Page 58 of Ignited Spirits (Haunted Magic #3)
IZZY
I don’t know how long I’m staring at my reflection in the mirror when a door opens behind me.
I’ve been looking at the same heart-shaped face, gray eyes, blonde hair with multicolored tips, and pale complexion, and marveling how I can look the same while feeling like a different person.
After everything that happened, all I lost and experienced, how can I look like the same Izzy on the outside?
“You ready, angel?” Cain asks softly from behind me, breaking me out of my thoughts.
My heart still skips a beat every time I see him alive and well.
It turns out that hellhounds have exceptionally tough skin.
It’s hard for anything, even supercharged stolen magic, to get past their outer layer.
Lua’s magic knocked Cain out and damaged the topmost layers of his skin and muscle but didn’t reach his heart.
Falling into the Styx right after had put him in a healing coma, which is why I thought he was dead.
When I woke up from the forced unconsciousness from expending too much magic, I started sobbing uncontrollably when I remembered what happened to my quiet boy. The only thing that calmed me down was Cain walking through the Infernus infirmary door and proving that he was very much alive.
After Lua was defeated, Hades and the remaining curae coordinated bringing the wounded back to his castle for the best medical treatment in the realm. I’m thankful for all the people the healers were able to save.
While Cain didn’t die, hundreds of the people who came to fight for me did. The ones hitting me the hardest are Mateo and the thirty or so mages from Elemental.
Even though they didn’t know it was me, I still worked side by side with those mages through dangerous missions and got to know all of them. My heart hurts thinking about everything they sacrificed.
And Mateo’s death hit me way harder than I expected it to. I didn’t even know the man’s favorite color, but I still feel like I’ve lost a friend and a kindred spirit.
Mateo was a fantastic alpha to his prowl. He’s the one who spearheaded building La Esperanza to keep his people safe. He’s the one who established schools and hospitals and food pantries for his people. He’s the one who took in anyone in need, regardless of whether they were a jaguar or not.
Beyond how incredibly deeply he cared about his people, he was funny, easy to talk to, and had an unshakable faith in me, no matter how much I felt I didn’t deserve it. And now, he’s dead, killed by Lua doing what he did best—saving one of his jaguars from the same fate.
Smoothing down my canary yellow dress, I try my best to keep the tears that want to fall at bay.
Mateo was very clear in his instructions that, should he die, he wanted a celebration of life, not a funeral.
So, here I am, wearing a cap-sleeve sundress in Mateo’s favorite color, according to Angerona, to a party to celebrate all he did while he was alive instead of dwelling on him being gone.
“Yeah,” I rasp when I can force the damn tears back enough to speak.
It’s been a week since the battle. I was out for two days afterward, and I’ve been attending funerals back to back every day since then. Mateo’s is the only celebration of life, and, honestly, I think we all need it. Our days have been steeped in so much sorrow that we all need a chance to smile.
Cain holds out his hand. After I place my hand in his, he leads me out of the closet and into Levi’s room. We’ve been crashing at Infernus since everything went down as we all recover.
Eventually, I know I’ll have to go back to Hawthorne Grove and deal with the fallout there. But not right now.
From what Dad has told me, everything the council had been doing, with draining lower mages for centuries, came out.
Lower mages are agitating for change and to have more of a say in what happens.
I don’t know if anything will actually be different, but at least it’s a start.
With Dad being the only surviving council member, that also bodes well for change.
When I walk through the doorway, Bishop is on me instantly, pulling me into his arms. “You okay, sweetheart?”
To say he’s been overprotective since the battle would be an understatement. He and Luca had to watch everything go down from afar, and me getting hurt when he wasn’t there riled his protective instincts.
When I collapsed into the water after somehow summoning the spirits of the Styx, Luca and Bishop both came running over to me, uncaring about what would happen to them. They weren’t harmed because of the bond, thankfully.
“As okay as I can be, St. James,” I admit quietly.
I haven’t really been okay since we lost the first person in the fight. Although, with all my mates and family safe and sound, I have hope that I will be okay one of these days. Just not today.
Bishop doesn’t say anything more. Instead, he leans down to press a kiss to my forehead and lends me the strength I’ve felt like I’ve been lacking the past few days with his tight embrace.
“Want me to open a rift, little raven?” Levi asks me with a small smile when Bishop finally releases me. Like all of us, Levi has been struggling with the friends he lost in the fight with Lua. I wish I could say something to make it better for him and the rest of my mates, but I don’t know how.
I nod, not trusting my voice to stay steady.
Levi opens the rift to La Esperanza . I let Cain go through first. Then I take a deep breath and prepare to walk through.
Archer grabs my hand before I can get very far. When I look at him in surprise, he just smiles down at me. “You don’t have to do any of this alone, sunshine. We’re all here for you to lean on—right now and any other time you need it.”
I return his smile. His hand in mine makes me feel a little lighter.
Archer’s eyes turn purple for a beat, letting me know that Legion is also there for me. I squeeze his hand, wordlessly letting him know I also appreciate his support. His eyes slowly fade back to his normal teal color.
