Page 37 of Ignited Spirits (Haunted Magic #3)

IZZY

“ N ice of you to finally join us,” Hades comments as we push through the doors to a room in their quarters.

It’s a smaller conference-type room than the one we were in yesterday. This one is cozier, with cream upholstered chairs, calming blue walls, and fragrant flowers dotted along the big, light wood table.

I roll my eyes at his sarcasm because I didn’t even know there was a meeting going on until fifteen minutes ago.

There was a reason Bishop walked in on Cain and me, apparently, and that was to bring us to the strategy meeting.

The one that I’m walking into, smelling like I just got thoroughly fucked by two of my mates.

The same meeting attended by my great-grandparents, who can definitely smell what just happened.

My face turns bright red as I process that information.

I definitely should have taken a shower before, but I didn’t even think about it. Plus, Bishop and Cain were both adamant that I shouldn’t clean up.

Fuck my life .

The only saving grace is that my parents and brothers are blissfully unaware of why we’re late. Although the way Archer is waggling his eyebrows at me might clue them in.

With a hand on my lower back, Bishop guides me to an open chair between Luca and Levi. Archer is on Luca’s other side, next to Poseidon. Bishop and Cain take their seats on the other side of Levi. Rhys is directly in front of me, with Aiden on one side and my parents on the other.

I drop down and studiously avoid everyone’s gaze. At least until Hades says in a voice lined with laughter at my expense, “Sleep well?”

I lift my gaze to glare at him and am unsurprised by the shit-eating grin on his currently very punchable face.

Seph is sitting next to Hades and glaring at him too. Zeus is on her other side and is redder than even I am. He’s looking anywhere but at me. Poseidon has a slight smirk but seems generally unfazed by it all.

“I did. Thanks for asking,” dickface , I tack on in my head while trying to incinerate Hades with my gaze alone. Unfortunately, I still don’t have any cool powers like that.

Seph leans in to whisper something to Hades that I can’t quite make out. Whatever she says makes him pale. He nods his head before turning back to me, looking sufficiently chastised. “Sorry, earthling.”

Unlike Hades, I like Seph more and more each time I see her.

She catches me smiling at her and gives me a wink. Seph leans in and whispers to Zeus, who’s turning a concerning shade of purple as he studiously avoids my gaze. Whatever she says to him has him chuckling and relaxing, although he still won’t look at me.

“What am I missing?” Aiden asks as he volleys his gaze between me and Hades.

“Nothing!” I say way too quickly. I cough and try to seem like everything’s fine. “So, what were we discussing?”

Aiden rolls his eyes. “Real convincing, Iz.”

I wait for my mom to look away before flipping him off. He cackles but doesn’t press the issue any further, thankfully.

Rhys surprises me by being the one to answer my question. “We were discussing strategy for infiltrating the council.”

I don’t know why I was surprised, because Rhys is in charge of most of the strategy for Elemental. He has a very analytical mind that thrives on strategizing and making plans. My oldest brother is a bit of a nerd that way, but we love him for it.

Nodding, I ask, “What do you have so far?”

“Nothing,” Aiden chimes in before Rhys can.

Rhys sighs at him and rubs his temples like Aiden’s giving him a headache. “We don’t have nothing. We just… don’t have a plan yet.”

I snort. “So, in other words, nothing.”

Rhys tilts his head back and forth before his shoulders slump. “Yeah, pretty much.”

Aiden pats him on the back. “Don’t be so down on yourself, bro. We’ll figure it out. Now that we have Wonder Girl here, I’m sure we’ll think of something in no time.”

I smile at their interaction. They may give me shit on the regular, but I know my brothers have my back, just like I have theirs. “So, what’s the easiest way into the council building?”

“Other than the front door?” Rhys asks. I nod because there’s no way in hell any of us are even making it to the entrance to council HQ. “Through one of those portals you can open. But the question is, where to open it?”

“Probably not back to the maximum-security level.” My lips tip up at the no duh look Rhys shoots me.

“Where do the council members congregate?” Poseidon asks. “Where can you get to them that will have a small audience and less security? And what time will they be there?”

