Page 52 of Ignited Spirits (Haunted Magic #3)

IZZY

“ S o, you spent the day gathering support from mages and shifters. Do I have that right?” Hades asks incredulously. “What in the fuck do you think Earth creatures are going to do against my absurdly, stupidly, excessively powerful mother?”

We spent the morning visiting La Esperanza and Elemental.

After securing support from both the jaguars and the mages, we headed back to Infernus without my brothers.

Rhys thinks he might be able to scrounge up some more support, so he’s taking the afternoon to make some calls.

Aiden is staying behind because he didn’t want Rhys left alone, which is fair.

I’m hoping Lua doesn’t care enough about my brothers to go after them. I’m just going to have to trust Rhys and Aiden to take care of themselves.

The rest of us are now hanging out in a cozy living room with my parents, grandparents, and Hades’s mate group.

Apparently, the hundreds of people I convinced to support us in the fight aren’t enough for Hades, though.

I blow out a frustrated breath. “Yes, Hades, darling, you heard correctly. Considering I’m from Earth, I don’t know who the fuck you expected me to recruit to our side. Because I’m certainly not finding an army of curae or hydras just chilling in the middle of the Chilean mountains.”

Hades’s eyes bleed red for long enough to have a trickle of fear slither through me and causes my heart rate to kick up. His eyes eventually go back to their normal color, and he deflates. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Everything with Mommy Dearest is really fucking with my head.”

“That’s understandable, and no hard feelings.” I bite my lip uncertainly before I tell him, “You and your mate group don’t have to be part of this fight. I know you want to keep your family safe, so I understand if you don’t want to fight with us.”

He gives me a droll look. “Earthling, fishing for compliments isn’t an attractive look on you.

Your pain in the ass self should know by now that you’re part of my family.

I don’t want anything to happen to you, my brother, your family, or even your annoying mates.

I protect my family at all costs, so I won’t be sitting out of this fight. ”

I roll my eyes at him saying I’m fishing for compliments, but his words warm my secretly sappy little heart. “Thanks. I’d totally fight a crazy, super powerful, probably undefeatable goddess lady for you too.”

“Watching you two try to have a heart-to-heart is honestly painful,” Levi comments, unable to keep the laughter out of his voice.

Archer snorts at that, and Luca, Cain, and Bishop all grin.

Hades and I both turn to glare at Levi for being a jerk. “I’m not feeling too charitable toward my little brother right now. Are you sure you want to keep him as a mate?”

I tilt my head as I pretend to think it over. “Hmm, it’s a hard choice.” I tap my chin like I’m considering it. “I might be able to be persuaded to keep him.”

While I try to keep a straight face, I can’t help but grin at Levi as I tease him. He smiles back at me, his eyes full of so much love it makes my heart ache.

“Speaking of mates, you probably need some time before tomorrow to be with your mates,” Hades tells me. “We’ll get going.”

My forehead wrinkles in confusion. If we want to have some time alone, we can go to Levi’s quarters. “You don’t need to go. I’m not kicking you out of your own wing.”

“As much as I want to watch you fuc—” he starts to say before Seph slaps her hand over his mouth.

My eyes go wide at that. I didn’t realize alone time was code for sex fest, but I so don’t need him talking about me banging my very sexable mates in front of my parents and grandparents.

She glares at him. “Hades, dear, love of my life, light of my heart, think for a fucking moment before you speak. Perhaps talking about Isabel’s and her mates’ private activities in front of people related to her is not the best choice, yes? Maybe just keep it vague.”

My mouth drops open at Seph swearing. I haven’t heard her say a single cuss word in the entire time I’ve known her, which, admittedly, isn’t that long. But she just seems like the super proper type who never says bad words, ever.

Hades mumbles something behind her hand.

“What was that?” she asks as she releases her hold on him.

“I said you have to remove your hand before I can speak, meum corculum, ” Hades tells her in his extra-gentle voice he reserves only for his mate.

After leaning down to give her a soft kiss, he pins me with an exasperated look.

“Fine. I don’t want to be here for any activities you get up to with your mates. Is that better?”

Seph groans and my face flames. I stare at the ground because I can’t bring myself to look at my parents or grandparents when we’re just casually discussing my sex life.

