Page 7 of Shadowed Spirits (Haunted Magic #2)

CHAPTER 7

IZZY

L evi gives me a sharp nod before he strides into the room. I have to jog to keep up with him. It’s a complete injustice that the universe gave all of my mates such long legs, making me look like a hobbit in comparison.

Sweeping my gaze around the room, I idly note the grand Corinthian columns made out of obsidian and amethyst, the reflective black floor with a crest of white marble, and the uniformed guards clad in black and purple armor before I stare at the throne in the center. It looks like it’s made out of a blackened, gnarled old tree.

The man standing in front of the throne has electric blue hair streaked with navy that’s cut short and styled in spikes. Like Levi, the man has pitch-black eyes with a red ring around the pupil. He’s somehow even more muscular than Levi but probably an inch or so shorter.

Who I presume to be Levi’s brother is wearing black suit pants, black dress shoes, and an untucked bloodred button-down with the top four or five buttons undone. One of his hands is shoved in his pocket as he watches us approach with a sharp gaze.

We come to a stop a few feet from the towering throne. Hades slowly descends the steps leading to throne, all the while looking us over. He finds us lacking, if the unimpressed look on his face is anything to go by. Cocking a brow at Levi, Hades tsks. “I could’ve sworn I told you to stop bringing home strays, brother.” While his voice is light, there’s an undercurrent of danger that would make any sensible person wary of provoking him.

I’m clearly not a sensible person, because him calling my mates strays raises my hackles. “Well, I thought the infamous Hades would’ve been taller and buffer, but we can’t be right all the time, now, can we?”

“Jesus fucking Christ, Isabel,” Bishop hisses from behind me. “Would it kill you not to antagonize him?”

I don’t get a chance to respond to Bishop and defend my non-antagonistic honor, because Hades turns his piercing gaze—that’s now more red than black—on me. Hades stares at me for a long moment, his emotionless expression giving nothing away. My magic simmers just below the surface, ready to defend my mates and myself if needed.

As my hair starts floating around my shoulders from my magic ramping up, Hades tips back his head and lets out a loud laugh. His mirth echoes in the otherwise silent throne room as I gape at him. It takes him a full thirty seconds to get his laughter under control. When he looks back down at me, he wipes tears from his eyes. “I like you, earth mutt. Have we met before? You look incredibly familiar.”

“I… can’t say the same about you. And not that I know of.” Maybe if he didn’t call me a mutt and my mates strays , I might have a more favorable opinion of him. I’m also pretty sure I’d remember if I’d met Hades before.

“Fucking hell, Izzy,” Bishop mutters behind me. I don’t know why he’s surprised at this point. I’m always like this.

“Oh, don’t you worry your little blonde head, earthling. I’ll grow on you, like an invasive, parasitic fungus. It’ll be great. You’ll see.” Hades flashes me a slightly deranged smile before turning to his brother. “Care to share why you brought the amusing earth dweller and her companions?”

I turn around to Bishop to give him my best I told you so look. I wasn’t antagonizing Hades. I was clearly just breaking the ice with him. As such, I was absolutely not terrified that he was going to kill us all. I had everything under control, like I usually do.

When I glance at Bishop, I also see Luca looking exasperated next to him. Archer is amused, while Cain warily watches everyone around us.

Levi sighs at his brother, much like he does at Archer and me. “I brought them because Izzy’s my mate, Hades. Those are her other mates. Luca, Archer, and Cain are wolf shifters, and Bishop is a mage. So, tone down your personality and pretend to be likable for a little while.”

Hades freezes and looks between his brother and me with wide eyes. “Mate?” he croaks. “You’re sure?”

“I’m positive.” Levi pulls me into his side before kissing the top of my head.

At Levi’s confirmation, Hades bounds over to me with a huge, genuine smile that’s honestly a little terrifying. When he reaches me, he pulls me away from Levi and wraps me up in a hug that lifts me off my feet. With how he’s hugging me, my arms are trapped. I can’t do anything other than uncomfortably dangle in his embrace.

Eventually, he puts me down and pulls his brother into one of those bro hugs. They clasp hands before hugging and patting each other on the back. “I’m so fucking thrilled for you, Leviathan. All I’ve wanted was for you to be happy. It’s killed me to see you alone all these years.” Hades’s raspy voice sounds almost choked up as he steps back from his brother. He bends down to put his gaze level with mine. “I’m sorry if I scared you earlier, little earth dweller.”

