10. Ember

10

EMBER

“E ffing Adrian.” I grasped the metal gate and shook it, not that I thought I could tear it from its hinges. Mayhem might be able to, but we’d still be stuck behind a two-foot-thick vault door with a complex, massive locking system that Ash’s little lock-picking toolkit wouldn’t stand a chance against.

“Effing Hazel and mother effing fae.” I paced in front of the door, tripping over the dead guard and pressing my hands to my cheeks. “Shit. This poor woman.”

“We have worse things to worry about.” Mayhem lifted her and carried her body behind a shelving unit, out of sight.

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. Never did I ever dream my life would come to a point where I had worse things to worry about than a woman getting killed for being in the way of what I needed.

“Ash, Miles, are you there?” I pressed my fingers to the earpiece, but all I heard was a bit of static.

“The walls are too thick.” Shade examined the gate, shaking it like I had done. “Best we can do is hope they heard us before Hazel locked us in.”

“Fabulous.” I lifted my hands and dropped them at my sides. “What about phones? Mayhem, hand me mine.”

He fished my device from his jacket pocket and gave it to me. The words No Service lit up the center of the screen, so I handed it back to him.

I took a deep breath and blew it out hard. “Let’s take stock. What do we know?” I made a grabby motion at Shade. “Tell me.”

“Hazel has the amulet.” He leaned against the gate, crossing his arms. “And she’s planning to sell it to Adrian…or so we assume.”

“Worcester doesn’t have a coven, and it’s on the way to Boston. Adrian hired her for sure.” I continued pacing, keeping my body occupied so my brain could do the work. “What else?”

“She appeared to be as surprised about the fae dropping in as we were,” Mayhem said.

“Right. She didn’t know she was setting us up to be slaughtered. That’s obvious.” I grabbed the sides of my bra and hauled it up, putting my boobs back into place.

“She is a skilled actress, though,” Mayhem said. “We all fell for her show of innocence.”

“Did Adrian know about the fae?” Shade ignored his admission. “Or was it an unfortunate coincidence?”

“That was no coincidence.” I tapped my index finger against my lips. “I think he pretended to make amends with Prince Ignacus and set up the whole thing. We were the peace offering.”

“Ignacus promised him immeasurable power in return for his fealty. Why would he need to pretend?” Mayhem examined an antique apothecary chest, opening and closing the drawers, finding them empty.

“Ignacus lies. Adrian lies. Neither can trust their right hands to know what the left is doing. Why would Adrian turn over the amulet when he could keep all the power to himself?” I crossed my arms, shifting my weight to one leg. “He wouldn’t.”

“So Hazel’s on her way to Worcester,” Shade said. “If she makes it that far, she’ll sell the amulet to Adrian. We still have two-thirds of it, so he won’t get ‘immeasurable’ power. Just a little boost.”

“A little boost like Chrys? You saw what it did to her. It changed her.” I rested my hands on my hips. “Adrian is a thorn in our side now. Once he gets his hands on the amulet, and it affects his brain, he’ll be an entire bramble.”

“We must intercept it before Hazel initiates the exchange.” Mayhem strolled toward the gate and shook it the same way Shade and I had. One corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk as he glanced sideways at me. “Back up, please.”

I moved to stand next to Shade as Mayhem tightened his grip on the bars. His muscles tensed, new ones not normally visible protruding beneath his skin as he strained. He inhaled, exhaled hard, inhaled. On his next exhale, he ripped the gate from the wall and tossed it aside as if it were made of foam.

“Impressive.” I couldn’t fight my smile or ignore the flutter in my belly. I was in love with a strong man. So what? “Can you do that to the vault door too?”

My demon ran his fingers around the seal before bracing his palms against the center and pushing with all his might. No hinges creaked. No walls groaned against the pressure.

He leaned his shoulder against it, pushing for a few seconds before backing away and slamming his weight against the door. Nothing. “I’m afraid even my strength is no match for this.”

“What if we all tried together?” Shade braced his arm, angling his shoulder toward the door. “On three.”

He counted. We shoved. Twice. Three times. Nothing moved.

I gripped my aching shoulder, rotating it to loosen the tension. “When brawn doesn’t work, we have to use our brains. Fabulous.”

