Page 33 of Ignited Spirits (Haunted Magic #3)
A man dressed in a deep blue suit that matches his swirling navy eyes raises his hand like we’re in a kindergarten classroom. He waits for Hades to acknowledge him before he rasps in a voice that causes the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up, “What about killing her?”
I snort as I try to shake off the creepy vibes I got from him.
I would if I could, my dude.
“We tried. It didn’t work. As Leviathan said, she’s too strong.” It feels weird to use his full name, but I figured I might confuse the curae if I refer to him by his nickname.
I’m surprised when a woman with perfectly curled black hair—that’s so dark it almost looks purple—and kind brown eyes stands up as she waits for Hades’s permission to speak. “Have you thought about draining her before she can complete the spell to steal the planet’s magic?”
I blink her a few times before slowly shaking my head.
I have no clue why I didn’t think of that before because it’s a great idea. If Lua doesn’t have her magic, we can lock her up or even kill her. The only thing protecting her right now is the sheer amount of power she has. If we get rid of that, we get rid of the danger she poses.
“How do we do that?” I ask. She’s the only one of the advisors who hasn’t looked at me like I’m a bug they’re forced to share a room with, so she’s my current favorite.
She shrugs. “Perhaps the same way she does it, but I do not know. Draining magic is not an innate cura ability.”
Holding back the groan that wants to come out, I sigh instead. “She’s working with the mage council who helped her figure it out, so I guess we need to start there.”
Yippee. Another fight with the council. Just what I wanted after the shit show that was today.
“I bet they’ll be thrilled to see us.” Aiden gives me a sardonic grin. “I’m sure they’ll hand over all the answers without a fight.”
My lips twitch up at the ridiculousness of that happening. If the council wasn’t already out for my blood, they would be now after I broke into and destroyed part of their prison.
The only advantage we have is that I don’t think the council expects us to try to get to them so soon after getting our asses handed to us.
Hades turns to me, his face uncharacteristically serious and devoid of his signature smirk. “Do you have what you need?”
“I guess so?” I ask more than state. “Unless anyone knows how to drain Lua of her magic?”
When no one pipes up, Hades gives me a sharp nod before turning to the rest of the room. “You’re dismissed.”
None of the curae protest or even make a peep as they scramble out of their chairs and practically fight each other to make it to the exit first. The room clears in record time.
I turn wide eyes to Hades. “Are they always this eager to leave? Or am I just special?”
Hades chuckles. “They’ve known me long enough to recognize when I’m in a bad mood. After the display with Morgan, none of them want to incur mine or Leviathan’s wrath. And many of them believe themselves to be above humans, so they didn’t want to be here in the first place.”
My nose scrunches in confusion. “If they’re guardians of Earth, shouldn’t they have a better view of humanity?”
Zeus leans back in his chair and crosses his arms behind his head.
“Not necessarily. Curae protect humanity and Earth, not because they think highly of humans, but because it’s their job.
Much like it’s your responsibility to care for your dog or cat or chicken, it’s our responsibility to care for magical and magicless humans and other creatures on Earth. ”
I just love being compared to a chicken, but no wonder the curae were so testy about the meeting.
Tilting my head as I try to understand Lua better, I ask, “Is that why Lua has no problem draining and killing humans? Because she views us as little more than annoying pets?”
Poseidon shakes his head. “No. That’s just her being fucked in the head. Killing pets for shits and giggles means someone is a psychopath on both Infernus and Earth. We’re not all that different.”
I choke on a laugh. I mean, he’s not wrong. She is a few screws short of a full card game.
Hades pushes up from the table and stretches his arms over his head before focusing on me. “So what’s your plan for the council and draining Lua?”
A half-laugh, half-sob bubbles up, but I clamp my lips shut to keep it from escaping. I would also like to know the answer to that question. “When I figure it out, I’ll let you know.”
Bishop pushes up from his chair and comes to stand behind mine.
He places his hands on my shoulders and starts rubbing the tense muscles there.
“Nothing needs to be figured out right this minute. Lua’s still looking for the final ingredients for her spell, and all of us are running on fumes.
We need at least a day to recover before we even think about going up against the council. ”
As much as I want to argue just on principle, I can’t deny that Bishop is right.
I can barely keep my eyes open, and my magic feels sluggish in my veins. There’s no way I’m in any shape to go up against some of the most powerful mages in Hawthorne Grove.
“Food and sleep would be nice,” I concede.
I don’t have to see Bishop to know he has a smug grin on his face at my giving in to him. I’m way too tired right now to care, though.
Hades offers his hand to Seph to help her up. Once she’s on her feet, he grabs her hand and starts walking out of the room. He calls over his shoulder, “Come along, earthling. Let’s eat. We can’t have you expiring before you save the universe.”