13. Mayhem

13

MAYHEM

T he women had been gone for over an hour, yet the knife in my heart remained. Chaos had assured us he would know if they ran into trouble, that his connection to Ash spanned any distance. I knew it was true because I felt the same bond with Ember.

The knife twisted at the thought of her name.

We had occupied ourselves with the television, Shade and Miles taking the couch while Chaos and I sat in the chairs. Miles had chosen a program about cooking, where humans created dishes for judges to compare, but I paid it no mind.

I couldn't distract myself, couldn't extract the blade of agony from my heart, for my soulmate had rejected me.

Was I too rough with her? My goal had been to worship her, body and being, but perhaps my perception had been off. She'd seemed to enjoy my affections, and when my beast demanded release, my horns and talons erupting from my skin, she hadn't flinched.

What in Lucifer's name had I done wrong?

I didn't dare seek my brother's counsel in front of the male witches. The business of my heart was none of theirs, and I didn't doubt Chaos would ridicule me for driving the entire meaning of my existence away.

"What's wrong with him?" Shade jabbed a thumb in my direction.

I growled in return before rising and striding out of the room. Ember's bedsheets still lay in a tangle from our lovemaking. The knife twisted harder, and I seethed.

There had to be another vying for her attention. Someone who had entranced her before she met me, confusing her thoughts to the point she could not see that we were meant to be. That there was no other man for her but me.

Hellfire built in my gut, rising up to my chest and melting the blade of betrayal, using the molten metal to fuel my rage. Ember would not betray me. She wasn't capable. The universe had deemed it so.

My palms tingled. Sparks danced across my fingers, gathering into spheres as I curled my hands, my talons erupting from my fingertips. Her interactions with men were few. Their mundane, balding police chief, with his gruff manners and oversized stomach, would never catch her eye. He would need an artifact to entrance her, and he lacked the intelligence to manage one.

My brother belonged to Ash. Of that there was no question.

That left the two males in the living room.

The fire in my palms raged with my fury. I stormed into the room, my expression wild with wrath. Miles saw me first. His knees shot toward his chest before he launched to his feet, springing behind a chair and gathering energy between his hands.

Shade reacted a moment later, joining Miles behind the chair. "Shit, man. Chill."

"Brother…" Chaos stood in front of me, blocking my path, his voice dripping with warning. "These men have done nothing to you."

I moved to the left, attempting to sidestep him, but he moved with me.

"Which one of you has entranced my soulmate?" I growled. "Who has her under his spell? I will rip off your fingers one by one and feed them to you while I skin you alive."

Chaos put heavy hands against my chest, his eyes glowing red in threat. "Neither of them has hurt her."

"Lies. She would not have rejected me otherwise." I shoved him, but he fisted my shirt in his hands and pinned me against the wall.

"Extinguish your fire before you burn this home to the ground. This is Ember's home." He released my shirt and used his forearm to hold me down. "Put it out now."

"What in Hecate's name?" The sound of her voice drew the air from my lungs.

I raked in a breath, a fist of anguish clenching my heart. "I will kill them both for what they've done to my soulmate."

Ember's boots thudded on the wood as she stomped into the room, putting herself between me and the treacherous witches. "No one has done anything to me. What is going on?"

Ash joined her in the middle of the room. "Chaos?"

"Apparently, he blames Shade and Miles for Ember's rejection." He turned his head to me, baring his teeth. "Extinguish and relax."

"Mayhem!" Ember fisted her hands on her hips. "Stop it."

At her command, I drew my hellfire inward, my talons following the flames. Chaos loosened the pressure on my chest, but he did not release me.

Ash touched Miles on the shoulder. "It's okay. He'll listen to her."

The men relaxed their defensive stances, though their bodies remained tense, and Chaos removed his arm to rest a single hand against my chest.

"Take a breath with me." Ember inhaled, her chest expanding before retracting with her exhale. "Do it." She breathed again, and I followed her command. Once. Twice. Three times we breathed together.

The fury in my chest simmered with her presence, her voice soothing me, calming my racing thoughts until I could think clearly. With clarity came the pain of her rejection, and the knife of agony plunged into my chest once more.

She held my gaze as she strode toward me, lifting a hand at Chaos, silently asking him to release me. He backed two steps away, and she rested her palm on my shoulder. Her touch was gentle, but the weight of it nearly crushed me.

"Take a walk with me." She glided her fingers down my arm to clutch my hand. "Come on," she said when I didn't move, and she tugged, taking a step away.

I could do nothing but follow.

She remained silent as we descended the stairs, not turning to look at me until the late afternoon sun illuminated her purple hair, making it shine like silk. We passed her damaged van and turned right on the sidewalk.

"Where are we going?" I asked, unable to bear her silence any longer.

"Nowhere in particular. Walking helps me gather my thoughts." She released my hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. "What was going on in there? Because it looked like a jealous rage, and that is no bueno ."

"Your perceptiveness astonishes me." I fought the urge to reach for her hand again and shoved mine into my pockets instead.

"It wasn't hard to figure out." When I didn't respond, she nodded, pressing her lips into a hard line. "So you thought I was involved with Miles and Shade?"

"If I was certain which one had bewitched you, he would be dead already."

