Page 29 of Shadowed Spirits (Haunted Magic #2)

CHAPTER 29

IZZY

“ A h, fuck, not again,” I groan as I assess the cavern. It’s the biggest cave we’ve been in yet. It’s probably twenty-feet tall, with a circular hole at the top that lets the morning sunlight pour in.

The people inside the cave are the main problem. There are fifteen men and women dressed in tactical gear. I’m not sure what they are, but I know they’re supernaturals of some sort. I can rule out mages and vampires pretty confidently, so I’d guess they’re shifters, which, honestly, isn’t the worst thing they could be. We’d be screwed if it were a contingent of curae , but shifters, I think we can handle.

“Again?” the lead man, who looks around Luca’s age, asks with his lips tilted up in an amused smirk. His voice has a light Spanish accent, and he has tanned skin, tousled dark brown hair, and deep brown eyes. “You find yourself surrounded by hostiles with itchy trigger fingers often?”

I can’t help the slightly hysterical laugh I let out. “More often than I’d like.” I rub my temples at the fact today’s already a shit show and it’s not even seven a.m. That has to be a record for me. “Look, can we just not do whatever this is? You most likely won’t be able to kill us, and I’d really rather not rip out your souls. So, how about you go run off to Lua and snitch on us to your heart’s content, and we’ll nope out of here and continue trying to fuck up her plans.”

While Doyle definitely deserved having his soul sent to the Styx, I still don’t like doing it. I’m even more uncomfortable with that aspect of my power now that I know that I condemn the souls I yank out. Who am I to decide which souls deserve eternal suffering and which deserve a chance at another life?

I don’t even know who these shifters are. The only thing that really makes sense is that these are Lua’s minions. That doesn’t mean they deserve eternal punishment, though. How she’s convinced both mages and shifters to work with her when she plans to kill everyone on Earth is a mystery. While it’s not great that Lua will know we’re looking for her, finding her goons is at least something.

Cerberus growls to punctuate my message, having appeared at some point. They have an eerily good ability to sense when I’m in a tense situation. I’m glad they’re in their rottweiler form because I don’t think the shifters would take me and my three-headed Chihuahua very seriously.

“We would never work for Lua Mater ,” he hisses in disgust. I guess he decides we’re not a huge threat because he slings his rifle over his shoulder so it lies on his back. He then shoves his hands into his pockets. That’s a mistake on his part because we can take fifteen shifters with ease, as long as they don’t have any protection charms from Lua.

I blink at him in confusion. “Why are you here?”

“We guard the sacred cave. We cannot stop Lua Mater from using our cave to consort with the mage, but we can keep it safe from her followers like you.” Lead shifter dude is confused about many things if he thinks we’re her followers. I mean, yes, we’re following her around, but that’s to kill her, not help her.

“What? We are definitely not her followers. Besides the fact that she’s tried to kill one of my mates, she also wants to destroy the entire world and probably the other realms. Why the fuck would we be working with her?” That’s what I don’t get about Doyle partnering with Lua. I don’t know how he pictured his future with the Earth destroyed and Lua all powerful, but there’s no way it would be a good one.

He narrows his dark eyes on me, like if he squints hard enough, he can see into my soul and know if I’m telling the truth. “But you’re a mage. We know the mages are working with her.”

“Yeah. And I’m also the one who ripped out her mage friend’s soul and sentenced him to eternity in the River Styx. Most mages aren’t working with Lua. In fact, most of us don’t know who she is.” That begs the question, how the heck do random shifters in a random cave in a random mountain know who she is?

Rocking back on his heels, he assesses me quietly for long enough that I start to fidget. One corner of his mouth tips up in satisfaction at getting to me. “How do you know who she is, then?”

With how much these shifters seem to dislike Lua, I don’t really want to out Levi as her son, so I give them a half-truth. “We’ve been to Infernus . Apparently, she was supposed to be locked up in Tartarus, but she got free. So, we’re now on a super fun mission to stop her.” Hopefully, by the time we actually find her, I’ll have figured out how.

There’s a collective gasp from the shifters, as they stare at us wide-eyed. The lead guy asks, “You’ve been to Infernus ?”

I’m surprised they know what that is. “Um. Yeah. After I almost got arrested by the mage council, we had to go to Infernus to get some answers.”

It’s crazy that it hasn’t even been a week since everything has happened. I’ve been arrested, traveled to another realm, learned I’m part cura , found out my grandma has been pretending to be someone else, almost gotten killed by Doyle, and turned twenty-two in the span of only a few days. It’s insane. If the universe is taking requests, I’d like it to slow its roll. Please and thank you.

The guy snorts. “You seem like the type to stir up trouble. Why’d you get arrested?”

I would be offended, but he’s totally right. “In my defense, it wasn’t even my fault this time. It was because I’m a spirit mage.”

His eyes widen, and he assesses me with a sharper gaze. “Shit. I guess that answers how you’d rip out our souls.”

