7. Mayhem

7

MAYHEM

"H is heart is lower than a human's, on the right side of his stomach."

"Roger that." Ember dropped and spun, kicking her right leg out and knocking the alastor off his feet. He hit the pavement face-first and howled, rolling to his back and clutching his bloody snout.

"Impressive move. You'll have to teach it to me when I reform."

"Gladly." She yanked the dagger from the fae's neck as the alastor rose to his feet. Poisonous blood dripped from his nostrils, and he shook his head, splattering it around him.

"Don't touch his blood."

"I didn't plan to." She marched toward the alastor, the dagger at her side, ready to thrust it into the fiend's heart, and for a moment, I felt remorse.

The alastor would easily slip through the rift and return to the Underworld at my command, but I understood the need for anonymity. Even dark witches despised demons they couldn't control.

Ember's grip tightened, her muscles coiling for the strike, but the imbecile High Priest created another tornado and sucked the alastor away before she could thrust her blade.

"Are you effing kidding me?" Anger surged through her veins, and I reveled in it.

Any doubt that the universe created this witch for me dissolved as she tossed her dagger, handle over blade, and caught it, adjusting her grip and striding toward the High Priest.

"We can take care of the fae," Miles said.

"Don't," she nearly growled. "I'll handle it."

"Kill the High Priest. Take the Boston Society of Magic as your own."

"I don't want Boston." She slowed her pace. "I don't want to fight."

Lucifer have mercy. I'd bled into her consciousness again. I couldn't help myself. Being inside this warrior goddess while she battled her enemies created a feeling of elation I'd never experienced before. Tensing as much as a disembodied entity could, I pulled my magic back, gathering it into a ball of menace and tucking it into the recesses of my consciousness.

She gave her head a hard shake, regaining her senses and continuing her march toward the foolish High Priest. "What are you going to do? Wind him to death?"

Olga cowered on the ground with her spell kit while Gray strained, her face pinching with the exertion. "I can't hold the shadow much longer."

"I'll help you." Shade offered his hand.

She eyed it with skepticism before nodding and accepting the offer.

The High Priest raised his hands toward the alastor, chanting in an ancient tongue. I recognized the incantation immediately.

"He is trying to gain control of the demon. You must stop him before the spell takes hold."

"With pleasure." Ember's fingers tightened around the dagger, and the ball of menace I tucked away in my psyche threatened to explode. She could pierce his heart, gut him and take his liver and a prize, making the coven believe a fae had killed him.

I forced my malice into its place, allowing Ember full control. She hurled the dagger, but instead of piercing Adrian's chest, the handle hit his head, making him stumble.

"You missed."

"No, I didn't." She planted her boot into his stomach, and he doubled over. Her uppercut to his chin knocked him off his feet.

The magical tornado ceased its spin, and the alastor dropped to the ground, landing on his feet and rushing her. My goddess spun, jabbing her dagger into the demon's abdomen right where I told her to and twisting the blade with an upward motion.

The alastor wheezed, his eyes bulging a moment before he turned to mist. The rift sucked his essence into the Underworld, and Ember stomped toward the fae. Ash arched a brow as she approached, but she held her tongue, saving her berating words for another time.

My witch straddled the fae, lifting an armored plate and thrusting her blade beneath it, piercing her enemy's heart and draining his life force.

She straightened and turned to the High Priest. "That's Salem five, Boston zero. Who's the real witch now?"

Adrian rose, clutching his stomach with one hand, his chin with the other. "Brute force doesn't make you a witch."

She shrugged one shoulder dismissively. "Maybe not, but it does vanquish demons and kill fae. Do you want our help or not?"

His expression tightened, his gaze dropping to the ground before he met her eyes. "I suppose we can share information, but then you'll return to Salem and let us protect our city."

Ember spread her arms. "That's all we want to do. Now, let's shove the dead Bugman through the rift and seal it before any more beasties get loose."

My brother could have easily lifted the fae himself, but he kept up the pretense and merely assisted Ember and the others. Miles took one leg, Ember the other, and Adrian helped Chaos with our enemy's shoulders.

They shoved the body through, and Ash assisted Olga with the mending spell. The veil closed, and Shade and Gray dropped the shadow, bringing the rest of the world into full color. Ember sheathed her weapon, and we walked four blocks to the coven headquarters.

"I'm going to head home and rest if that's okay," the witch to whom Ash had delivered the antidote said.

"Sleep it off and get ready to fight," Adrian said. "We need all hands on deck."

The injured witch turned down a side street as a three-story, brick building with Boston Society of Magic engraved in the marble above the door came into view.

"I will never get used to witches making their presence known on purpose."

"Times have changed," Ember said before clamping her mouth shut.

"They certainly have, or I would not be inviting you into our coven house." Adrian pushed the door open, and we stepped into a small gift shop filled with trinkets, crystals, and bundles of sage.

The High Priest rested his hand against the jamb of another door and whispered a spell, deactivating whatever ward he'd placed on the threshold. "Our meeting room is this way."

We entered the room, and Ember's mouth tightened as she cut her gaze toward Ash and Chaos. Ash pressed her lips into a thin line, and my brother nodded. They had been here before, and judging by their expressions, no one in this dark coven knew.

"Nice digs." Ember rested her hands on the back of a chair.

A long, rectangular table with at least fifteen chairs crowded around it took up most of the space. At the head of the table sat an ornate throne with dark magic carvings and gilded edges. Olga pulled out the throne, and Adrian sank into it.

