16. Mayhem

16

MAYHEM

E mber clutched the back of her neck and paced the length of the living room, back and forth, back and forth, until I would have sworn she'd wear a trench into the wood. The stress of leadership was taking a toll on her body and her mind, and a spark of misplaced anger ignited in my being.

Instinct told me to place blame, take action, and get revenge for the pain my witch endured. But who could I condemn? If her parents had not summoned the trickster that took them to Hell, her sister would not have made a deal with Discord. Ash would not have summoned Chaos, and I would still be rotting in my dark prison, devoid of all my senses, going out of my mind.

Worse than that, I would have never experienced the fierceness of love I felt for my soulmate.

No, I could not blame her family for her pain. The universe planned the chips to fall exactly as they did to bring us together, and now that my brothers and I had found our missing halves, it was up to all of us to ensure we experienced the elusive happily ever after.

Ember stopped pacing, lifted her hands, and dropped them at her sides. "I've got nothing. If it were a magical heist, I'd already have a plan, but we're dealing with humans, guns, and a possible prison sentence, which is one thing we don't have time for."

"I can make them turn their guns on each other. Then we can slip into the vault and take the amulet while they are transfixed in battle."

"Absolutely not." She put her hands on her hips. "No killing humans."

"Technically, they would be killing each other." I rested my elbows on the arms of the chair and steepled my fingers. "You wouldn't have to harm a soul."

She closed her eyes, her nostrils flaring as she blew out a slow breath. This expression, I had learned, was one of annoyance, and Hades forbid I should become an accessory to her pain.

"No killing humans," I said. "Understood. But you must understand if your life is in peril, I will act accordingly to keep you safe. There may be casualties."

"The same is true of me," Chaos said. "Your lives are worth more than a prison sentence…and no human jail could hold us anyway."

Miles chuckled. "I wish I could find someone who'd protect me with such grit."

"I've got your back," Shade said.

I glanced at Ember, who lifted a brow, her expression conveying what words could not in their presence: See?

I gave her a small nod. Yes, I see. Hopefully they could find their happily ever after as well.

My brow furrowed. Where had a thought like that come from? As a Prince of Hell, I never cared about…or even considered…the emotions of others, yet the idea that the two men should be happy together rooted firmly in my chest.

How strange.

"Fine." Ember crossed her arms. "But only if it's absolutely necessary to save one of our lives."

"Agreed." I couldn't stop the smile from lifting my lips. Her passion and determination warmed my coal-black heart.

"That sounds reasonable," Chaos said.

"Good." She resumed her pacing. "We'll leave first thing in the morning so we can scope out the place in the daylight. We need to get in, grab the amulet, and get out without causing a scene."

I held in my laugh. She had Chaos and Mayhem on her team…there would always be a scene.

"If you believe the movies," Ash said, "the best time to grab it would be when they're transporting it from the vault to the auction room."

"Yes, that's good." Ember pointed at her sister. "You and Chaos can go in and do your mind control thing. Make the guard hand over the amulet."

Miles had been typing on his laptop, but he stopped abruptly. "There will be at least three guards and an auction official who move it. It's a standard security protocol for high-value items. You'll have to mind control all of them to make it happen."

"Oof. I'm not sure we can do that." Ash rose from the couch to sit on the arm of my brother's chair. "What do you think?"

Chaos rubbed his thumb and finger on his chin. "I can cause chaos to the masses, but your magic is much more focused. I wouldn't chance it without practicing it first."

"You can try it on us," Miles said. "As long as you don't make us do anything embarrassing."

Shade shrugged one shoulder dismissively. "I'm game."

The memory of what happened when I used my power on Ash made my stomach sour. "You will not attempt to control Ember. I will not allow her life to be put at risk."

"Wait. This is deadly?" Shade held up his hands.

"The reason I vanquished him was because he tried his magic on Ash and it got stuck. Her bond with Chaos did something weird to the connection, and Mayhem couldn't let her go." She stretched out her arm, gesturing to my mark on her skin. "And now I'm bonded with him."

