Page 50 of Shadowed Spirits

“Hey, wildcat,” he parrots with a soft smile on his face. As I walk closer, his nostrils flare and his eyes widen before turning amber. He grips his desk edge so tightly it creaks in protest.

I freeze. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” he grits out.

My eyebrows raise skeptically, since there’s clearly something wrong with him being so close to shifting. “Why are you wolfing out?”

“I can smell Bishop all over you. My wolf is trying his hardest to take control so we can claim you too.” His words come out as a growl, and his eyes seem to glow for a moment before they turn teal again.

I blink at him a few times, not really sure what to say. I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me that the wolves could smell what happened. I’m doubly glad I didn’t run into anyone, now. Looking away from Luca, I scuff the toe of my white Chuck on the ground. “Well, that’s awkward.”

Luca lets out a slightly pained laugh as he continues death gripping the desk. “It’s not awkward. That’s part of havingmultiple mates. I’m happy for you both, as long as it was good for you.”

I can feel heat creeping up into my cheeks at the question. “It was.” All the experiences with my mates have been really good, at least so far. I don’t foresee that changing.

“Good. Is there something you need? If not, it’d be best for you to leave, unless you want to be claimed again.” His aquamarine eyes burn with hunger as he drags his gaze down my body.

I feel liquid heat start to pool in my core at his desire, but I shove that down because I do actually want to get things accomplished, besides fucking and forming bonds, before we leave. “Where’s Levi?”

With his jaw clenched and the tendons in his neck standing out starkly from how hard he’s holding himself back, Luca gestures over his shoulder. “Two doors down on the left.”

“Thanks, wolf boy.” I give him a half smile and back out of his room. I don’t want to excite his wolf by running away, so I make sure my movements are slow and aren’t sudden.

When I reach the hallway, Luca calls, “Let me know if you need anything else.”

I nod before realizing he can’t see me. Huffing at myself, I make my way to the room Luca indicated. Hesitantly pushing open the wood door, I peek inside to make sure I’m not walking in on some random wolves getting it on.

Luckily, all I see in the darkened room are Levi and the furniture. He’s sleeping on a cast-iron frame bed with a sky blue comforter. The heavy curtains are drawn over the two windows, keeping the space dark for Levi to rest.

Easing the door shut behind me, I attempt to silently walk to the bed. Instead, my foot lands on a creaky floorboard. At the noise, Levi bolts upright in bed with a throwing knife clutched in his right hand. His black and red eyes dart around the roombefore they land on me. He sighs in relief before groaning in pain and flopping back against the mattress.

“Hell of a way to wake up, screech owl,” I whisper as I make my way over to him, not wanting to talk loudly if he’s not feeling well. I sit down on the edge of the bed.

“Growing up the way I did, you learn to be a light sleeper and always have a weapon. The habit’s hard to break.” Levi grabs one of my hands and tugs me down until I’m lying on his chest. I don’t want to hurt him, so I make sure most of my weight is on the mattress instead of him.

I trace small circles on his chest as I lie there. “Why’d you have to do that growing up?”

He makes a humming noise, like he’s debating what to tell me. “It wasn’t always a forgone conclusion that Hades would ruleInfernus.There were many others who wanted to rule. When it was clear how strong Hades would be when he came into his power fully, those who viewed him as competition tried to take him out, often at night. Since I was his brother, they often made attempts on me, even when I wasn’t with him. Plus, Lua had a habit of trying to kill both of us, so I learned that it was unsafe to sleep too deeply or unarmed.”

I don’t know whether to be sad, outraged, or murderous that he had to grow up that way. I know from experience that even the threat of people trying to kill you takes its toll on a kid. Having actual attempts on his life is so much worse. “Want me to kill Lua for you? I can also murder the others who tried to off you and Hades.”

Levi barks out a surprised laugh. “You’re very sweet, little raven, but most, if not all, other than Lua, are dead. Hades doesn’t take kindly tocuraattempting to kill him or me, so he dealt with them swiftly at the time. As far as Lua, she would be dead if we could figure out a way to kill her.”

“Does that bother you? That we might have to kill your mom?”

“No. LuaMaterwas never a mother figure to me. I was raised by our father, Saturn, and Hades for the most part. Lua had lost her grip on sanity long before I was born, perhaps even before Hades was. The thing that bothers me the most is that I don’t know how to stop her.” Levi’s voice is filled with a vulnerability that makes my chest ache.

Wanting to reassure him, I push up on my elbow so I can see his face. “I don’t have all the answers right now, but I have to believe we can find a way with all of us working together.” I refuse to believe that I found my mates just for all of them to be ripped away when I’m starting to trust that we have a future together. “Besides, you said I’m almost as powerful as Hades. I’m sure, with the two of us working together, we can wreak havoc the likes of which Lua and the universe have never seen before.”

He snorts. “That is very true, little raven. The universe is fortunate you and Hades have yet to team up.” Levi throws his arm on his uninjured side over his eyes. “What if we can’t stop her?” His question is so quiet, I can barely hear it.

I don’t say something flippant like,we’d all be dead, so it wouldn’t be our problem,because I’m pretty sure that’s not what he needs. Instead, I take a moment to think through my response. “If you want my honest answer, I don’t know, demon boy. I don’t know what happens if we can’t stop her, and I’m pretty sure none of us wants to find out. All we can do is focus on what we can control and do everything in our power to stop her. Worrying about it endlessly saps our energy and doesn’t really change anything.”

Moving his hand up from where it’s been playing with my hair, Levi cups my face. “When did you get so wise?”

My cheeks flush at the compliment. “The world’s in deeper shit than I thought if I’m the wise one.” I flash him a self-deprecating grin because I’m much better at making jokes at my expense than accepting kind words.

He rolls his eyes at me. “You’re very wise, intelligent, mature, and handle life and its challenges with more grace than anyone should ever be expected to. Don’t discount yourself, little raven.” As soon as he finishes speaking, a giant yawn splits his face. He covers his mouth with a hand, as if to hide his exhaustion, but his drooping eyelids give him away.

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