Page 70 of Ignited Spirits
“Let’s meet back here at half-past five to regroup and get ready.” When no one objects to Levi’s plan, he pushes back in his chair and stands up. Reaching down a hand to me, he pulls me up after I place my hand in his.
He wraps me in a lingering hug that I melt into, enjoying the feel of his strong body against me. It feels like it’s been forever since Levi and I have gotten any alone time, and I’m going to need to fix that soon.
It’s hard to keep everything even with five mates. With so many guys and only one me, things are bound to get out of balance from time to time. It’s up to me, though, to correct it when it does happen.
Hopefully I’ve been doing an okay job of that so far. I haven’t heard any complaints from my mates, so that’s something.
We hang out and chat with everyone for a while until Hades glances at the time. He bends down to give Seph a kiss before striding out the door. As he’s leaving, he calls over his shoulder, “If I don’t see you before you leave, earthling, good luck and try not to die.”
Not dying is the goal.
Here’s hoping the mission is as simple and straightforward as it seems.
Something, though, tells me that it’s going to turn into just as much of a shit show as the rest of my life, so I may need all the good luck and help I can get to survive it.
CHAPTER 24
BISHOP
“Why are you looking at me like that, St. James?” Izzy asks from her perch on the conference table.
She’s dressed in another hand-me-down gown, this one a pale gray that matches her eyes. I assume it’s from Seph, but Levi didn’t really give us much detail.
Since we left in a rush again, none of us had time to pack any changes of clothes. We’re making do with whatever we can find or what Levi can magic up for us because it’s too dangerous to go back to Earth right now.
The six of us are in the meeting room before everyone else.
Izzy was too anxious to wait any longer, even though we tried to distract her with the practice room and wandering the castle. She just wants to get this whole thing over with, which I understand. It’s been hanging over us like a gloomy storm cloud for the whole day, making it hard to focus on anything else.
I step between her legs and lean down to plant my hands on the table, caging her in. My face is close enough to hers that I can feel her warm breath feathering over my cheek. “Like what, sweetheart?”
Her breathing picks up, and I can feel one side of my mouth kick up at the effect I have on her. Being around Izzy has alwaysmade my heart beat harder, my palms sweat, and my thoughts scramble.
I’m still getting used to the fact that she’s officially mine. That I can touch her the way I’ve been craving for years. That I can hold her all night and wake up to her sleepy smile. That I can tell her how damn much I love her every day.
If I’m being honest, I never thought I’d see the day that she was mine. Between her reckless actions, that almost got her killed more than once, to her stubborn insistence she’d never take a mate, I thought I would be waiting forever for the woman I’ve been in love with for so long to love me back.
Yet, somehow, I got lucky enough to convince her to give me a shot. I’ll spend the rest of my life proving to her that she made the right call.
Hopefully we’ll be done jumping from crisis to crisis soon, and I’ll be able to show Izzy all the good things about life. She’s packed a lifetime of hard and terrifying and soul-destroying experiences into twenty-two years.
Izzy deserves to see all the things that make life a gift instead of a curse. She deserves a lifetime of watching sunrises with people she loves, laughing so hard she can’t breathe, being who she is without fear or shame, and so much more. It’s my mission once we finally take down Lua to give her all that and more.
She scowls at my slight smile. “Like you’re contemplating knocking me out, tying me up, covering me in bubble wrap, and forcibly keeping me safe from everything that could even give me a paper cut.”
I tilt my head and pretend like I’m considering it. “You know, that’s not a bad idea.” I can’t help my chuckle when her frown deepens.
As much as it kills me when my mate is in danger, I also know I can’t keep her from this fight. I love her exactly as she is. Locking her away in the name of safety would just snuff out herspark, and I can’t do that to her. All I can do is make sure we’re with her every step of the way and keep her as safe as possible.
Izzy crosses her arms and glares at me. “You’re a dick, St. James.”
“I know, but you love me anyway.” My smile is genuine as I think about the first time she told me she loves me. That will forever be one of the highlights of my life.
She’s about to deny it, so I slam my lips into hers.
Izzy resists for a second before melting into me. Throwing her arms around my neck, she presses herself as close to me as she can get while she gets lost in the clashing of our lips.
Predictably, my cock goes from half-hard, like it always is around her, to full mast as soon as she starts grinding her center against me. I’m moments away from taking her on this table, not giving a fuck who might walk in, when the door slams open.