I snort at the big, bad ruler of this plane trying to make himself seem less threatening. It doesn’t work. “It’ll take a hell of a lot more than you to scare me. And I’m not little.” I resist the urge to stomp my foot at being called small, yet again. I’m average size. Everyone else is just abnormally huge.

While I might’ve been worried about Hades trying to kill me for being a sarcastic asshole, it doesn’t compare to the complete and utter terror of hearing that the council knows about me. After almost getting arrested today, everything else I’ve ever been scared of pales in comparison.

Hades unfolds back to his full height and tilts his head curiously at me. “What does scare you?”

I don’t know why I decide to be honest with him, but I share my worst fear. “Losing the people I care about.”

There’s vulnerability on his face for a split second before he shutters it. “We have much in common, it seems.” Hades plasters back on his slightly terrifying grin. “How did you end up with an earthling as a mate, brother?”

“Only the fates know how I got so lucky.” Levi smiles down at me and my heart melts. He’s so damn sweet. How the hell did I end up with such genuinely good mates? They deserved someone way better than me. Before I can spiral about how I drag down my mates, Levi continues. “Izzy’s at least part cura .”

Hades’s dark navy eyebrows almost hit his wild blue hair in surprise. “You’re sure?”

“Onyx says she is, so I’m one-hundred-percent sure.”

A petite blonde woman bursts into the room before I can say anything. Her wavy hair is perfectly styled and flows down her back. Her heart-shaped face is cute, and her gray eyes are a shade darker than mine. The woman wears a long, flowing black dress. There’s something so familiar about her, but I can’t put my finger on it.

Her gold sandals make hardly any sound on the polished floor as she glides over to Hades. “What is with all the commotion?” When she reaches him, he pulls her in for a very passionate kiss. Feeling awkward, I look away with burning cheeks until they finish.

“Leviathan’s home, Seph. And he brought a surprise.” Hades nudges her to look over at us.

Seph’s dark gray eyes light up as she looks at Levi. When she sees me, she freezes. “Melinoe?” Shaking herself out of her shock, the small woman practically sprints toward me. When she reaches me, Seph crushes me to her in a hug that’s surprisingly strong for someone two inches shorter than I am. “I missed you so much, baby. I know it’s only been three hundred years, but don’t you ever go that long without checking in again! I was so worried about you.”

“Um,” I say as I look over at Levi for help. I don’t know who Melinoe or this chick is, but I am definitely not who she’s looking for.

Levi shoves his hand through his hair roughly, guilt radiating from his slumped posture as he watches us. “Seph,” he calls, trying to get her attention. She reluctantly pulls back and glances at him. “That’s not Melinoe. That’s Izzy, my mate. I’m sorry. I haven’t found Melinoe yet.”

“What?” Seph pulls back to look between Levi and me. She runs her gaze over my features, her expression falling as she does. “Oh.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, feeling like I’m going to cry from disappointing this random stranger. I need to get ahold of myself, stat.

“You don’t have a thing to be sorry about, sweetie. I’m Persephone, but you can call me Seph. It’s nice to meet you, Izzy. Congratulations on finding your mate, Leviathan.” Seph offers me a kind smile and a comforting squeeze of my shoulders before letting her arms drop away from around me.

I want to make her feel better, since she’s been nothing but kind to me. As I’m staring at her, it finally clicks why she looks so familiar. “I don’t know who Melinoe is, but you look almost identical to my grandma, Melanie, if that helps any.”

“She’s my daughter, and you look almost exactly like her. Your eyes are a little lighter, your hair’s a little more golden, and you’re a bit taller than her, but, other than that, you could be twins.” Seph brushes a strand of my blonde hair off my forehead, her gaze wistful. She then heads back over to stand with Hades, who hugs her against his front. He plants a sweet kiss on the top of her hair.

“You don’t think…” Levi trails off as he and Hades do that silent communication thing siblings do. Aiden and I do it all the time, and it annoys my mom so much. It’s great.

Hades tilts his head back and forth as he considers it. “I mean, it’s a possibility.”

Seph laughs, the tinkling sound filling the entire throne room with a lightness that wasn’t there before. “Care to fill the rest of us in?”