“Technically, that’s not why, but I’d rather not get into it right now.” I wave my hand like being half cura isn’t a huge deal. If I pretend it’s no biggie, then it’ll eventually feel like that… right? “So, if you’re not here to kill us and we don’t want to kill you, is it cool if we continue looking around? We are on a deadline here and still have one more place to hit up today.”

“Mm, the jury’s still out on whether we’ll kill you, little spirit mage.” While his tone is light, there’s a dark undertone that makes me think he wouldn’t have a problem killing all of us. Not that he could, though.

I roll my eyes at him. “You’re welcome to try, my dude.” If he’s trying to be scary, he needs to try harder. Hades and the hellhounds have him beat on the terrifying scale by a mile. Not that I’d ever tell Hades that. He doesn’t need me feeding his oversized ego.

His eyes crinkle in the corners in amusement at my response. Running his hand through his hair, he shakes his head before asking, “What is it you’re hoping to find here?”

“In an ideal world, some way to stop Lua.” I would love to find a detailed instructional manual on how to kill her, with pictures and everything, so there’s no way I can mess it up. Since I highly doubt that’s going to happen, I’ll settle for locating her. “Realistically, we’re just trying to figure out which of the six meeting places she’s going to be at in a little over a week.”

“You want to stop her?” His deep brown eyes bounce between mine as he waits for an answer.

I give him a short nod. “Yep. She’s planning to destroy this world and probably other realms, so don’t most people want to stop her?”

He clenches his jaw. “Do you think you actually can stop her?” His voice is lined with a guarded hope that feels like it sucks all the oxygen from the room. People shouldn’t be putting their faith in me. I’m as likely to screw this up as I am to actually stop her.

“I don’t know,” I admit in a whisper. “But we have the best chance of throwing a wrench in her plans, so I have to try.”

The main guy stares at me for a heartbeat longer before sighing. “I’m probably going to regret this, but come with me. We might have something that can help you locate her.”

“Mateo, are you sure?” the man behind him questions sharply. He has curly light brown hair that is cut close to his scalp and hazel eyes that are currently clouded with distrust.

“I’m sure, Tomas.” Mateo’s tone is hard and brooks no argument. Tomas dips his head but continues to glare at us. The rest of the shifters seem unsure how to feel about us, but a few give me tentative smiles when I look their way.

When Mateo spins on his heel and starts down another narrow passage behind him, I make a move to follow him. Luca grabs me by my hood. “Not a chance, wildcat.”

I growl at him because I’m sick of being yanked around by my hood like a rag doll. Cerberus follows my lead and snarls at Luca, which is a lot more intimidating than my pathetic growl. Luca doesn’t seem phased as he lets go of my hood and strides ahead of me. I have to run to catch up with him. “You’re a controlling jerk taco, just so you know,” I inform him when I reach him.

He chuckles. “I know. It’s not changing anytime soon, because your safety is my priority.”

I cross my arms defiantly. “What about what I want?”

Luca looks down at me, his teal eyes swimming with a confusing mix of anger, regret, protectiveness, and something that looks too much like love for my comfort. “I want to make you happy, wildcat. But if I have to choose between your momentary happiness and you getting hurt, I will always choose your safety. I’ll deal with your anger if it means you’re safe and whole.”

A lump forms in my throat at how much he cares. Luca and I clash all the time, his alpha nature conflicting with my innate need for independence. But I know part of why we get into arguments is because he’s doing everything that he can to take care of me the only way he knows how. Unsure what to do with all my feelings, I grumble, “Stop being sweet when I’m peeved at you.”

Luca’s mouth tips up on one side, and he bends down to kiss my forehead, taking me by surprise. He’s not normally as affectionate with me as Bishop and Archer are. Before Luca can say anything, Mateo drops back to walk slightly in front of us. “So, you’re all mates.”

I give him a jerky nod that he doesn’t see because his back is to me. “Unfortunately for them, yep, they’re my mates.” It’s hard to miss the bitterness in my tone, and Mateo turns around with his eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Stop that, little raven,” Levi chides from behind me. “We’re the luckiest men in the realms that you’re our mate.”

While I want to argue with him, I know now isn’t the right time. Instead of arguing, I clamp my lips shut and try to think of a way to move the conversation to a new topic. Mateo saves me from having to come up with anything when he swings his gaze to Levi. “And what are you?”

“I’m from Infernus , cub.” Levi flashes him a savage grin that would make Hades proud. Mateo gulps at the information, and I resist the urge to laugh. It’s still a mystery how these shifters know about Infernus , one I intend to solve before we leave.

“Since you know what Levi and I are, what are you?” I ask, distracting Mateo from just how deadly Levi can be if he wants to. I’m surprised that the shifters know about Infernus but not Levi, considering he’s Hades’s younger brother.

“We’re jaguar shifters. We’re the largest prowl in South America.” Mateo’s chest puffs up in pride at that. I have no idea how large the other prowls are, so I just pretend to be suitably impressed. For all I know, fifteen could be the entire size of his prowl.

I realize how wrong I am when we burst out onto a landing that overlooks a bustling underground city. From up here, I can see the vast metropolis stretching on for miles. Much like the cavern earlier, this massive cave has a circular hole in the ceiling that lets in some morning sunlight.

