Page 22 of Ignited Spirits
Colorful brick buildings sit in front of a wide, tree-lined road. Small businesses and restaurants have people mingling in front of them. Groups chat and laugh as they go on about their lives, blissfully unaware of the trouble hiding in their midst.
I shiver at the chilly December air whipping between the buildings. I’m still in a borrowed sleeveless dress from Seph, this one entirely black, because I haven’t had time to stop by my house to get more clothes. In all the craziness, I somehow forgot that it’s the middle of winter and I’d be cold wandering around the Midwest in nothing but a dress.
“Here,” Levi says, pulling me out of my thoughts. Looking over at him, I see him holding the gray fleece he was wearing out to me. Shaking my head, I open my mouth to refuse, but he beats me to it. “I run warm, little raven. I don’t need the jacket, so just take it.”
As much as I want to refuse, the shivers rattling my frame make it hard to say no. Blowing out a breath, I reluctantly take the jacket. Slipping it on, I’m instantly enfolded in warmth and Levi’s smoky, brimstone scent. “Thanks, demon boy.”
His mouth tips up slightly. “Anytime.”
After all my mates step through and Bishop closes the portal, I pull out the compass once again. While we have it narrowed down to a city, there’s still way too much land to comb through manually. We’ll definitely miss Lua and the chance to figure out what she’s up to if we don’t get a better idea of where she’s hiding.
Pulling the necklace off, I hold it in my hand and feed it more magic. The needle whirls around for a beat before it points straight out of the alley.
Walking two by two, we follow the compass across the bustling main street and through a maze of narrow streets and dead ends until we leave the crowded part of the city.
As the buildings start getting more rundown, the sidewalks dotted with trash, and the bushes and trees overgrown and unkempt, I wonder if the compass is broken. I don’t know what Lua could possibly be doing out here.
As far as I can see, there’s no world-destroying superweapon, asshole mages, or anything else that is helpful for her wholeending the world and killing everyoneplan.
Right as I’m about to give up on finding her, the magic fades from the compass. I stare down at it in confusion before I notice movement out of the corner of my eye. Across the street, Lua is rushing down an alley, oblivious to the fact that we’re right behind her.
She’s wearing a long black cloak with the hood up, obscuring her face. While not the most normal outfit to wear, it’s infinitely better than her blood-soaked dress from last time. Although, she still has a trail of crimson liquid behind her, so she’s not really blending in.
I freeze in my tracks, not wanting to catch Lua’s attention. Someone bumps into my back, and I stumble forward. I would fall on my face if it weren’t for the strong arms that wrap around my front and hold me steady.
“Sorry, angel,” Cain whispers in my ear, his warm breath ruffling my hair.
I try to suppress my shiver at his deep voice, but I don’t really succeed. Pretending that I’m not getting turned on at a super inappropriate moment, I tell him just as quietly, “It’s okay.Pretty sure we found where Lua is. Now all we need to do is figure out why she’s here.”
Before we can make a plan, Aggie appears in front of us. She looks around in confusion for a moment before her gaze lands on me. When it does, her eyes fill with relief before narrowing on me.
“What the hell, kid!” Aggie shouts at me. “Do you know how worried I’ve been about you? Do you know how worried your family has been? You can’t just disappear for five days and not tell anyone!”
While she has valid points, now really isn’t the time.
“Shh!” I hiss at her. I don’t know if allcuracan see spirits like Levi can. I don’t want Aggie’s shouting to draw Lua’s attention and get all of us killed, so I gesture at the war goddess, hoping Aggie will get the memo.
She opens her mouth to yell at me some more when she finally looks where I’m pointing and jumps in surprise before looking at Lua in horror. “Who is that? And why is she leaving blood everywhere behind her?”
“That’s Lua, Levi and Hades’s mother. She killed Archer and came very close to killing the rest of us. How about we don’t draw her attention with all your shouting, Aggie?”
“She’s somehow more terrifying than tall, terrifying, and scary one and two put together.” She looks between Archer and me a few times before raising her eyebrows at me. “Uh, kid, I don’t think he’s a ghost.”
“I’m not, because Izzy brought me back.”
“What? How? When?” Aggie gapes at Archer. “And how can you see me?”
“I had to use water from the Styx to bring him back, and it must’ve allowed him to see spirits.” Turning to Levi, I ask, “Can allcurasee spirits in this realm?”
He nods. “Yes. It is an ability that crosses realms.”
Well, there goes one plan I thought I had. It would be cool if Aggie could follow Lua without being seen, but I guess that option is out.
“Okay. Then, Aggie, with love, shut up.”
She huffs at me but doesn’t argue, thankfully. In a whisper, she asks, “So, what’s the plan?”
“I haven’t gotten that far.” I bite my lip as I try to think what to do.
