most of it.

“No wonder people have tried to assassinate you. You’re kind of a dick,” I grumble as I look around.

Whereas the public-facing rooms are grand and ornate and his private quarters are light and airy, this section is plain and functional.

The black rock that makes up the walls, floors, and ceiling isn’t polished to a mirrorlike shine.

Instead, it’s a dull obsidian with only a barely there purple glow.