Instead of skyscrapers, most of the stone buildings, made of the same rock as the cave, are only a story or two tall. Breaking up the sea of gray are the colorful orange and emerald tile roofs, green spaces with mountain flowers and grasses, and the colorful clothes of the shifters walking or running through the bustling town.

I’m pretty sure my mouth is hanging open with how surprised I am, but can you really blame me? I never expected all of this to be underneath one of Doyle’s meeting locations. In fact, I never expected to encounter anyone, let alone an entire hidden city.

“Impressive, huh?” Mateo’s voice is smug, rightfully so. I mutely nod to him, unable to tear my gaze away from the gorgeous stone city. With a chuckle, Mateo leads our group down a winding rock staircase. I get slightly dizzy from the three stories of curving steps, but I manage not to puke, so that’s a win.

As he leads us into the bustling city, Aggie pops up in front of me. “Hey, kid. Find anything useful yet?” Aggie looks around, her spectral eyes wide as she takes in the cave and the outskirts of the underground town. “Aw, man. Where are we? Hell again? Purgatory? A cult that’s planning to sacrifice you?”

I snort. “No, no, and no. And they’re not a cult, as far as I know.” Since I don’t know the answer, I ask Mateo, “What’s your city called?”

Mateo’s forehead wrinkles in confusion. “Who are you talking to? And our city is called La Esperanza .”

“A ghost.” Since they already know I’m a spirit mage, there’s no reason to hide the fact that I’m chatting with a ghost. At his panicked expression, I add, “Don’t worry. It’s not anyone you know.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not what he was worried about, kid.” Aggie makes sure to stay as far from Levi as she can, continuing to eye him warily as we walk. I resist the urge to laugh at her. “Do I even want to know how you ended up in a hidden metropolis?”

As we’re talking, we move from the sparse outskirts into the more densely populated center. The buildings are tightly packed, but their colorful doors and glazed roofs set each building apart from its neighbor. As we walk along the gray cobblestone streets, we see carefree kids running around, shopkeepers opening their stores for the day, and people sitting in cafés, enjoying the morning.

All the people we pass stare at our procession with wide eyes and open mouths. I guess it’s not every day that Mateo marches outsiders surrounded by armed guards through the city. Feeling like I’m on display, I try to avoid meeting the gaze of anyone we pass, instead choosing to enjoy the beautiful city as we walk through it.

After thinking on what Aggie asked, I shake my head. “Probably not. Is there a reason you’re here? Other than being a judgmental old lady?”

Aggie gasps theatrically. “I’m not old! I’m an extremely young one-hundred-and-fifty-two-year-old. And I just wanted to report on the situation in Hawthorne Grove. The council’s freaking out about Doyle’s disappearance, but no one suspects you were behind it or that you’re a spirit mage. What’s left of the council wants to keep the whole thing under wraps, too.”

“Well, I guess that’s the best outcome we can hope for. As long as Lua doesn’t run around restoring everyone’s memories, we should be okay.” Although, life is never really that easy. I’m fully expecting something to go wrong. We’ll likely arrive back at Hawthorne Grove to a welcoming committee of pitchforks, a stake to be burned at, and very pissed-off citizens. That’s a problem for another time, though.

We walk in silence for several minutes until Mateo looks at me over his shoulder. “Are there any other ghosts here?”

Scanning the area around me for any spirits, I shake my head when I don’t find anything. “Not that I can see. Are you in the habit of torturing, brutally murdering, or ritualistically killing people with excessive violence here?”

Mateo sputters and looks horrified. “No. Of course not.”

I shrug. “Then there’s little chance I’d see anyone. I usually only see damaged souls. Was there someone you were hoping to see?”

“My brother,” he rasps.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, my chest squeezing at the thought of anything happening to Aiden or Rhys. “It’s better for his soul that I don’t see him here. It means he’s passed on to wherever it is that spirits go after they die.”

Mateo dips his chin and faces forward again before muttering, “ Infernus. ”

“What?” I ask, confused about why he just randomly said that.

He twists around to look at me. “That’s where spirits from Earth go when they die. They’re sent to different sectors. The Asphodel Meadows are for typical spirits, the Elysian Fields or Isles of the Blessed for the remarkable ones, and the River Styx for those who committed unforgivable transgressions in life.”

What he said matches up with what Cerberus told me, but I never put it together that all those places are in Infernus . I guess that makes sense that souls go there because the cura are guardians of humanity.

Our procession finally comes to a stop outside a structure completely covered in dark green vines. Its cheery blue door and yellow flowers fit in seamlessly with the other buildings.

“How is it that you guys know so much about Infernus ?” I ask as we follow Mateo into what I’m pretty sure is a house. The navy walls, light wood floors, and eclectic furniture in shades of neon blue, dark purple, and lime green shouldn’t go together in the cozy living room, but somehow, they do.

Mateo is the only one who goes into the house with us. The rest of the heavily armed shifters stay outside and begin to chat among themselves. Cerberus remains behind with them, seeming content to sniff all the plants, buildings, and people out front.

“Because of me,” a raspy voice answers to my left.