Page 93 of Ignited Spirits
“Know where Dec is?” Rhys asks. “Might as well have you all here if we’re going to have this conversation.”
The man’s forehead wrinkles in worry. “That’s not ominous at all, but, yeah, I know where he is. Why don’t we meet in your office, Rhys? I’ll meet you guys there in a few minutes.”
With a nod, Rhys takes off down the hallway in one direction while the blond man takes off down the other. Our procession moves silently down the navy-blue hallway dotted with doors every so often. The only sound is the tapping of our shoes on the slate-tiled floor.
After less than a minute of walking, we come to a stop in front of a dark-wood door with a brushed brass nameplate that says “Rhys Gallagher” on it.
Letting his magic out, Rhys directs it toward the keyhole. After a moment, the door clicks open, and Rhys leads us all inside.
“Take a seat,” he tells us as he gestures distractedly at his office. He makes a beeline to his desk and starts flipping through the stack of papers placed there with a frown on his face.
Izzy and Aiden hop up onto the walnut desktop, swinging their legs in unison, looking every inch of the siblings they are.
Bishop rests his hip on the desk edge next to our mate, placing his hand on her thigh. The two wolves take the emerald-green chairs in front of the desk, and Leviathan stands at the other corner of the desk.
I opt to stand against the wall, where I have a good visual to ensure no one tries to attack my mate.
It’s not long before the blond man walks through the door with a black-haired man with onyx-colored eyes that stand out starkly against his skin. He has the same lean muscles as the first one, so I assume he, too, is a mage.
“Logan, Dec, this is Luca and Archer Nightshade and Cain Blackthorne, three of Izzy’s mates. The tall guy with tattoos is Leviathan, another one of her mates. Guys, this is Logan Shannahan and Declan O’Brian, the co-owners of Elemental, along with Bishop and me.”
The blond one named Logan tilts his head as he looks at our mate skeptically. “Not that I’m not thrilled for her, because she’s an awesome person and absolutely deserves mates, but how does Izzy have mates when she has no magic?”
Izzy winces. “Um, yeah, about that. So, I actually have magic.” She lets her mage andcuramagic fill her hands. The two men gasp in surprise, and she looks apologetic. “Sorry, guys.”
“When the fuck did you get magic?” the black-haired one asks.
Blowing out a breath, Izzy reluctantly admits, “When I was seven.”
He looks a little hurt as he turns to Rhys. “You didn’t trust us enough to tell us? You know we would’ve had your back, man. We never would’ve told anyone about it.”
“It’s not about that,” Izzy says before Rhys has a chance to respond. “Knowing would put you in danger when the council inevitably found out. Rhys didn’t tell you to keep you safe, not because he doesn’t trust you. I’m pretty sure Rhys would’ve rather had you two as his siblings than Aiden and me, if I’m being honest.”
Rhys snorts at that and shakes his head. Logan and Declan crack a smile before sobering.
Logan asks, “What’s this about, Rhys?”
Rhys, who has been pacing the length of his office, shoves a hand through his hair before facing the other mages. He scrubs a hand over his face before he fills them in on everything that has happened and what we will attempt to do tomorrow in vague terms.
LuaMatercan watch anything that happens in this realm, other than in the underground city. She can also spy on some ofInfernus, but anywhere the Styx flows is obscured from her view. We cannot risk telling them too much and having thecuralearn about it.
“So, in summary, you need us to engage in a giant battle like we did last year. Only, the fate of the entire fucking universe is hanging in the balance and your little sis, instead of some wolf chick, is the only one who can stop it?” Declan asks.
Rhys tilts his head in thought before nodding. “Yeah, pretty much.”
“Welp, at least life is never boring with you Gallaghers.” Logan flashes Rhys a smile. “We’ll get on rallying the troops. When do you need us ready by?”
Izzy grimaces. “Tomorrow?” It comes out as more a question than a statement with how high her voice gets.
Logan laughs while Declan looks like he cannot decide whether to scream or cry. When he gets his laughter under control, Logan says, “Sounds about right. We’ll do what we can, but some people will have to stay on assignment.”
“I figured. Thanks, guys,” Rhys tells them. “Izzy and her mates need to get going, but we’ll pick you up and everyone else in the morning.”
The mages all say their goodbyes before Izzy opens a portal back toInfernusso we can finish preparing for the battle tomorrow and get some sleep. I have faith in my mate that she will be able to stop Lua, but I cannot help but worry what it will cost her to do so.
CHAPTER 31
IZZY
