Page 41 of Ignited Spirits (Haunted Magic #3)
Giles, apparently not reading the room, laughs. “What, you didn’t know your little whore slept with my sons and councilman Whelan’s son? I don’t know how you put up with the playing- hard-to-get routine she likes to use. As if she wasn’t begging for it like every other slut.”
The only thing I was begging for was them to stop. To stop touching me. To stop hurting me. To stop making me feel so weak and powerless.
After the first few times, I learned that pleading for it to stop only excited Mason and Richard. Once I realized that, I stayed silent as a small act of rebellion. It pissed them off and gave me a tiny sliver of my power back.
But Rhys and my mates don’t know that. Everyone except Levi, Archer, and Bishop doesn’t know anything about it, because I can’t talk about what happened with anyone. So, all they know is that I supposedly got it on with three dudes at some point, possibly after meeting my mates.
I know it’ll break something inside of me if Luca, Cain, Archer, Legion, and Rhys are angry at me over this. But I can’t force any words past the lump in my throat to defend myself.
Closing my eyes in resignation, I wait for the accusations and insults and disgust. But it never comes.
Instead, I hear a scuffle before Bishop growls, “You absolutely disgusting piece of shit.”
Then I hear crashing noises and what sounds like someone punching someone.
Legion pulls me against his chest and blocks whatever is happening with his broad shoulders. “Do not look,” he whispers into my hair as he holds me close. His strong arms ground me and keep me from shattering into a million pieces as I process everything that happened.
I walked into the council HQ, worried about Lua.
It never occurred to me that a secret I had kept for years would come out instead.
Part of me had honestly hoped that I could just leave it all in the past and never talk about it again.
I suppose that was na?ve because everything comes out, eventually.
He doesn’t say anything else, and I can’t help but worry what the hydra is thinking.
“Are you mad at me?” I mumble into Legion’s soft blue shirt as the loud fighting continues behind him.
He freezes before squeezing me tight. “Why would I be upset at you, dimidium animae meae ? I do not know the full story, but I can gather that you were not a willing participant in what happened. You did not do anything wrong. I would never be angry at you for how people hurt you. I am, however, furious at those who thought they could touch you without your consent. You can rest assured that I will rain hell down on them and make them beg for a death that will not come.”
His promises of violence on my behalf are weirdly sweet and heartwarming. I’m not sure what that says about me that I find what he said endearing, but oh well. It’s probably the least messed-up thing about me.
“What does that mean? What you called me?” I ask distractedly as my attention keeps getting yanked back to whatever is happening behind Legion.
Giving me a half smile that softens his gaze, Legion leans down to brush my nose with his.
“It means the other half of my soul. Latin, as humans call it, was one of the original languages of the universe, and the one I spoke when I was but a pup. Even with the millions of other languages I’ve learned, it is still the one I am most comfortable with. ”
My lips tip up slightly at the corners. Even with everything awful that’s going on, learning more about the mysterious hydra lifts my spirits a little.
“Stop!” Levi bellows, snagging my attention. The room goes completely silent, other than Levi’s heaving breaths. “This is accomplishing nothing. Did any of you even ask Izzy what she wanted? Don’t you think it’s time for people to stop making choices for her?”
Levi is as angry as I’ve ever heard him, and I know I need to defuse the situation before it escalates.
Reluctantly stepping out of Legion’s arms, I skirt around him and come to an abrupt halt.
“Holy shit,” I breathe when I see the scene in front of me.
Like he did when I was under arrest, Levi froze the entire room. Giles is on the floor, bleeding profusely from his nose and a gash on his forehead. Bishop is on top of him, frozen with his arm pulled back to punch him again.
Luca’s and Cain’s faces are frozen in snarls as they stand behind Bishop, looking like they’re waiting for their turn with Giles.
Rhys is pacing behind the two wolves, suspended mid-step with a hand through his hair. I’ve never seen my older brother look so distraught, and it kills me.
“I do not believe they can answer you when you have them frozen, cura ,” Legion points out helpfully.
Levi grinds his teeth in frustration before turning to me. His face softens when his gaze lands on me. “What do you want me to do now, little raven? I’ll do anything I can to make this right for you.”
His sweet sentiment thaws the protective numbness surrounding me slightly. I don’t want to feel anything right now, so I try to shake it off.
Instead, I focus on what we need to do so we can get the hell out of here. “Can you move Giles and unfreeze everyone else? St. James is going to kill him before we can get the information we need. And, according to him, all the other councilmen are dead, so we really need him.”
“I can do that.” Levi hesitates before spearing me with a look brimming with understanding and what looks a lot like love. “You don’t have to be here, little raven, if it’s too hard for you.”
I close my eyes and pull in a fortifying breath before returning my gaze to him. “Thank you, but I need to be here.”
Giving me a sharp nod, Levi waves his hand, and Giles goes flying across the room until he slams headfirst into the wall farthest from my mates.
That looks like it hurt, which fills me with a bit of satisfaction.
Then Levi unfreezes Rhys and the rest of my mates. Bishop’s fist slams into the carpeted floor. He looks around in confusion before spotting Giles across the room. Shaking it off, Bishop leaps up and stalks over to the prone and still-frozen councilman.
“Stop!” I shout when he goes to beat on Giles again.
I’m surprised when Bishop listens to me and freezes, his chest heaving from the force of his emotion. “What do you want me to do, Isabel? I couldn’t fucking protect you so the only goddamn thing I can do is avenge you. I know I failed you, so please let me make it right.”