I look at Dad because he’s the one who knows the inner workings of the council members the best, considering he was one until a few days ago. At least, I assume they stripped him of his position when they arrested him.

He rubs a hand over his face as he thinks. “At the end of the day, all the council members spend a couple hours in their offices getting administrative and other tedious tasks done. They’re the least protected and most alone during this time.”

“But they’re also separated from each other, so we won’t be able to take them all out in one go,” I point out.

Levi taps his fingers on the wooden tabletop in an agitated rhythm. “True. But that also gives us a better chance of extracting information from and eliminating each individual because they won’t have backup from the others.”

“Is that your plan, Izzy? To kill the council members?” Dad keeps his tone carefully neutral, not giving me any insight into how he feels about it.

But from his question, I can already guess he doesn’t approve. Rhys and I are the ones who solve problems with violence. My parents and Aiden would prefer peaceful solutions and shy away from the murder and mayhem that’s become a normal part of my life.

I waver for a moment, considering lying to him, but I decide to just be honest. “Yes. I think they’re too powerful to be left alive.

Even if they’re locked up, they’ll find a way to get out before they can be tried for their crimes.

I don’t think any real change will happen with them still around, and mages desperately need a new system. ”

I’m fine killing people when needed, but I usually don’t participate in preplanned assassinations. Rhys and Bishop don’t want those types of things on my conscience, but I don’t think there’s any other option in this situation.

“You could always send them here instead of killing them,” Hades offers before flashing a savage grin. “But I’m always a fan of murder; the more gruesome, the better.”

Bishop nods to himself before looking at me. “That could work. They’ll lack the strength or the support to break out of a prison or escape paying for their crimes here. And you won’t have their deaths on your conscience, Izzy.”

I scoff. “I won’t be losing any sleep over killing some of the worst human beings on the planet.”

Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration. There are definitely worse people out there, but the council is high on the list of awful creatures that unfortunately inhabit the Earth.

He raises an eyebrow. “I know you, sweetheart. I know if they aren’t actively threatening people you care about, you’ll struggle with it later.”

I clench my jaw but don’t say anything as I look down at the table.

I hate that he’s right. I hate that the bad things I’ve done for good reasons bother me sometimes. I hate that I’d probably lose sleep over killing people who wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to me.

“Being bothered by the lives you have to take isn’t a weakness, Izzy, so there’s nothing to be ashamed about.” At Zeus’s voice, I look up to meet his gaze that looks like pure lightning. “It shows strength of character to carefully weigh your options before deciding to kill.”

“Thanks,” I mumble, feeling awkward receiving compliments and having everyone stare at me.

When the silence starts to become uncomfortable, Rhys steers the conversation back on track. “So we know what to do with the council members, but we still need to figure out how to get there.”

I shoot Rhys a grateful look for taking the spotlight off me. He smiles at me before flicking his gaze around the table, waiting to see if anyone has any ideas.

Luca leans back in his chair, looking deep in thought. “What’s the closest we can portal to their office?”

“I mean, I can open a rift into Doyle’s or Dad’s office,” I answer. “That would get us pretty close, but we don’t know what we’ll be walking into. They could be empty, or it could be another ambush, like in the prison.”

Bishop scrubs a hand over his face. “I can’t think of any other place that would be guaranteed to be private and out of the way of most people. We might have to take the risk of walking into a trap. If we do, then you or Levi will just have to open another rift.”

I’m shaking my head before he can finish.

“I don’t think we can afford to tip them off, though.

Security is already going to be increased after yesterday.

Another failed attempt will reduce any chance we have at getting the council members alone to ask them for Lua’s spell. So we need to make sure this works.”

Cain’s mouth flattens into a grim line. “Then I guess we prepare for the worst and handle whatever situation we find.”

“If you need backup, earthling, at least some of us can go with you to assist,” Hades offers, surprising me. “I’ll need to stay, but Zeus and Poseidon, who are almost as good as having me, can accompany you.”

I snort. “You’re such a humble guy. I’m sure glad being king hasn’t gone to your head.”

Hades’s lips twitch. “It’s a gift, really.”