Possessiveness tightened my chest. I wanted to take her, to wrap my arms around her and return to Hell, where could spend eternity together. But it would not be our happily ever after. My witch would never leave her family and her duty to her coven behind, and if Ember wasn't happy, I could never be.

"Try it on them. If you can control two, you can manage four." Ember sat on the arm of my chair and massaged her neck, stretching it from side to side as her fingers dug into the muscles.

Her close proximity set my nerves ablaze. She didn't touch me, but she didn't need to. Our bond electrified my soul.

Chaos took Ash's hand, and they both focused on the men. "Miles, you will give your computer to Shade."

Miles's expression blanked, and he nodded. "Yeah. Here you go." He slid the computer into Shade's lap.

"Shade, you will bring it to me so I can destroy it. Miles, stand up and bring me a beer."

Miles did as he was told, padding to the kitchen and taking a beer from the refrigerator.

Shade laughed and closed the laptop. "I don't think so. This thing cost him two grand."

My brother and his witch exhaled, releasing their hold on Miles. Confusion furrowed his brow, and he looked at the beer in his hand.

"I see it worked on me. Do you still want this?"

Chaos shook his head. "We could not control you both."

Miles put the bottle into the refrigerator and returned to his spot on the sofa. "So that plan won't work." He opened the laptop and typed rapidly.

Ember pushed on a spot in her shoulder and groaned.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked.

She kneaded her muscle. "I've got a knot right here, and it's giving me a headache. I can't think straight."

I held my hand toward her. "May I?"

Her hesitation pierced my heart, but after giving me a wary look, she said, "Sure."

Miles continued typing while Shade watched the computer screen. My brother stared at me intently, and for once, I could not read his expression. If it were one of warning, I couldn't fathom what he'd warn me about. This witch belonged to me. It was my duty to keep her happy, healthy, and pain-free.

I rubbed my thumb against my fingers, gathering heat on my skin before placing my hand on her shoulder. I squeezed the muscle she had indicated was ailing her, and it was as taut as a guitar string. With my thumb, I applied pressure, moving it in slow circles over the tightest spot.

Ember groaned, sliding from the arm of the chair to sit on the floor in front of me. "Keep doing that."

Blood rushed to my groin as the memory of our morning encounter played in my mind's eye. I leaned forward, using both hands to massage the tension from her shoulders.

"How are we going to get close to it if it's that heavily guarded?" she asked. "We could use a binding spell but I'm sure they'll have cameras everywhere. We can't go in wearing ski masks."

"I'm on it," Miles said while typing furiously.

Ember leaned back against the chair, nestling between my legs and pitching her head forward, giving me better access to her neck. My entire being ached to be closer to her. To rid ourselves of our clothes and bask in each other's essence. I would massage her from head to toe until every ounce of tension released from her body.

"What are you doing, Miles?" She rubbed her temples.

"He's hacking into the auction house's network," Shade said.

Ember's head snapped up. "You're a hacker?"

A blush spread across Miles's cheeks as he drew his shoulders upward. "It started as a hobby, just to see if I could do it."

"Now companies hire him to hack their systems and find the weak spots and back doors." Shade smiled proudly. "He's good at his job."

"I'm alright." He grimaced at the screen. "They need to verify Boyd's funds. This is going to take me a few hours."

"What's the plan?" Ash asked.

Miles closed his laptop. "I need more power than this. I'll have to go home to finish it, but I will have it done and be ready to go in the morning."

"And you can get us in and out without causing a scene?" Ember asked.

"That's what I'm working on. You have to be registered in their system before they let you through the doors. High-dollar clients can view items up close before they head to the auction floor, which means I have to make Boyd a fake bank account for them to verify. It'll take time."

"M'kay." Ember melted into me, her head tipping back. "Go home and set it all up. Miles, you're taking point on this. Let us know what we need to do."