“We are surrounded by magical artifacts.” Mayhem leaned down to kiss the bruise already forming on my shoulder. “Surely you can find something of use.”

I spun in a circle, taking in the possibilities. “Except we don’t know if these things actually do what the tags say they do. They were wrong about the amulet.”

I lifted the information sheet. “‘A nineteen-carat Burma ruby, rumored to increase physical strength tenfold.’ They had no idea.”

“How could they?” Mayhem picked up a gem-encrusted dagger, the blade intricately etched with Celtic designs. “The amulet was never meant to see this side of the veil. Discord should have left it in Hell when Isabel summoned us.”

“Our lives would be a helluva lot easier if he had.” I tossed the info sheet into the black velvet box where the answer to—and cause of—our problems should have lain. “I wonder who listed it, and why they’d want to sell it.”

“If the bearer lacked a strong inborn ability such as fire or another element, the amulet’s power would be difficult to ascertain.”

“You have to have power to increase power,” Shade said.

“Precisely. Which is why your friend Chrys was able to harness it fully. She was a force.” He said it matter-of-factly, and I knew deep down he was my demon and what experiences he’d had before we got together didn’t matter.

But he’d been inside Chrys the same way Chaos had been inside Ash. The way he’d been inside me for a short time. Jealousy reared its ugly head again, but I squelched it. Mayhem was mine. Period. End of story.

He handed me the gem-encrusted dagger. “Perhaps this could be of use.”

“It’s beautiful.” I accepted the weapon, but the moment my skin touched the blue and green stones on the handle, sparks ignited on my fingers. “Son of a bitch.” I dropped it, letting it clatter on the floor as I wiped my hand on my dress.

The sparks hadn’t just ignited on my hand; it had felt like the dagger was drawing my fire out. “What does the info sheet say?”

“I didn’t check.” Mayhem handed it to me and picked up the dagger, turning it over in his hands.

“It’s a vessel.” I read and re-read the description. “It can hold magic and release it later. A spell or an inborn power. Let me see it.”

I held out my hand and focused on keeping my magic inside me. This time, it didn’t pull my power from my skin. “I wonder…”

Focusing my intent, I let fire build in the core of my being and sent it down my arm, into the dagger. The blade glowed deep red as I filled it, and when I’d given it all it would hold, the metal faded to its normal hue.

“See if you can release the fire.” I offered the handle to Shade. “But keep your own magic inside you.”

He accepted the weapon and examined the blade before pointing it at the floor. “Is there a trigger or something I need to say?”

I flipped the info sheet over, but the back was blank. “It doesn’t say. Maybe it just needs your intent.”

He lifted the blade and thrust it toward the floor. Fire— my fire—shot from the tip to billow on the tile. I called to it, drawing it back inside as if I’d been the one to shoot the flames.

“That’s cool.” Shade arched a brow and studied the gems on the handle. “It’s not going to open the door, but it could definitely come in handy later.”

I took the dagger and returned it to its velvet box. “We need to focus and find something that can help us with an unlocking spell.”

We scoured the shelves, reading the info cards and examining the artifacts, my stomach sinking further and further. I could think of sinister uses for nearly every item in the room, especially a dagger that could steal power from an unsuspecting witch.

We could murder, maim, and drive people mad with the stuff in the vault. Sadly, we couldn’t find a single item to help us walk through walls or magically pick a lock.

“There’s nothing.” My sinking stomach twisted, pulling my heart down with it. My insides tightened, my heart hammering so hard, I could see each rapid beat in my chest. I took a deep breath, trying to stave off my anxiety.

Panicking at this disco wouldn’t do us any good, but my body ignored my brain’s command to chill the eff out. My palms slicked with sweat, and my mouth went dry. “What are we going to do?”

Mayhem took both my hands and kissed the backs of my fingers. “You must cast an unlocking spell without a potion. You are strong enough.”

I laughed dryly. “Even if I could, I’d need access to the witchy web to look up an incantation. I don’t know one off the top of my head.”

“I do.” Shade set a wooden box onto a shelf and cast his gaze to the floor before meeting my eyes. “I remember the one I used to break into your house.”