“I tried,” Seph tells me, exasperated. “On that note, I remembered that we all have a family lunch planned. Without Izzy. So, let’s go! I’ll lead the way.”

Seph expertly guides everyone other than me and my mates out of the room. She tosses a wink over her shoulder at me before shutting the door behind her.

“Someone put me out of my misery,” I groan as I lean back against the cream sectional and throw a hand over my eyes.

Someone chuckles before plopping down beside me and wrapping an arm around me.

“It’s really okay, sunshine. I’m completely positive that your parents already knew that we were fucking you at literally every opportunity.

That’s what mates do. They’re not surprised that you may want to sleep with us before the battle tomorrow. ”

I sigh and reluctantly let my arm fall away. “Stop being so reasonable, sunny boy. Just let me wallow in the awkwardness for a moment.”

He laughs but doesn’t say anything as we just sit there, and I enjoy the feel of his arm around me.

Bishop is the one to break the quiet. “So, what exactly are we supposed to do with this alone time?”

“Apparently bang each other. Maybe complete some bonds, but mostly just revel in the sex fest,” I comment dryly.

Archer snorts beside me. “Any bonds you haven’t completed yet?”

My face turns red at the question, and my gaze unconsciously flicks to Luca.

I see his teal gaze, so similar to Archer’s, peering back at me, like he was expecting it. Not wanting to call him out, I just shrug. I’m not going to lie to Archer, but I’m also not going to throw anyone under the bus.

Luca and Legion are my two mates who I haven’t completed the bond with yet. With Luca, it’s because he still won’t let either of us finish until I make him the promise I refuse to. I haven’t bonded with Legion yet because I just met him and haven’t exactly had a chance to jump into bed with him.

“We haven’t completed the bond yet,” Luca answers, sparing me from needing to.

Archer tilts his head, his forehead wrinkling in confusion. “Why?”

I snort and then sigh. “Not everyone’s eager to bond with me, sunny boy. And that’s okay. I’m not rushing anyone into anything.”

Sure, I’d like to complete the bonds with all my mates before we probably die tomorrow while failing to save the entire universe. But I don’t want anyone mating with me because they feel like they have to. I want to form those bonds because the other pieces of my soul want it as badly as I do.

“Of course I fucking want that bond with you, wildcat,” Luca growls at me while raking an agitated hand through his blond hair. “It’s taken every goddamn ounce of my control not to bite your pretty little shoulder each time I’ve had my fingers or cock shoved inside you.”

“I, too, desire the bond with you, mate,” Legion tells me, his purple eyes staring down at me.

“I have waited millions of lifetimes for you, and I can wait many more if you need me to. The fact that I am willing to wait for you is because I care about you, not because I don’t want you.

Because I do. With every ounce of my being. ”

My eyes prick at the corners at how sweet both of them are, but I refuse to cry mushy tears of happiness.

“So, do you guys wanna bang? Complete those bonds?” Archer asks, having control back from Legion now.

I roll my eyes at him. I don’t know why we’re having a group conversation about my sex life. Despite having six mates, they all don’t have to chime in on what I do with everyone else.

When neither Luca nor Legion responds, I sigh. “If you guys want the bond, we don’t have to, you know, bone or anything. You can just bite me or whatever hydras do and split.”

Oh God. Why am I like this?

Did I just really say that we don’t have to bone? Instead of something normal like, I don’t know, fuck?

Jesus. I’m aggressively not a virgin anymore, yet I still absolutely talk about sex like one.

I bury my head in my hands, hoping I can hide until none of them remember anything I just said. It should only take a couple of centuries or so. Seems completely doable.

Suppressed laughter echoes in the room as my mates try their hardest not to laugh their asses off at me.

When he gets his mirth under control, Levi says, “We can leave the three, or, uh, four, of you alone so you can figure it out.”

“She likes being watched,” Bishop supplies helpfully. “She might prefer that all of us stay.”

I lift my head up to glare at him. “What the fuck, St. James?”

“Am I wrong?” he asks smugly, knowing the answer. I grind my teeth but don’t disagree with him, because we both know he’s not.

“You want us to stay or go, angel?” Cain asks quietly, his tone holding no judgment. “It’s completely up to you.”

“No one even said they want to form the bond today! Why are we all discussing it?” I ask to deflect from the fact that the idea of all my mates watching me get fucked turns me on way too much.