Page 29 of Shadowed Spirits

Cain pulls me until I’m nestled in his side and smiles down at me. “This is Isabel Gallagher, my mate.”

“Trouble wrapped in a deceptively nonthreatening package,” I answer at the same time Cain does.

Pursing his lips, Cain gives me a small shake of his head. “You’re not trouble, angel.”

I raise my eyebrows and spread my arm out to gesture around us. “The fact that I dragged you to literal Hell proves you wrong, quiet boy.” I’m really not sure how he can claim that I’manything but trouble. All I’ve done since meeting him is create one problem after another.

“No. I’m part hellhound, so I would’ve ended up down here at some point, anyway.” He cocks an eyebrow at me, silently daring me to argue with him, which I would love to do.

As I open my mouth to do just that, Adriel interrupts before I can say anything. “You’re what?” His booming voice is almost a shout as he stares at his supposed grandson in complete and utter shock. I’m not sure why he’s surprised, when he’s a hellhound. It doesn’t seem that strange that Cain would be too.

Cain’s forehead wrinkles in confusion. “I’m part hellhound, according to Hades. That’s why you were called here. You didn’t know?”

“Uh, no. He was called here because Mira insulted you, tried to physically coerce and bully you, and attacked you.” I can barely get the words out through my clenched teeth because I’m still so furious about it. My magic bubbles in my chest and desperately tries to get out to make her pay for hurting Cain. While I would love nothing more than to let my magic have free rein, I refuse to go against Cain’s wishes like that.

“You lying little earth scum!” Mira struggles to get to her feet, but I press her down with my magic, keeping her on her knees. “I wasn’t attacking the useless mutt. I was disciplining him for disobeying a superior.”

“You were going after someone who was clearly scared! That makes you a bully. Respect is earned, not automatically given. If you want Cain to obey your orders, then act like a fucking leader by showing respect, consideration, and strength of character,notby physically harassing him.” I’m so enraged by the hellhound that I feel tears prick the corners of my eyes. I ruthlessly shove them down because I refuse to cry in front of her.

I also understand the irony about going off on Mira for being a glorified playground bully when I can’t do jack shit about my own tormentors. The worries about Danielle, her cronies, and my classmates seem so small now when compared to everything else going on, though. It’s funny how life can change your perspective so much.

“That was surprisingly well said, earthling,” Hades chimes in.

I roll my eyes at thesurprisingpart. “Gee, thanks. That’s what I aim for. Doing surprisingly well.” Hades cackles at my response.

I ignore him to focus on Adriel, who’s doing the weird hellhound rage growth thing that Cain did last night. “Um, Cain, you might want to talk with your granddad before he kills Mira.” Solid black flames run down Adriel’s arms and snake toward Mira, who thrashes about, trying to get away from them. I don’t know what the solid black flames are, but from her reaction, they’re nothing good.

“Adriel,” Cain calls, his steady and stoic voice ringing out in the throne room.

Adriel turns burning red eyes toward him. “Yes, Silence?” His voice holds a strange resonance that I can feel vibrating in my chest. The sound makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck and goose bumps prickle along my arms.

“Please don’t hurt her.” I don’t know how Archer can say Cain’s not sweet and gentle, when he’s pleading for mercy for someone who tried to attack him. He’s far too kind and forgiving toward Mira for my taste, but I admire his good heart.

“She hurt my own blood, so she will pay. I could not protect you from losing your fathers, but I can protect you from her.” A roiling storm of grief and loss and regret rolls through Adriel’s eerie red eyes as he watches Cain.

“That’s what I was saying,” I mutter to myself. Adriel gets me. Mira hurt Cain, so I’ll hurt her. Repeatedly. With a smile on my face.

“If you feel a punishment is appropriate, I won’t get in your way. But I don’t want any death doled out on my behalf. My life has already been steeped in enough blood and death as it is.” Cain bows his head and gazes at the floor sightlessly, his green eyes open but glazed over. Whatever he’s seeing in his mind is clearly not a happy memory, by the way his whole body tenses.

I reach out and hold his hand, hoping to comfort him. The contact startles him, but he doesn’t flinch away. Instead, he holds me tighter, like I’m his only anchor in a violent hurricane.

“Why? Did your mother fail to protect you?” Adriel questions.

Cain lets out a bitter laugh. “My mother was the cause of much of it, but that’s a story for another time.”

At the news of Cain’s mom hurting him, Adriel releases a low growl that has even the guards backing up, their eyes wide in fear.

Footsteps sound outside the throne room before three more large dudes burst through the open doorway. Two of the guys look like twins, with black hair with crimson ends and red eyes. Fortunately, one of them is wearing a navy button-up and the other is wearing a black dress shirt, so I can tell them apart. The other one has forest green hair and deep red eyes. Dressed the most casually in a black tee and jeans, I can see flame tattoos curling around his arms.

The man with deep green hair assesses the room with a sharp gaze, taking in Mira on the floor, guards passed out, and Adriel still in his raging hellhound form. “What the fuck is going on here? And why did you need the hellhound conclave for any of it?” His questions come out more like stern demands.

Oh, good. More hellhounds to cause problems.

“For fuck’s sake. When are you guys going to stop popping out of the woodwork? This is enough of a shit show as it is. And I swear to God, if any of you try to hurt Cain, I’ll murder you with my bare hands, understand?” I’m at my limit of people messing with my mates today.

“Goddamn, that’s hot. Why is it so hot when she threatens people?” Archer asks in a whisper from somewhere behind me. I hear a thump, and Archer lets out anoofthat turns into a quiet, wheezing laugh.

“Who are you?” the man in the deep blue shirt asks with casual disinterest. He shoves his hands into his pockets and lazily looks me up and down before giving me a wide, menacing smile. “I wouldn’t threaten hellhounds, little girl. A single one of us can chew you up and spit you out before you’d have a chance to react. Learn your place, earth dweller, and fast because you won’t enjoy me putting you in it.”

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