Page 54 of Ignited Spirits
We get a few weird looks as people file out past us, but I ignore them. It’s been way too long of a day to give a shit about what randos think about me.
I finally spot my family toward the end of the procession.
Rhys is the first one to notice us standing there. He stops in his tracks, temporarily holding up the line. “Iz? What are you doing here?”
I gesture for him to keep going. Once he’s moving, I try to go over to him, but Bishop’s strong arms keep me in place for a moment. Eventually, he lets me go, and I fall into step next to Rhys. I can hear the rest of my mates following.
“I accidentally portaled to you guys instead of to Levi’s room. The better question, though, is what are the three of you doing here? How did you even find this place?”
As we walk through the door, Dad is the one to answer. “Your brothers were getting bored, so we decided to explore. We wandered for probably twenty minutes or so before finding directions to the practice room, and here we are. Did everything go okay with your mage friend?”
I glance around the sparsely decorated lobby. A handful of chairs and a lone sofa are spread throughout the space, all made of the same gleaming black rock of the castle itself. A few chandeliers hang down, casting soft purple light over the surprisingly crowded space.
I recognize thecuraebecause they look a lot like normal humans. But I have no idea what the rest of the creatures here are. Some are only a foot or two tall, while others have to be over ten feet. They have an assortment of wings, horns, tails, hooves, and extra appendages of all kinds.
Remembering Levi’s warning not to stare, I try to keep my gaze bouncing around the room so I’m not looking at anyone for too long. I don’t particularly want to start any fights right now, which is weird. I usually love stirring up trouble.
Tearing my focus away from the cool assortment of species I’ve never seen before, I focus back on my dad. “Yeah, it went well. Turns out he’s related to someone important there, so I think he’ll be fine.”
Dad claps me on the shoulder and pulls me into a side hug. “That’s good to hear. Let’s go find your mother, and then we can all rest. You look like you need it, and I certainly feel like I do.”
“Gee, thanks, Dad,” I deadpan. “Just what every girl wants to hear.”
He snorts and shakes his head before looking at me expectantly. I stare back at him before realizing I’m the one who’s supposed to lead the way. The only problem with that is that I have the directional sense of a limp spaghetti noodle.
Staring up at Levi, I give him the same expectant look my dad gave me. It takes him a moment before his lips curve into a small smile. “You want me to lead the way?”
“Unless we want to get lost, you leading the way is definitely the smart choice.”
He laughs before grabbing one of my hands in his and tugging me along behind him. I’m not surprised when someone else captures my other free hand because my mates love touching me. And, to be honest, I love the comfort of their touch too.
What I am surprised by is that it’s Cain who snagged my hand. He’s usually so quiet and happy to fade into the background. I like him being a little more forward, though. Maybe it means that he’s getting more comfortable with me.
I beam at him. “How are you, quiet boy?”
He gives me a soft smile in return. “I’m doing pretty good right now. Nothing better than holding my beautiful mate.”
Heat creeps up my cheeks as I try my hardest not to melt into a puddle of goo at his sweet words. Anyone else, I would grumble about it. But with my quiet boy, I just mumble, “Thanks. I like holding your hand too.”
I can feel more than hear the laugh that rumbles in his chest. He tugs me closer to him with his hold on my hand, then plants a kiss on the top of my head.
We walk the rest of the way in companionable silence. Levi expertly guides us through the maze he calls home and leads us into a new area of the castle I haven’t seen before.
While the walls, floors, and ceiling are the same obsidian with a gentle purple glow, the space feels lighter for some reason. It’s probably the cream-colored furniture, flowing drapes decorating the walls and occasional window, and the bright rugs that add warmth to the cold floors.
After I finish inspecting the space, my gaze lands on Levi. “Where are we?”
“We’re in Hades’s personal quarters. As you can probably tell, Seph decorated this part of the castle.”
“Yeah, I don’t really think Hades is a cream chaise with light blue toss pillows type of guy. I feel like he’d be more likely to decorate in black and dark red to hide the bloodstains and other bodily fluids.”
“You’d be right about that, earthling.”
Speak of the devil. Think about Hades and he shall appear.
I raise a brow at him. “You know where my mom is?”
He claps his hand over his heart like I wounded him. “What, no hello, how are you, how’s your day for your favorite great-granddaddy?”