With his hand in mine, I again walk toward the rift. When I feel someone else grab my other hand, I huff a laugh before looking up at Luca.
He shrugs and grins down at me. “What? Am I not allowed to hold your hand, wildcat?”
I give him a droll look. “You’re allowed to, wolf boy. I just sometimes feel like a chew toy that you guys are fighting over.”
He rolls his eyes at my making a doggie reference but doesn’t say anything else as the three of us walk through the rift together.
I don’t know what I expected for the celebration of life, but the loud music, laughter, and people dancing everywhere was not it.
Aggie floats over and levels me with an unimpressed look. “Took you long enough to get here, kid. The party’s in full swing. Your family and tall, terrifying, and scary two got here a while ago.”
I snort, and the laughter and joy feel good after a week of such heartache. “I’m sorry we didn’t get here faster. Next time, I’ll make sure to run my plans by you.”
“You do that, kid.” She gives me a serious nod before floating off to keep enjoying the celebration of life that feels more like a full-blown party, which was exactly what Mateo wanted.
While they try to figure out who the next alpha of La Esperanza is, Joseph and Mateo’s second-in-command, Tomas, are running the city together. I guess the mage we rescued made quite an impression on the jaguars for him to be jointly in charge of everything.
I can see Joseph’s huge grin from across the dance floor, and it makes my battered and bruised heart happy. He deserves to be surrounded by people who get him and accept him for who he is, after a lifetime of having to hide his true self.
Along with Joseph, my parents and brothers and Hades and his mate group are hanging out across the large open space in the middle of the town.
A cheery fountain with a jaguar at the top bubbles in the center of the square. Colorful banners are strung from the fountain to the surrounding buildings. Tables full of food line the edges of the space, while a makeshift dance floor dominates the center.
Once Levi and Bishop walk through the rift, I start to make my way across the dance floor. It’s slow going because it seems like every jaguar we pass wants to thank me for what I did. I don’t even begin to know how to respond, because it feels like all I did was get people killed.
Sure, we defeated Lua. As far as we know, she was dragged into the Styx and turned into a damned soul. At the very least, we know she’s dead because her hold on the damaged souls snapped when she was fully submerged.
So, I technically saved the universe but at the cost of real people. It’s hard for my heart to reconcile those we lost with what my brain knows we prevented.
By the time we reach my parents, brothers, and Hades, I feel a strange mix of sorrow and gratitude for everyone who helped us and sacrificed so much.
Cerberus is also waiting there for us in their rottweiler form.
When I’m close enough, they bound over to me and give me affectionate headbutts with all three of their heads.
“Earthling, you’re looking… less dead than you were.” Hades winces when Seph hits his stomach. Zeus wraps his arm around her to divert her annoyance, and Poseidon looks like he’s trying not to cackle at the whole interaction.
“Thanks, Hades,” I deadpan. Although I sound annoyed, I’m not really. I’m just thankful that Hades is still here to give me a hard time. “You always know just what to say to a girl to make her feel good.”
He snorts and starts chatting with Levi. Archer and Cain get pulled into a conversation with one of their packmates, and Bishop starts talking to a mage from Elemental. I make my way over to my family, feeling so endlessly lucky that they’re still here.
Rhys is the first one I’m within arm’s reach of, and he pulls me in for a tight hug. “You did it, Izzy. You took down the council and Lua. I know it’s hard right now to be proud of everything you did, but don’t let the people who gave everything to defeat her sour your victory.”
I squeeze my eyes tight, struggling with the reminder of the good people we lost. I know what Rhys is saying is true, but it doesn’t feel like it right now.
One day, though, I’ll get there.
“Yeah, you’re a total badass now, Iz,” Aiden chimes in from behind me. “Revel in it. Make other people uncomfortable with it. Take over the world thanks to it.”
I snort at my middle brother, always knowing how to lighten the mood when the weight of life gets too heavy to carry anymore.
“Thanks for the pep talk, dynamic duo,” I tell them with a grin. Rhys barks out a laugh at their new nickname, and Aiden giggles way harder than my sarcasm warrants. But their laughter makes me feel lighter, so I soak it up.
“It’s going to be okay, Izzy,” my dad says from beside me.
I turn around to give him a side hug before my mom comes up to hug me on the other side.
“One of these days, your heart won’t hurt so much, sweetie. I promise,” Mom reassures me.
Not saying anything past the lump in my throat, I just nod because I know she’s right.
After talking with my family, I get swept up into endless conversations with the mages, wolves, and even curae who came to pay their respects to Mateo.
As we talk, laugh, cry, sing and dance, and mourn, all the tattered pieces of my soul from the people I’ve lost, from Daniel to Mateo to everyone in the battle, perhaps don’t heal, but ache a little bit less.
Now that Lua is out of the picture and the secret about my magic is out, it’s time to start thinking about my future. With my mates at my side for whatever happens, I feel hope for what’s to come for the first time since I was a little kid.