“Going in with as few people as possible is going to be the best bet. The more bodies there, the more likely we’ll get noticed,” Archer adds. “And we need at least someone here to deal with the council guys we send back through.”

He does make a good point. As nice as more super powerful cura backup would be, it will probably draw more attention. “So, I guess we need to figure out who’s going. Who all wants to come with?”

Unsurprisingly, all my mates raise their hands. My brothers and parents do, too, along with Seph, Poseidon, and Zeus.

Hades scowls at Seph’s raised hand. She simply smiles sweetly back at him.

My eyebrows raise as I look around and realize that pretty much everyone wants to go.

“Okay, well, I think twelve people might be a little overkill. Aiden, Mom, and Dad can be on tactical support, and Seph, Poseidon, and Zeus can manage things here for when we send them through. Does that work for everyone?”

“Why do the ’rents and I get benched, but all your lover boys get to go?” Aiden whines. “And it’s so not fair Rhys gets to be your sidekick instead of me.”

I roll my eyes at him. “They’re all coming because I’ve learned my lesson.

There’s not a chance in hell any of them are staying behind, so I’m not going to waste my breath on that.

And we need your tech support, Aiden, so you have to stay behind.

Rhys is also more experienced in the field than you are. ”

As much as I would love to handle this myself and keep my mates out of harm’s way, I know that’s not how it works. And, if I’m honest, I feel safer and more confident having them by my side.

Rhys claps Aiden on the back. “You’re the brains of the operation. We can’t risk you out in the field like that.”

He sighs dramatically. “Fine, I’ll stay. Being this smart and good with computers is a curse sometimes.”

I grin at him, relieved that there are no hard feelings.

My mom and dad don’t protest being on tactical support, which has me breathing easier. I hate hurting any of their feelings, but we can’t all go.

“Are you sure you don’t want at least one of us there, Izzy?” Seph asks.

“I’m sure, although it wouldn’t hurt to have someone on standby in case we do need the help. I think going in quickly and quietly is going to be the absolute best option. If we do it right, no one will even know we’re there before we’re long gone.”

“The three of us will be ready and willing to help, then,” Seph declares. “You’re family, so we’re not letting you do this alone.”

Her words warm my secretly sappy heart. I’ve tried to handle everything by myself for so long, and it was getting exhausting. In a matter of months, it now feels like I have an army of people who care and want to help.

It’s a weird feeling after being the town reject and resident loner for so long, but I have to admit, I kind of like it.

“It sounds like we have a solid plan, so when are we doing this?” Rhys looks around the table expectantly, but no one says anything.

I shrug. “How does now sound?”

I’m ready to get this done, instead of letting it hang over me. I want to end the threat the council poses and figure out how to take down Lua ASAP.

Dad chuckles. “It’s still morning in Hawthorne Grove if time moves the same in Infernus . You’ll need to wait at least another few hours before you can go.”

Nodding, Levi glances up at the clock on the wall opposite us. “Time moves the same here. Should we go around six p.m.?”

“That should work. I believe council meetings wrap up around five on Thursdays, so six should give a buffer if anything runs late.”

“Let’s meet back here at half-past five to regroup and get ready.” When no one objects to Levi’s plan, he pushes back in his chair and stands up. Reaching down a hand to me, he pulls me up after I place my hand in his.

He wraps me in a lingering hug that I melt into, enjoying the feel of his strong body against me. It feels like it’s been forever since Levi and I have gotten any alone time, and I’m going to need to fix that soon.

It’s hard to keep everything even with five mates. With so many guys and only one me, things are bound to get out of balance from time to time. It’s up to me, though, to correct it when it does happen.

Hopefully I’ve been doing an okay job of that so far. I haven’t heard any complaints from my mates, so that’s something.

We hang out and chat with everyone for a while until Hades glances at the time. He bends down to give Seph a kiss before striding out the door. As he’s leaving, he calls over his shoulder, “If I don’t see you before you leave, earthling, good luck and try not to die.”

Not dying is the goal.

Here’s hoping the mission is as simple and straightforward as it seems.

Something, though, tells me that it’s going to turn into just as much of a shit show as the rest of my life, so I may need all the good luck and help I can get to survive it.