"Okay, see?" She stopped and laid her hand on my shoulder, turning me to face her. "That kind of behavior isn't okay. Just because you think someone hurt me or has me under a spell, it doesn't mean you can kill them."

"I would raze the entire world before I would allow anyone to harm you." I grasped her hands, pulling them to my chest. "I would do anything for you."

She swallowed hard, her mouth opening but then closing again.

"Why did you reject me?" I released her hands, returning mine to my pockets so I wouldn't wrap my arms around her and carry her away.

"I didn't reject you. I…" She lowered her gaze.

"You said we could never be together again." I dipped my head, attempting to catch her gaze.

She inhaled deeply and continued walking. "This is hard for me. Words and emotions aren't my thing."

"Nor were they mine until I met you." I walked beside her, matching her strides. "Did something happen in your past?"

"No." She shook her head, drawing her shoulders upward. "It would be so much easier if I could blame it on some traumatic event, but I can't. It's just how I'm wired. I had the same upbringing as my sisters; there's just something different about me. Something wrong."

"There is nothing wrong with you." I grasped her arm, turning her toward me, but she refused to meet my eyes. "Look at me."

It took her a moment, but she finally met my gaze, her deep brown eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

"Words will forever elude me, but the way I feel about you is undeniable. You, Ember Holland, are the reason for my existence."

She laughed and blinked back her tears. "Words don't elude you. The only problem you have is your hot temper. I don't want you killing anyone over me. Understood?"

I frowned. "Not even the fae? Or an attacking demon?"

"That's different. In battle, you have to. In real life…never. Okay? Especially not because you're jealous." She tilted her head, awaiting my answer.

"I will try my best to remember that."

She laughed again. "Your brother has taught me that's the best I can expect from a demon."

"Is that why you rejected me? Because of what I am?"

"Yes and no." She sighed and continued her stroll. "It's hard for a light witch to accept she's fated to a demon."

"Your sister has no problem with it."

"She struggled, believe me. But Ash is better with people than I am, so you have to be patient with me. I'm scared to death of this." She motioned her finger between us.

"And what is ‘this' to you?"

"I don't know. I need time to figure things out, and that's the problem, isn't it? We're running out of time."

A crisp breeze rustled the leaves on the ground, and a pink cloud stretched across the sun, dimming the afternoon light as a trail of white smoke extended from the chimney of a nearby home, filling the air with the aroma of burning maple wood. I inhaled deeply, taking in the moment. There would be more like this. There had to be.

"I have waited an eternity to find you. I will wait a thousand more if that's what you need." And I would do everything within my power to make her understand she belonged to me, as I belonged to her. No matter the cost.

She tilted her head, a sad smile playing on her lips. "Yeah, words definitely do not elude you."

I paused beneath an oak tree. "What shall we do now?"

She stopped and faced me. "We need to head back so you can apologize to Miles and Shade. I promise you, they are more interested in each other than they are in me."

My brow furrowed with my confusion. "They are a couple?"

"Not officially…but learn to read the room." She turned around and motioned for us to return. "And put a lid on your pot o' jealousy. It's been ages since a man has caught my eye, and you've given me tunnel vision."

"Tunnel vision?"

She sighed. "You are the only man I am interested in, okay? I like you. Just don't let it go to your head."

The knife once piercing my chest clattered to the ground, warmth and hope replacing the pain. Ember was mine, whether she could admit it or not, and I would never let another man lay a finger on her. I would be her consort, her protector…her everything…just as she was mine.

"This is weird." She huffed out a half-laugh. "You and I are so much alike."

"Why is that weird?"

"Because we're fighters, not lovers. And here we are, taking a walk and talking about our feelings."

I rubbed my chin, my lips pursing. "Very weird indeed. But, according to your television, love can make you do strange things."

She hid her quick intake of air by clearing her throat. "I'm definitely not ready for that word."

It was simple verbiage to express an overwhelming emotion, but I acquiesced. If it made her uncomfortable, I would not use it until she deemed I could. I would do anything for this feisty witch. Anything .

We returned to the lot behind her home, and Ember strode toward her van, clicking her tongue as she examined the damage. The imp had shattered the windshield on the passenger side and caused multiple dents in the hood when it jumped.

"It looks like we got hit with a hailstorm." She reached for the hood but stopped, curling her lip at the slime pooling in the dents. "I can't imagine what it'll cost to get this fixed."

"Can you not barter your services?"

"I'm not sure what I could offer a body shop. My talents are throwing sharp objects and killing otherworldly invaders."

"You can offer your protection in exchange for their services. You could make agreements with the entire town."

This time, her laugh resounded from deep in her belly, the musical sound a symphony to my soul. "A: Ninety-five percent of the people in Salem are clueless about real magic. And B: We're not the mafia. Hold on…"

She leaned toward the windshield, squinting. "What the hell?"

With her thumb and forefinger, she grasped a small piece of rolled parchment. Imp slime oozed from the page, and she held it away from her body, shaking it, the offending goo splattering to the pavement. "Is this a normal thing for an imp to carry across the veil?"

"It's not normal at all. Imps can't read or write, and they only consume paper when meat isn't available."

"So this was either his lunch or a message from someone in Hell."