Levi looks between Seph and me before focusing on her. “We’re wondering if Izzy’s grandma could possibly be Melinoe. It’d explain how she’s part mage and part cura . It would also explain her spirit mage powers.”

My eyebrows raise. “How would that be possible? Assuming she’s from this realm, why was she on Earth? And why did she end up with my granddad? He’s cool and all, but not exactly give up your realm and live like a human cool.”

Seph gives me a small, sad smile. “Melinoe never really fit in here. With her affinities being nightmares and spirits, she was ridiculed by other cura her age. As soon as she was old enough, she started spending as much time in your realm with humans as she could. I don’t know if she could find her mate among humans, but it’s not out of character for her to find love there. I hope that’s where she’s been all this time, not in trouble.”

I feel kinship to Melinoe with never fitting in and never getting along with peers because of your powers. If she really is my grandmother, that raises another issue. “Wait. If Melinoe is my grandma, wouldn’t that mean Levi and I are related?”

Levi chuckles at my confusion. “No, little raven. Melinoe isn’t Hades’s biological daughter. I’m not related to her by blood.”

“But she’s my daughter in every fucking way that matters.” Hades’s voice brooks no room for argument. He glowers around the room, like he’s daring someone to disagree with him. No one does. I wonder what the story is there, but I should probably wait on asking until the angry ruler of this realm calms down.

Seph rubs her hand soothingly over Hades’s front. “She and I both know that, honey.”

As Hades is glaring around at everyone, Aggie poofs into existence in front of me, interrupting the conversation.

“Hey, kid. So, I’ve had the other ghosts looking into the magic drain…” Aggie trails off as she looks around the room. Her wide eyes take in the black and purple throne room, the scores of silent guards, and finally, Hades. She lets out a little scream when she sees him before she huddles behind me. “There are two of them! Oh, God, that’s horrifying. Where are we?” she whisper-shouts over my shoulder.

“Hell,” Hades supplies unhelpfully with a shit-eating grin. I glare at him for intentionally messing with Aggie, even though I find how scared she is of Levi, and now Hades, hilarious. “How did you get here, ghost?”

“Aggie seems to have no problem following Izzy between realms. The best I can figure out is that she absorbs some of Izzy’s magic by spending so much time around her.” Levi’s theory is news to me. I didn’t realize Aggie got special powers just from hanging out around me. Hopefully, my magic isn’t hurting her. Even though she gives me shit, I still care about my pain-in-the-ass ghost.

Aggie gulps at both Hades and Levi talking. “Really, kid? You couldn’t have a found a mate from somewhere nice, like Aruba? It just had to be Hell.”

I snort. “Next time I find a mate, I’ll make sure to specify that he can only be from a tropical paradise.”

“You do that, kid. The things I put up with for you, I swear.” Aggie huffs, and I can’t help my laugh. She’s so dramatic.

“Holy shit.” Archer’s mouth is opening and closing in shock as he stares between me and Aggie. “I can see a ghost. That’s the second coolest thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Wait. You can see her?” Archer nods at me. “Huh. That’s new. What’s the coolest thing to happen to you?”

His mouth tips up in a crooked smile. “Meeting you, of course.”

I duck my head so he can’t see how hard I’m blushing. I want to say something heartfelt back, but the words lodge in my throat. I suck at feelings.

“Oh, my goodness. That’s adorable!” Persephone gushes before I can say anything. “I assume he’s one of your mates?”

“Yep.” I let out a slightly bitter laugh. Thinking about any of my mates with someone else makes me feel like I’m going to puke, but they deserved so much more than me. “All five of them got dicked by the dangling dong of destiny and were paired with me for some reason.”

Bishop groans behind me like I’m embarrassing him. I can’t help a tiny grin at that. Embarrassing him is one of my favorite pastimes.

Persephone cackles at my description. “You could definitely be my great-granddaughter.”

Levi, always the responsible one, attempts to get the conversation back on track. “You can see ghosts in this realm because it’s closer to the spirit realm than Earth, pup. And what were you saying about the magic drain, ghost?”

Aggie floats to beside me, instead of using me as a shield between her and Hades. “Oh, nothing important. Just that Doyle figured out how to drain magic with the help of a goddess.”