He rose and put the computer into his bag. "Will do. Oh, and Boyd is from Texas, so one of you will have to learn the accent. I recommend watching Dazed and Confused to hear what it really sounds like. Particularly listen to the character David Wooderson. Matthew McConaughey is actually from Texas, so you know it's authentic."

The men left, and Ash spoke into the remote control, "Play Dazed and Confused ." The television responded, bringing up the movie she requested.

"In the past, they would have called this technology witchcraft." I squeezed Ember's shoulders, making her melt even more.

"They called most things they didn't understand witchcraft." She rested her hand on mine, stilling me. "Thank you. It's okay now."

"I can continue if you need more."

She laced her fingers through mine, sending a jolt to my heart. "I'm good. I am starving though. Pizza?"

"I'll order it." Ash used her phone to request the delivery, and the movie began.

Ember didn't move from her spot on the floor. She continued holding my hand, and I fought the urge to pull her into my lap. She had said she needed time to come to terms with our bond, so I would not push her. We remained in the position for half an hour, watching a movie about teenagers acting like imps in Texas.

When the pizza arrived, Ash paused the movie, and she and Chaos went downstairs to retrieve it. Ember inhaled deeply, sliding from my grasp before rising and heading to the kitchen. I immediately missed the sensation of her body nestled against mine.

She gathered plates and napkins and filled four glasses with water, setting them on the coffee table before pausing and looking at me. "I'm going to move to the couch. My butt's getting sore from the hardwood."

She sat down and moved to the middle seat. When she settled in, she glanced at me and looked at the empty space next to her.

She did not have to ask me twice. I moved from the chair to the couch before she could change her mind, sitting close enough that our knees touched as I turned toward her.

"You are the High Priestess, yet you're allowing Miles to make the decisions about this important quest. Why?"

She shrugged. "I know my limits. My way would be to bust in, knock everyone unconscious, and take it, but I know that's not the best way to do it."

It would have been my first choice as well, though I wasn't sure I could restrain myself enough to simply make the guards unconscious. "It would be efficient."

"Or we could end up in jail…or dead. I trust Miles. If he says he can get us inside without violence, I believe him."

"And that is the sign of a good leader," Ash said as she set the pizza boxes on the counter. "Relying on your team and working with their strengths is the best way to get things done."

Ember laughed. "Yeah, I'm still learning that."

"You're doing great." Ash filled our plates and sat next to Ember before starting the movie again.

We ate the glorious concoction they called pizza as we listened intently to the characters in the movie. The flavors of melted cheese, three different meats, and tomato sauce melded perfectly atop the floppy slices of bread, making my tastebuds rejoice.

When the movie ended, Ash turned off the television. "Okay, guys. Let's see who can do a better accent. Say ‘I'd like to see the ruby amulet y'all have in the vault.'"

Chaos sat up straight. "I would like to see the ruby amulet you…yah…yawl have in the vault."

"Uh-uh. That was terrible." Ember wrinkled her nose. "Let's hear yours, Mayhem."

The sound of my name on her lips sent a warm shiver up my spine. I cleared my throat and leaned back casually, resting my arm on the back of the couch. Texans seemed to speak slowly, in a relaxed manner, and I did my best to emulate the character Miles had specified.

"Ah'd lahke ta see the ruby amulet y'all have in the vault."

Ember blinked, surprise lifting her brow. "That was an almost perfect Matthew McConaughey impression."

Ash nodded her appreciation. "It was fecking fabulous. Say ‘alright, alright, alright.'"

I repeated the phrase in the actor's accent, trying my best to imitate his mannerisms.

Ember patted my thigh, my stomach clenching with her touch. "I think we've found our Boyd Anderson. But you'll have to behave yourself. No using your mind-melting magic, okay?"

I leveled my gaze on hers. "I will do anything you want, give you anything you desire. I am here to serve you, my feisty fire witch."

Her lips parted, the lower one trembling before she pressed them together and swallowed hard. "Well, then… I think we should call it a night."