18. Mayhem

18

MAYHEM

I couldn’t tear my gaze away from my witch. Not only had she tamed a creature from Hell, but she had discovered a way to communicate with it that no one had found before. Ember was the strongest, most capable woman I had ever met, and I was in awe of her abilities. Of everything about her.

And she had almost become mine for all eternity.

By opening the rift to Hell, my connection to her had amplified one-hundred-fold. I could no longer tell where my soul ended and hers began. Nor could she, it seemed.

She had tried to cross over, to take me with her. Why had I stopped her? We could have been done with this quest. All the turmoil and strife we had endured could have ended if I’d simply let her step through the rift.

But the feral look in her eyes, the way she’d behaved… I couldn’t tell how much of that was Ember versus an amplified version of my own desires. She wasn’t completely herself in that moment, and that was why I stopped her.

Had I done the right thing by removing my mark? I wasn’t yet sure, but it was the only way I could think to end her hysterics.

I missed the connection the second we severed it. My love for her remained intact. We didn’t need a sigil to recognize that we belonged together, but the magical bond we had shared was no more. I was free to do as I pleased, no longer bound to do her bidding. But the emptiness I felt without it made everything clear.

I would choose to serve her for a million eternities before I would endure a single day without her.

“All she wants is to go home. She didn’t mean to come here.” Ember stood there, resting a hand on the griffin’s shoulder as if they were the best of friends. “As soon as the amulet passes through you, the guys will open another rift and send you home.”

“Fabulous,” Ash said. “The fate of the world lies in the timing of a griffin’s bowel movements.”

“All we can do is wait for her to pass it.” Ember shrugged. “Let’s hope she has to poop before she lays her eggs. I’d hate to shove them through a rift not knowing where they’ll end up.”

“The demons can carry them through when they go home,” Patrice said, the tone of her voice indicating the moment couldn’t come quickly enough for her liking.

I narrowed my eyes, unable to stop the growl rumbling in my chest. “We are already home.”

“That’s a sensitive subject.” Shade laughed humorlessly. “I’ve learned not to bring it up.”

“I have ipecac syrup.” She held up a brown bottle, ignoring the warning. “If you can convince her to drink it, she’ll throw up.”

“It’s already in her intestines.” Ember glided her hand down the griffin’s side. “The only way it’s coming out is through the back door.”

The griffin let out a pained groan and lay on her side, the eggs shifting inside her visible beneath her fur. As I stood there in awe of both the creature and my witch, my skin turned to gooseflesh. Vibrations from across the veil registered in my psyche, and I snapped my head toward Chaos, who nodded, confirming my suspicion.

“We must find a safe place to hide her,” I said. “The veil is too thin after what we did here. Ember, can you speak to her? Let her know she isn’t safe in this location.”

My witch kneeled by the beast’s head and rested a hand on her feathers. “Can you still move? It’s not safe here.”

The griffin rolled to her stomach, lying in a sphinx position and watching Ember intently. She let out a quiet squawk and dipped her head as if agreeing.

“She can move.” Ember rose to her feet. “She’s not in labor yet, but she thinks she will be soon.”

“Is she speaking in your mind? Do you hear her voice?” I asked.

“Not really. It’s more like I just know.” She rolled a length of rope around her arm and handed it to her sister.

“That’s an empathic ability,” Ash said. “I had no idea you could do that.”

“Neither did I.” She shrugged. “Go figure, right?”

The goosebumps on my arms turned to pinpricks. “Where can we take her? I can feel the creatures on the other side trying to break through. We must leave this area now.”

Ember crossed her arms before tapping a finger to her lips. “We can hide her in the mausoleum where we took out the ghouls. It’s big enough for her to lie down, and it’s quiet there.”

“That’s on the other side of Salem,” Miles said. “How will we get her there without anyone noticing? She won’t fit in the van.”

“She’ll have to fly,” Ember said. “I’ll go with her and show her the way. Shade, can you fill the dagger with a shadow so we can stay hidden?”

“I can do that.” He held the artifact in his hand and closed his eyes.

“Good. I’ll ride her to the mausoleum. The rest of you take the van and meet us there.” She tossed the keys to Ash. “Stop by the house and pick up some blankets and whatever we have to feed her. Once we get her settled, Mayhem and I will stay with her until she does the deed.”

I smiled as Ember laid out the plan, imagining her commanding a battalion rather than a small coven of witches. She could be a great warrior in the Underworld.

“What will we do after that?” Patrice asked. “I think I should stay with her too. She might need a healer if she gives birth.”

“No,” Ember said. “I need you to go home and whip up as many salves and healing potions as you can. Come midnight, all Hell is going to break loose.”

“Hopefully not all of Hell,” Ash said.

Ember continued giving orders. “Miles, see if you can get with Wendy. Find out what Adrian is planning. We haven’t seen the last of him. Shade and Ash, scry and see if you can find Ignacus and his minions. They’re planning something.”

“On it.” Shade gave a mock salute and handed her the enchanted dagger.

As the witches gathered their things, I stepped toward Ember and lowered my voice. “I would prefer not to leave your side. Can she carry us both?”

She turned her arm over and gazed at the empty patch of skin where my mark once lay.

“I had no choice.” I rested my hand on the small of her back.

She ignored my plea. “Can you carry this big oaf, or is he too heavy?”

