Page 5 of Ignited Spirits
He plants a kiss on the top of my head and pulls back to look at me. “What happened, little raven?”
I close my eyes, not wanting to relive everything with Lua again, but Levi needs to know. I fill him in, glossing over the more graphic parts for my own sanity. My eyes flick back to Archer’s mostly healed body as I talk, still not really believing that he’s physically healed.
When I’m done telling him the whole fucked-up story, Levi hugs me tighter to him. He then pulls back to look at my face and Archer behind me. His lips pull down as he realizes what I’m doing. “You’re healing him.”
“Yeah. I’m trying to, at least. I got distracted by you waking up, but I just need to pour more magic into Archer’s soul.”
Levi clenches his jaw. “Are you going to have enough magic to heal all that damage?”
“I guess we’re gonna find out,” I mutter as I increase the amount of magic I’m directing to Archer’s spirit.
In all the chaos, I had somehow forgotten that I was going to have to experience my heart getting ripped out of me. That’s a small price to pay, though.
It takes another minute or two of my funneling everything I have into Archer before he stops rocking back and forth. He lifts his head and looks around with clear and alert eyes. When his gaze lands on his body, he scrambles back in surprise.
Glancing up, his confused gaze collides with mine. “Sunshine? What’s goin’ on?”
CHAPTER 3
IZZY
Igive him a sad smile. “Hey, sunny boy,” I whisper, relief that he’s awake and dread about having to tell him what happened warring inside me. It’s never easy to tell someone that they’re dead, and it’s even harder when it’s someone I care so much about.
Before I can explain, Luca growls, “You got your heart ripped out, you dumbass.”
He’s able to see and hear ghosts inInfernus, so he has no problem talking to his brother’s spirit. Heartbreak, devastation, and frustration flit across his face as he looks between Archer’s ghost and his mostly healed body.
Archer’s brows scrunch as he thinks for a moment. “I remember pushing Izzy aside and Lua grabbing me but nothing after that.”
“Spirits can’t remember how they died,” I tell him gently, not wanting to freak him out.
Ghosts can’t remember their deaths as a protection mechanism to keep them from getting stuck in the land of the living. For souls with traumatic deaths, the inability to remember can be hard on them.
“I’m dead?” His mouth opens and closes in disbelief.
“Yeah,” I choke out. A tear trails down my face, and I bat it away, hopefully before anyone notices.
Archer zeroes in on the movement, and his face contorts with worry. He knee walks over to me and wraps his spectral arms around me. “Don’t cry, sunshine. It’ll all be okay. I’ll find some way back, or I’ll haunt you for the rest of your life. It won’t be so bad, you’ll see.”
I let out a watery laugh at Archer attempting to reassure me. The man just died, and he’s worried about my well-being. I shake my head at him. “We’re going to bring you back. If that’s what you want, of course.”
His mouth pops open in surprise. “You can do that?”
“Apparently.” I shrug because it’s new to me too.
“That’s so cool!” He leans back and levels me with aquamarine eyes dancing with excitement. Underneath that, I can see a hint of worry that he’s trying to hide. “Will I come back the same?”
“You should, yeah. Your magic, though, will be different. Most humans never come into contact with the waters of the Styx, so we don’t know how it’ll change that aspect of you. We just know it’ll be different.”
He nods and shoves a hand through his usually blond hair that’s transparent right now. “Will I still have my wolf?”
“I don’t know,” I admit quietly.
Archer’s gaze goes unfocused as he thinks through everything he’s just learned. After a long moment, he nods to himself, and his eyes fill with determination. “Well, I’ve had a wolf for twenty-five years. Most people never get the chance to have an animal, so I’ll be thankful for the time I’ve had.”
He’s trying to look on the bright side, but I don’t want him to shove down all his feelings. He’s been through a lot, and it’s understandable to be messed up over it. “It’s okay to be upset.”
“I know. I just can’t handle dwelling on it all right now.” Archer’s voice breaks, and he looks away to hide his expression.