"Take a seat." He gestured to the plain wooden chairs. "Tell me what you know about the fae."

Ember mouthed the word library to Ash before settling into a chair. Miles and Shade flanked her, and Olga and Gray sat across from them.

Ash remained standing, drumming her fingers on the back of her chair. "I'm the coven librarian, and our library is in shambles. Would it be possible for me to take a look at yours to get some organization ideas?"

"I can take you down." Olga rose to her feet. "We haven't finished cleaning up since the break-in, but I'm happy to show you around."

Adrian cut her a steely gaze, and she shrank in on herself. "If that's okay with you, Priest."

"She did save Hector, sir." Gray's shoulders inched toward her ears, her body drifting slightly away from their Priest.

He straightened his spine. "Give Olga the recipe for your venom antidote, and you may look at the library. But do not open any books."

"Got it." Ash turned to Chaos. "Want to come with?"

"Of course." They followed Olga down the stairs.

"He commands them through fear, but he has not earned their respect." I contemplated this as Ember folded her hands on the table. It was no wonder so many had defected when Chrys offered to overthrow their leadership. The witches in Salem respected the Holland women and did their bidding out of loyalty to the coven rather than fear of punishment.

Interesting…

"We've encountered three types of fae," Ember said. "The blood-sucking mosquitoes, which I'm sure you've been familiar with for years."

Adrian steepled his fingers. "Yes, they always become bothersome this time of year."

Ember leaned back, crossing her legs beneath the table. "The other two are scouts and soldiers. Their exoskeletons are the strongest armor we've ever encountered. They're impervious to fire, but it still hurts like hell when you burn them. Or I assume it does because they screech like banshees when we try."

"They deflect our air witch electricity as well," he said.

"The only way to kill them is to pierce their hearts or behead them."

Adrian blew a hard breath through his nose. "And how, pray tell, do you do that?"

"They have soft spots here." Ember touched the delicate skin beneath her ear. "And their armor is like scales. Get close enough, and you can get beneath them to stab the heart." She sat up straighter. "That's what we know. Your turn."

Adrian studied her, his eyes calculating.

"You might have to force the information out of him. Shall I turn Gray against him?"

Ember cleared her throat, a subtle reminder that she couldn't speak to me. I acquiesced, allowing her to continue the conversation in her own manner.

"I showed you mine. Now, show me yours. What else do you know?" She arched a brow.

He nodded, his expression one of resolve. "Their leader has contacted me. He is a prince whose name is Ignacus, and he is planning a coup to overthrow his brother and take the crown."

"That's not the story Miles's friend told."

Ember blinked, silently urging him to continue.

"Since I recently experienced and extinguished a coup—led by one of your witches, I might add—I agreed to help him." His lips screwed to the side, his gaze cutting left before he continued. "In return, he promised me incomparable power. I would be the strongest witch ever to walk the earth. I'm sure you can understand the appeal…"

Ember shrugged. "Not really. I'm happy with what I've got."

He chuckled, his disbelief evident in his condescending expression. "But the fae being the fae, he betrayed me. His soldiers have been picking off my team one by one, absorbing their power as they consume their hearts."

"Hearts?" Shade's brow furrowed. "I've only heard about them eating livers."

"The livers provide the enzyme they need to survive in this realm. They eat the hearts of witches to gain their abilities while the scouts search the earth for an amulet that gives its bearer immeasurable strength."

Ember stiffened inwardly, though she maintained her composure. "Do you know where the amulet is? Can we stop them from getting their hands on it?"

"If I knew where it was, don't you think I'd be using it? I'd have sent the overgrown bugs home and strengthened the veil a long time ago."

She leaned back in her chair, her posture relaxing. "Is your team searching for it?"

"Every second of every day since Ignacus told me about it. Your witch Chrys had a piece of it. She wouldn't have had the strength to make so many of my witches turn without it."

Ember tapped her index finger on the table. "So you ransacked her apartment looking for it."

He pursed his lips, shaking his head. "My team searched for it there, but the damage and the murder were courtesy of the fae who followed them."

"Ask him ? —"

"What's your plan now?" Ember asked, as if reading my mind.

If I had a heart in this form, it would have warmed. Not only was she a skilled warrior, but she was a master interrogator. Her withdrawing this much information without violence astonished and captivated me. I could not wait to have my own body so I could ravish hers.

Adrian steepled his fingers once more. "Find the amulet, murder Ignacus, strengthen the veil, and rule the world."

Ember laughed dryly. "I figured as much."

Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Ash entered the room, followed by Chaos and Olga. Ash nodded, her eyes conveying conspiracy.

Ember rose to her feet, the wooden chair scraping across the floor with a screech. "Well, thanks for the info swap. We'll get out of your hair."

Adrian rose too, but Olga pulled out his chair, lifting it so it didn't make a sound. "You didn't tell me your plan."

"It's the same as yours, minus the murder and world domination." Ember jerked her head toward the exit, and her team followed.

"It's a race then." Adrian remained in place, not offering the courtesy of walking his guests to the door. "Whoever finds the amulet first wins. I'd wish you luck, but I don't dare put that energy into the ether."

Ember laughed dryly. "Later, loser." She waved and walked out the door.

No one spoke until we reached the end of the fourth block, where Ember paused at the crosswalk and turned to Ash. "Tell me you found the spell."

She patted her pocket containing her phone. "Easy peasy. And Chaos scrambled Olga's mind just enough that she doesn't remember us doing it."

Relief flooded Ember's system. "I love my team."

Ash crossed her arms. "It sure didn't seem that way earlier."