Page 71 of Ignited Spirits
I reluctantly break away, leaning my forehead against hers as we both catch our breath for a moment.
“Get a room, you two,” Aiden grouses as he strides in and plops down in one of the available chairs. Izzy’s parents and Rhys follow Aiden’s lead and claim chairs across the table from us.
I huff a laugh at Aiden being Aiden. He’s become as much of an annoying younger brother to me as Deacon was.
When I came back to Hawthorne Grove to finish out college, I was lost. I had no one and nothing. But through meeting Izzy, I not only gained a mate who’s my whole world but also her family who’s adopted me as their own and a group of true friends I started my business with. Now, I have even more people that have my back with the Nightshades, Cain, and Levi.
Thinking about my little brother and my family has been getting easier lately. Instead of feeling like a hunting knife is shoved in my chest any time I remember his infectious smile orfully body laughter or how my parents were always there for me, it now just feels like a dull ache.
Whether it’s time or Izzy or a combination of both, my past is relaxing the stranglehold it’s had on me for years.
Maybe one of these days I’ll open up to Izzy about all the shit that fucked me up with the crash and my aunt when I was younger. I know talking about all of it would be healthy, but some things just hurt too much to put into words.
Pushing the thoughts about the memories out of my head, because I need to be focused on the mission, I press another quick kiss to Izzy’s lips. Her body sways to follow me when I pull back, and I know I have a smug smile on my face, if the glare on hers is anything to go by.
It’s not like she can blame me, though. Knowing I affect her even a fraction as much as she does me is a pretty great feeling.
Grabbing her around the waist, I pick her up from her perch on the table and sit down in one of the empty chairs, placing her on my lap.
“St. James…” she growls as she tries to turn around to face me. My arms banded around her waist prevent her from doing that, much to her annoyance.
“Yes, baby?” I ask innocently.
She gives up trying to turn around to look at me and dramatically collapses back against me. “One of these days, you’re going to get stabbed. By me. Repeatedly. I hope you know that.”
I bark out a laugh. “You threatening me, sweetheart?”
Although I won’t ever admit it, I love it when she pushes boundaries. I love her fight almost as much as I enjoy punishing her. There’s definitely something fucked up about me that punishing her is what gets me going, but it is what it is.
“No, just making you a promise if you don’t stop manhandling me,” she tells me sweetly.
“We’re going to talk about your defiance later,” I rasp in her ear softly enough that only she can hear me.
Izzy stiffens before she starts squirming around on my lap. She rubs her thighs together to get relief from her arousal.
I let out a soft groan at how good she feels before moving my hands to her legs and pulling them apart. Gripping her thighs, I keep them spread so that she can’t get the relief she’s looking for. Sassing me doesn’t get rewarded. She should know this by now.
She struggles against my hold for a moment before collapsing back into me, and she sighs. “Promises, promises.”
I chuckle but don’t get a chance to respond, because Hades and the rest of his mate group walk in. After pulling out a seat for Seph, Hades stands behind his mate’s chair and stares down Izzy, his black and red gaze swirling as he does so.
Stiffening, I have the urge to hide Izzy away from thecurawho still makes me uneasy, despite the fact that he’s been overall helpful. There’s something about Hades’s energy that sets me on edge. I used to have the same feeling about Levi, but after getting to know him, he no longer makes my skin crawl.
“I can’t stay long, earthling. I have some bullshit I have to attend to, but I wanted to give you this before you go.” Hades sets a black and purple knife sheath on the table and slides it toward Izzy. “Seph is very attached to you, so don’t do anything idiotic to get yourself killed. I will make your afterlife very uncomfortable if you do.”
Archer’s eyes flash purple for a split second, and a growl rumbles in his chest at the threat.
Hades flicks his apprehensive gaze to Archer before shuttering his expression and seeming unruffled.
After a moment, Archer’s eyes go back to normal, and he slumps in his chair.
Hades’s shoulders relax when Legion disappears, which is interesting. Hades is so much more powerful than I could everhope to be, so it’s easy to think of him as at the top of the food chain. But, based on his reactions to hellhounds and hydras, he’s not as all-powerful as he would like to seem.
Izzy chokes on a laugh. “Don’t go and get sappy on me now, Hades.” She picks up the sheath and grasps the intricately carved deep purple handle. Pulling out a curved, black blade, she examines it curiously. “What is this?”
The onyx blade seems to absorb all light instead of reflecting any, making it look like a knife-shaped black hole. Izzy runs her thumb along the pointy part of the blade as she studies it.
Hades leans his forearms on the back of Seph’s chair. He dresses more casually than I would expect for a king, constantly in button-downs with the cuffs casually rolled up and necks open wide. As the king, he can do whatever the fuck he wants, I suppose.
