Page 44 of Shadowed Spirits

I open my mouth to keep pushing him, too hurt and angry at myself to acknowledge that continuing right now is just going to hurt both of us, when Luca interjects. “We don’t have time for this. I can hear the councilors outside. We need to go. Now.”

Levi opens a rift, and the wolves and Cerberus go through as I continue to glare at Bishop. We’re still locked in a staring match when the doors to the council chambers bang open. I don’t think and just react on instinct when I grab Bishop’s hand and run to the rift. When we reach Levi, I snag his hand in my other as we leap through, not a moment too soon. As Levi closes the rift,I see the councilors start filing in, none of them any the wiser about what just happened there.

My knees feel weak at how close we just were to getting caught, all because I decided I needed to argue with Bishop right then. I shake my head but shove all my anger at myself and hurt from Bishop into a dusty corner of my mind. We need to focus and figure out a solution to this mess, not waste time on my feelings.

Looking around the space with deep maroon walls, gold accents, and a large mahogany desk, I realize that we’re in Doyle’s office. The giant portrait of him kind of gave it away.

I expected Levi to portal us somewhere safe, like the Nightshade keep, but this makes sense. We need a clue of some sort to figure out how to find Lua before she realizes Doyle’s dead. I’m guessing she already knows her son is involved in this, so that’s not great.

Scrubbing a hand over my face, I decide I better be useful and try to find a clue to Lua. I start toward the desk when Bishop tugs me to a stop and spins me to face him. “This isn’t finished.” His voice is low and velvety but with an undercurrent of danger that would have a smarter person running far, far away.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any sense when it comes to my mates. Instead, I sigh tiredly, the anger that was powering me earlier draining out of me. “I didn’t think it was. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, St. James.”

His brows furrow. “For what?”

“For hitting a sore spot. For not being stronger so you’d be able to share yourself with me. For dragging you into an even bigger mess than I could’ve ever imagined.” Bishop opens his mouth, probably to disagree with me, but I shake my head at him. “I don’t want to do this now. Please.”

Bishop’s eyes, that seem to be roiling with a thunderstorm, soften until they resemble a peaceful ocean. “You never have tobeg me for anything, sweetheart. I’m sorry, too, Iz. I never want to hurt you.”

I give him a small nod because I know he’d rather endure torture than hurt me. But that’s what happens when you care about someone. You hurt them and tear them apart and fuck up so many times, you wonder why they still talk to you. But caring about someone also means that you cheer them on and make them laugh until they can’t breathe and build them up stronger than they’ve ever been.

Caring about someone is messy and hard and draining, but it’s also what makes life worth it. I try so hard not to care about others, but the truth is my life would be empty without all of them. Maybe, instead of pushing everyone away, Bishop’s right that I need to let them in to help me keep all of us safe.

“I think I found something,” Levi calls from over by the desk. While I’ve been lost in my thoughts, Luca, Archer, Cain, and Levi have spread out to look for clues.

Bishop offers me his hand. I take it, and he leads me over to the desk, his warm palm reassuring in mine.

“Whatcha got, demon eyes?” Archer asks as he hops down from the cabinet he was standing on. He lands in a crouch before heading over to the desk on nimble feet.

Levi sighs but doesn’t make any comment on the nickname. From the small smile playing around his lips, I don’t think he’s as put out as he tries to seem. “I found a list of coordinates and times withDea Sanguinis et Armorumwritten on it. I’m pretty sure ‘Goddess of Blood and Weapons’ refers to Lua. Since there are six repeated coordinates over the past year and a half with dates two weeks apart exactly, I’m pretty sure this is where Doyle’s been meeting Lua.”

“When was the last date?” Luca asks.

“Yesterday.” Levi’s answer lines up with Doyle getting his memories restored by his “partner.” As Levi said, I highly doubtLua considered a lowly mage her equal, but whatever. He clearly met with her, and she realized his memory had been tampered with. It was just bad luck that everything happened yesterday, I guess.

“Where do the coordinates lead to?” I ask. Here’s hoping they’re to a nice relaxing beach or a tropical paradise. I could go with a little less gloomy of a location.

Archer hops up to sit on the desk so he can read the paper in Levi’s hand. He pulls out his phone and quietly researches for a minute. “The first one is a remote mountain in Iceland. Second is a mountain in Siberia. Third is a mountain in Japan.” Archer pauses his research to look up at me with a grin. “Why do I get the feeling that these are all mountains? Fourth is a mountain in Chile. Fifth is a mountain in Colorado. And sixth is a mountain in Italy. Yep. All mountains. She’s pretty predictable for a war-mongering, world-ending goddess.”

Levi shakes his head, his mouth set in a grim line. “Nothing about Lua is predictable. She might create the illusion of predictability, but that’s only to lull you into a sense of complacency. A safe assumption with Lua is that she’s always twelve steps ahead of you but messing with your mind to make you think you have the upper hand.”

Lovely. A super powerful goddess trying to end the world who plays mind games. Just what I wanted.

I rub my temples because it seems like nothing in my life is ever easy, and I’m so over it. “So, lemme guess. We have to go check out all six mountains and try to figure out which one she’s going to be at in two weeks? Then we have to find some way to stop her, when a whole bunch ofcurabarely managed it last time?”

Levi nods and pins me with his otherworldly stare. “That’s correct, yes.”

I groan but don’t get the chance to say anything, because the door crashes open.

CHAPTER 24

IZZY

“Where is Doyle?” Dad hisses as he takes in the six of us hunched over Doyle’s desk. He closes the door behind him, keeping anyone from hearing our conversation.

I wince. “So, about that—” I trail off, not really knowing what to say. When I can’t find any way to make it sound any better, I just go with the truth. “I kinda, sorta, ripped out his and twenty-five of his closest friends’ souls.” Giving my dad a sheepish smile, I shrug at him, because what else is there to really do in this situation?

Dad’s mouth opens and closes a few times as he processes what I said. “You did what?”

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