Page 44 of Commanding Chaos

“Hold up. This is a public place. We have to do this with finesse.”

“He’s here. I must find him.” He jerked from my grasp and continued walking. “I can handle the bystanders.”

“Stop!” I parked my hands on my hips, and he turned to face me. “Bad demon. You swore you wouldn’t hurt anyone else.”

His lips twitched, and he blew out a hard breath.

“Well, shit.” Ember closed the door and locked the van. “Chrys texted. More Boston witches were spotted hanging around our HQ.”

“They’re planning something else.” I took a shadow and a binding spell from my bag. “Let’s do this so we can protect our territory.”

“Hold on. She said Miles talked to them, and they left.” She used both thumbs to type a message before returning her phone to her pocket. “I told her to set up a ward around the building. We’ll strengthen it when we get home.”

“Go gently,” I said to Chaos. “Don’t draw attention.”

He stormed away, a demon on a mission, and I had to scurry to keep up. A squat, white structure built into the surrounding hills stood in front of us, but Chaos passed it and continued into the base. He stopped in the middle of the fort and spun in a circle, his expression both menacing and determined.

I suppose if I’d been wronged like he had, and my sister lay yards away beneath the ground, I’d look the same way. Since he’d stopped, I opened my senses, searching for the skull or the trap. My gut tingled slightly, a tiny pull calling me toward a flat-topped triangle built into a mound of grass-covered earth. A rusted metal door covered the entrance to the underground, and when I pointed at the location, Chaos nodded and paced toward it.

“I told you that you’d get it.” Ember walked beside me. “You just needed to be closer.”

“I don’t know. It feels different than the other places. Something is off.” We stopped outside the door.

“So this one is a trap?” Ember looked from right to left. A couple with a five-year-old walked by and headed up the steps toward the ocean.

“This isn’t a trap. Mayhem is here. I can feel him.” Chaos gestured at the door. “Are you going to do this with finesse, or shall I rip it off its hinges?”

“Down, boy. We’ll take care of it.” I looked at the bottled shadow spell. “I hate to waste this. Ember, take lookout while I unlock the door. Maybe we can slip inside without being noticed.”

I moved in front of the door, and Chaos stood behind me, facing out, shielding me from prying eyes. “Confess, expose, my magic sleuth. I call on you to reveal your truth.” No magic blocked the entrance.

I could have used an unlocking spell, but I took my lock-picking kit from my satchel and slid the tools into the keyhole instead. The padlock disengaged easily without magic, but the lever keeping the door shut had rusted in place.

“We’re clear,” Ember said.

I tried the lever, putting all my weight into it, but it wouldn’t budge. I could put together a lubrication spell, but I had a feeling the beastie guarding this hidey hole would be a doozie. I needed all my strength. Chaos had plenty to spare.

“Without breaking the door, can you release this rusted lever?”

He grabbed the metal, lifted, and pulled, swinging the door open without any effort at all. Then he disappeared inside.

“Wait for us.” I followed him, and Ember joined us, closing the door behind her and casting us in total darkness.

I turned on my phone’s flashlight and shined it around the corridor. Packed earth created the walls, and brick arches provided support so the whole thing didn’t cave in. Apparently, demons could see just fine in the dark because Chaos paced ahead, going farther and farther down.

“He’s going to get us killed.” Ember turned on her flashlight and strode behind him.

“Wait up!” Again, I had to scurry. Powerful, badass witches didn’t scurry. I needed to work on lengthening my strides.

We reached the end of the corridor and found a doorway that had been bricked over. Ember ran her finger over the mortar, and I cringed. “That could have been boobytrapped.”

“This is new.” She rubbed her thumb and finger together. “It’s been sealed off recently.”

“Mayhem is in there.” Chaos fisted his hand, drawing back like he planned to punch a hole through the wall.

“Wait.” I put my hand on his bicep, and he relaxed slightly. “Let me check it for magic first. Ember and I aren’t immortal like you.”

He looked at my arm where my shirtsleeve covered his mark. “Proceed.”

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