Page 57 of Ignited Spirits
Shoving a hand through his intentionally messy navy hair, Hades stares into the distance for a moment before he nods to himself. “We should consult my advisors. Surely the best and brightest minds inInfernuswill offer more direction than your feeble earthling mind can.”
I don’t even have the energy to be offended by Hades’s digs at this point. I do laugh when Seph hits Hades in his stomach again and chastises him for being rude.
He distracts Seph with a kiss and then strides toward a door at the far end of their living space, tugging Seph along with him. Hades doesn’t spare the rest of us a glance.
Realizing he isn’t going to wait for everyone else, I hustle to catch up to him. “Right now? Don’t you need to give notice for a meeting? People have lives. I doubt they can all come to a meeting with minutes’ notice.”
I hear footsteps behind me as we walk down a long corridor, so I assume my mates followed me. The white marble gradually fades into the black rock of the rest of the castle partway down the hall. By the time we reach the door at the end, all the light and airy touches of Seph have completely faded.
“I’m the king. I don’t have to give any notice. It’s their job to jump when I say—whether that’s to come to a short-notice meeting or throw themselves off a cliff.” Hades gives me his signatureyou’re dumber than a bag of rockslook. I wonder if he uses that look for everyone or if he reserves it especially for me.
Hades pushes the door open and walks out into a section of the castle I haven’t been to yet. That’s not saying much, because I haven’t seen most of it.
“No wonder people have tried to assassinate you. You’re kind of a dick,” I grumble as I look around.
Whereas the public-facing rooms are grand and ornate and his private quarters are light and airy, this section is plain and functional. The black rock that makes up the walls, floors, and ceiling isn’t polished to a mirrorlike shine. Instead, it’s a dull obsidian with only a barely there purple glow.
The walls are bare, and thecuraemilling around are dressed in simpler clothing, like they don’t have to care as much about their appearance here. They’re still in button-downs and slacks,but I don’t see anyone in the intricate guard uniform. Everyone here looks surprisingly white collar—if I ignore the wings, tails, and bright hair of all colors, of course.
He barks out a laugh. “You won’t hear any argument from me. I do what is necessary to maintain order and ensure the citizens ofInfernushave what they need. More often than not, that requires me to be an asshole.”
Once again, I’m struck by how lonely his job sounds.
He’s not king so that he has power or riches or fame. Hades is king because he cares about the people and realm he rules over. Yet, he can never really be a regular person or even that likable if he wants to keep his throne.
“What happens when you don’t wanna be king anymore? Do you just fuck off to a seaside retreat somewhere?” There must’ve been other kings before Hades, so I wonder if they’re still alive somewhere, living their best lives.
“No.” His lips curve up into a smile with a bitter edge to it. “There’s no retirement for this job. My only options are to continue working or be killed off by someone who wants my throne.”
My eyes widen. “That’s… depressing.”
“It’s the cycle of life, earthling.” He shrugs like it doesn’t bother him, but I see a hint of vulnerability in his gaze. He quickly shutters it and flashes me a biting smile. “Don’t worry your empty blonde head about it. I’ll be around for longer than you’ll exist.”
I roll my eyes but don’t push the subject. He’s clearly done talking about it, which I can respect.
As we’re walking through a simple black doorway into what looks like a conference room, something occurs to me. “Wait. How long will I live?”
As I wait for someone to answer my question, I look around the barren conference room. A large oval table that looks likeit was made out of a tree trunk dominates the room. It’s big enough to seat around thirty people, if the number of simple black high-backed chairs surrounding it is anything to go by.
A whiteboard decorates one wall, and walnut wood cabinets are dotted along the other walls. Other than that, it’s just empty space and matte black rock.
“We… don’t exactly know,” Levi answers. “You’re halfcura, and I’m fullycura. Curaehave shared lifespans with their mates, so there’s a good chance you’ll live as long as I do and won’t die of natural causes.”
“I don’t think anyone expected me to die of old age, Levi.” I give him a droll look as I try to ignore the way my heart is beating frantically against my rib cage.
I don’t want to live forever. I want to be dead and gone by the time the sun eats the Earth and all of humanity dies. I have no plans for my life in ten years because I thought I’d be killed by then. What am I supposed to even do for billions of years?
I hear an eerie growl behind me and whip around to see Archer’s eyes glowing purple. “Can we not talk about you dying? Please? The hydra sharing my body really hates that topic,” Archer forces out through gritted teeth.
I shoot him an apologetic look. While I didn’t mean to rile Legion, it’s clear I did.
Hades jumps up from his spot at the head of the table. He turns his disbelieving gaze on Archer. “You’re a hydra now?”
“Yep.” Archer’s eyes are still glowing purple, but his voice doesn’t sound as strained. “His name is Legion, and he’s kinda terrifying.”
When Archer mentions Legion, Hades’s mouth drops open. He opens and closes it a few times, trying to figure out what to say before turning accusingly to Levi. “When the fuck were you going to tell me Legion—of all the fates-damned hydras—was reincarnated into your mate group?”
Levi shrugs, not flinching in the face of his brother’s anger and disbelief. “We just found out. It’s not like I had an opening to tell you that Izzy somehow put the king of hydras into the young wolf.”