I crossed my arms. “Ah, yes. Good times.”

Mayhem gave me a questioning look, and I shrugged. “Long story. He’s forgiven.” I returned my attention to Shade. “Did you cast it without a potion?”

His jaw tightened. “No. It was a complex spell.”

“Which you only had to use on a couple of deadbolts.” I gestured to the circular vault door. “Do you really think it’ll work on that?”

Shade straightened, his knee-jerk egotistical reaction simmering just below the surface before his shoulders slumped. “Not without a potion, no.”

“It must.” Grasping my hand, Mayhem led me toward the door. “We have no other options.”

Shade sauntered toward us and stood on Mayhem’s other side. “It’s worth a shot. I have no intention of dying in here.”

I ground my teeth. “Spellcasting has never been my strength. Ash…”

“Is not here.” Mayhem squeezed my hand. “Spellcasting is not your strength because you prefer to fight. That doesn’t mean it’s your weakness. You can do this.”

“We’ll do it together.” Shade held his hand toward my demon, and Mayhem accepted it. “The incantation is easy, but your focus has to be intense.” He recited the words he’d memorized.

I swallowed the dryness from my mouth. Two sentences. That’s all it was. Two simple sentences that we had to infuse with so much power, our vim would dwindle to nothing when we were through.

And even then, the spell might not work.

No, I couldn’t think that way. I refused to manifest our demise with negativity. Ash needed me. Cinder needed me. Salem…hell, the world…needed me—us—to break the curse, mend the veil, and set things right again.

“Let’s do it.” I tightened my grip on Mayhem and rested my free hand against the circular door. Setting my intention, I said a silent prayer to the goddess and gathered my vim into the core of my being. Hecate, please don’t forsake us.

My power built, growing hotter, stronger inside me, and the energy in the room shifted with my magic. Pressure formed around us, squeezing and filling the room with buzzing electricity. Shade rested his hand against the door, and Mayhem opened to us.

Demonic energy surged through my veins, my entire body electrifying with pinpricks and dark magic. I reveled in it, rolling the sensation over and over in my mind, my soul. It no longer felt foreign inside me. Mayhem’s power felt as much a part of me as my own.

“Ready?” I asked.

Shade gasped before clearing his throat. “Yeah.”

“Lock engaged, hear my page. Open now; my passing you’ll allow,” we said in unison., and I swear I heard electricity crackling around us.

We repeated the spell a second time. Then a third. The buzzing increased, Mayhem’s low vibration mixing and melding with Shade’s and my high. I willed the magic outward through my palm, but the lock didn’t budge. I focused, listening for the gears turning in the door. Not even an infinitesimal sound indicated the spell was working.

Because it wasn’t working.

Not yet.

“Give us more,” I said, and Mayhem released another surge of magic. It crashed into my psyche, making me sway on my feet.

“Too much,” Shade ground out, but I couldn’t get enough.

“Come over here. I’ll filter it.” I reached for Shade, and he dropped my demon’s hand.

His breath came out in a rush, and he stumbled, catching himself on the door. “I can’t.”

“You can. Don’t give up.” I took his hand and tugged him to my side. “Touch the door.”

He did as I asked, and I sent a tiny amount of Mayhem into Shade. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” He raked in a breath. “I’m ready.”

Mayhem gave me more, no longer having to divide it between us, and I let the power trickle into Shade’s palm. We recited the incantation again, and the door groaned.

Adrenaline surged through me, spiraling around Mayhem’s magic, merging and intensifying the sensations as we spoke the words a second time.

Shade panted before heaving in a breath, his body trembling with the magical exertion. We recited the spell again, and my head spun. Darkness closed in, my vision tunneling, stars swimming in front of me.

I pushed out as much magic as I could, focusing my intent on the massive lock inside the door. Sharp pain sliced from my jaw to my temple. I strained. Shade wheezed. The door groaned.

“One more push,” I said as if we were giving birth to a ten-pound magical baby.

The lock clunked once. Twice. Six times.

Shade tugged from my grasp and slumped against the door. Mayhem pulled his magic back, leaving me empty, my vim depleted to nothingness. My tunneling vision went black.