Page 106 of Ignited Spirits
By the time we reach my parents, brothers, and Hades, I feel a strange mix of sorrow and gratitude for everyone who helped us and sacrificed so much. Cerberus is also waiting there for us in their rottweiler form. When I’m close enough, they bound over to me and give me affectionate headbutts with all three of their heads.
“Earthling, you’re looking… less dead than you were.” Hades winces when Seph hits his stomach. Zeus wraps his arm around her to divert her annoyance, and Poseidon looks like he’s trying not to cackle at the whole interaction.
“Thanks, Hades,” I deadpan. Although I sound annoyed, I’m not really. I’m just thankful that Hades is still here to give me a hard time. “You always know just what to say to a girl to make her feel good.”
He snorts and starts chatting with Levi. Archer and Cain get pulled into a conversation with one of their packmates, and Bishop starts talking to a mage from Elemental. I make my way over to my family, feeling so endlessly lucky that they’re still here.
Rhys is the first one I’m within arm’s reach of, and he pulls me in for a tight hug. “You did it, Izzy. You took down the council and Lua. I know it’s hard right now to be proud of everything you did, but don’t let the people who gave everything to defeat her sour your victory.”
I squeeze my eyes tight, struggling with the reminder of the good people we lost. I know what Rhys is saying is true, but it doesn’t feel like it right now.
One day, though, I’ll get there.
“Yeah, you’re a total badass now, Iz,” Aiden chimes in from behind me. “Revel in it. Make other people uncomfortable with it. Take over the world thanks to it.”
I snort at my middle brother, always knowing how to lighten the mood when the weight of life gets too heavy to carry anymore.
“Thanks for the pep talk, dynamic duo,” I tell them with a grin. Rhys barks out a laugh at their new nickname, and Aiden giggles way harder than my sarcasm warrants. But their laughter makes me feel lighter, so I soak it up.
“It’s going to be okay, Izzy,” my dad says from beside me.
I turn around to give him a side hug before my mom comes up to hug me on the other side.
“One of these days, your heart won’t hurt so much, sweetie. I promise,” Mom reassures me.
Not saying anything past the lump in my throat, I just nod because I know she’s right.
After talking with my family, I get swept up into endless conversations with the mages, wolves, and evencuraewho came to pay their respects to Mateo.
As we talk, laugh, cry, sing and dance, and mourn, all the tattered pieces of my soul from the people I’ve lost, from Daniel to Mateo to everyone in the battle, perhaps don’t heal, but ache a little bit less.
Now that Lua is out of the picture and the secret about my magic is out, it’s time to start thinking about my future. With my mates at my side for whatever happens, I feel hope for what’s to come for the first time since I was a little kid.
EPILOGUE
IZZY
TWO YEARS LATER
“Headmistress?” Penny asks when she pops her head into my office. “Your mates are here to see you.”
Looking up from the stack of papers I was going through, I groan. “For the millionth time, Penny. Just call me Izzy. And send them in.”
Her blue eyes twinkle with mirth. “Sure thing, Headmistress Izzy.” She’s gone in a flash of red hair before I can say anything.
“You know that’s not what I meant!” I call to the closed office door before propping my elbows on the whitewashed executive desk and resting my head in my hands.
Aggie laughs at my exasperation. “It’s good for you to deal with a mini you, kid. Now you know what the rest of us went through.”
Flipping her off, I shake my head but don’t bother disagreeing with her.
Even though I’ve offered to cross her over so many times, Aggie insists that her place is here with me. I don’t argue withher about it too hard because the truth is that I love Aggie, and I love having her around. Even if she does give me shit on the regular.
To Aggie’s delight, running a school for kids who were abandoned, had rough childhoods, or have formerly forbidden magic means I often have to deal with smart-ass teenagers like Penny.
Lord only knows why I thought approving her work-study request to be my part-time receptionist was a good idea. I get way over the recommended daily dose of snark with that girl.
I know I’m going to cry when she graduates next year, though.