She paused, awaiting the griffin’s reply. “That makes sense. She said the amulet she accidentally swallowed has made her stronger. She can carry us both.”

The others left the clearing, heading for their vehicles, and Ember hoisted herself onto the griffin’s back. I joined her, wrapping my arms around her waist, the physical contact filling the void that removing my mark had left behind.

The griffin flapped her wings and rose from the ground to the tops of the trees effortlessly. Ember pointed her in the right direction, and she took off, flying through the late morning sky.

The autumn wind stung my eyes, but I didn’t dare close them. The city below resembled a toy replica, appearing gray, unpainted through the shadow hiding us. In all my millennia of existence, I had never considered riding a griffin. Of course, without my witch’s newly found ability, capturing one would have caused the beast unnecessary trauma.

Back then, however, I wouldn’t have considered the griffin’s feelings. The time I had spent here with Ember had changed me in ways I never could have imagined. I held her tighter, resting my chin on her shoulder.

“It’s an amazing feeling, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Indeed it is.”

We arrived at the cemetery in mere minutes, and though I wanted to ask for a longer ride, now was not the time. Most likely, the time for such leisure would never come, but I couldn’t think about that.

The griffin touched down outside the mausoleum, and we dismounted. The trees and gravestones in the cemetery appeared charred, the ground covered in fresh dirt that hadn’t yet settled.

“You did more than fight ghouls here,” I said.

“Whatever gave you that idea?” She held up her hand. “Stay with her while I make sure it’s empty.”

I did as she asked, waiting outside the structure and doing my best not to scare away the majestic beast beside me. “I will not hurt you. I swear my intention in calling you was to send you home safely.”

I quieted, hoping to hear or feel the griffin’s response like Ember could. I received no reply.

“It’s clear.” Ember strode toward us. “Come inside and rest. Our friends are bringing you some food and blankets.”

She gestured with her hand, and the griffin followed her into the chamber. I entered behind the beast and pulled the metal door closed. Ember leaned against a wall as the griffin turned two circles and settled onto her haunches.

“When Ash gets here, we’ll set up a ward and cloak her.” My witch rubbed her forearm, and my heart wrenched.

I should have felt her touch. My entire body, my soul, should have felt her caress. “Can you reapply my mark?”

She inhaled a shaky breath. “Why did you do it? Why take it away?”

“We both did it. I could not have removed it without your consent.”

“I wouldn’t have…” She fisted her hands and crossed her arms, pressing her lips into a thin line. “I wasn’t myself.”

“No, you were not.” I tried to hold her gaze, but she wouldn’t look at me. The fact that she was not herself was the precise reason I’d convinced her to remove it, but it didn’t matter. The deed had been done—by both of us—and now we must face the consequences of my too-quick thinking.

“I wasn’t in a state to consent,” she said.

“You were an active participant. You severed our connection as I did. It was the only way to stop your hysterics. I couldn’t hold open the veil, keep the demons on the other side from crossing over, and call to the griffin while stopping you from dragging me through. Even an immortal prince has his limitations.”

She laughed incredulously. “So it’s my fault. Is that what you’re saying?”

“No, Ember.” I strode toward her. “No one is to blame. We did what had to be done.”

I took her cheek in my hand, gently guiding her gaze to mine. “It has not changed my feelings for you. We are still soulmates, with or without the mark. Do you not agree?”

She took a deep breath and nuzzled against my palm, her posture finally relaxing. “I agree. I don’t like it, but I agree.”

She held my hand, pulling it away from her face. “But I wasn’t hysterical. I thought we taught you not to use that word in reference to women with emotions.”

“You were not yourself.” I brushed the hair from her forehead and pressed my lips against it. “Your hysterics came from me.”

“How so?” She laced her fingers through mine.

“You were channeling my desires. You could be mine for eternity in the Underworld. I’ve considered grabbing you and crossing over many times since I came into this realm.”

“Why haven’t you done it?”

“I could never do anything against your wishes.”

“You can now that the sigil is gone.” She released my hand to run her finger over the empty spot on her forearm. “You’re a free demon.”

I gently grasped her shoulders. “The sigil did not bind me to you in that way. Love did. Love does. I don’t need a magical connection to tell me what my soul already knows. I belong to you now and for the rest of eternity.”

The griffin huffed and laid her head on her paws.

Ember laughed. “She thinks you’re too dramatic.”

I tilted my head, pinning her with my gaze. “What do you think?”

She held eye contact, letting seconds pass before she spoke. “I belong to you too, and I don’t think the desire I felt to drag you through the rift came entirely from you. Checking out of this reality and starting something new sounds amazing right now.”

Resting her hands against my chest, rose onto her toes and kissed me. “But thank you for keeping me grounded. I would have regretted it the second the rift closed behind us.”

“My only desire is to make you happy.”

She ran her fingers along my jaw, stroking my cheek with her thumb. “I know I don’t show it, but you’re doing a damn good job.”

The griffin grunted and closed her eyes, making Ember smile. “I wish we could keep her.”

I shook my head. “She would lose herself. Wild beasts aren’t meant to be kept.”

Ember looked at me, her eyes searching mine, and I prayed to Lucifer she would find everything she was looking for.

Her lips twitched, tugging into a sad smile. “I know you’re not.”