Page 60 of Commanding Chaos

I felt nothing from the spell, so I lifted my witch from the smoke and carried her into the hall. Shade stood in the middle of it, the chaos in his mind not allowing the pain to register. He grunted and swiped his arm across the top of Ash’s dresser, knocking her possessions to the floor.

“You’re such a control freak. Everything has to be in its place.” He went for the bedsheets, stripping them from the mattress.

“Chaos, stop,” Ash commanded, so I released my hold on him. Ember stomped into the room, grabbed Shade by the arm, and dragged him to the safety of the hall, closing the door behind them.

“Chaos?” Shade squinted at me. “What did you do to me? This…” He clutched his head. “This has happened before.”

“Ash, go make an antidote.” Ember doubled over, resting her hands on her knees. Both women’s bare feet swelled, patterns of purple and black extending across the skin and rising to their ankles. Ash padded toward the kitchen, wincing and sucking air through her teeth with each step.

“What’s your endgame, asshole?” Ember sweated, her jaw tensing, tendons protruding on her neck. “What are you trying to accomplish?”

He had harmed my witch and her sister. Hellfire sparked on my fingertips. I landed a punch in his gut. He grunted, careening backward into the wall.

“Holy shit.” He wrapped his arms around his middle. Sweat beaded on his forehead, the pain from his nerve hex finally registering.

I wanted to kill him. To save the world from his miserable existence, but my connection to Ash wouldn’t allow it. My demon form, however, insisted I morph. I fought it with all my might, but talons protruded from my fingers. I fisted my hands.

Shade’s eyes widened. He swallowed hard. “You’re not a witch.” He shook his head, inching away from me and locking his gaze on my hands. “Chaos. She called you Chaos.”

I loomed toward him, extending my fingers. My talons grew.

“You…you started all this. The rifts.” He backed to the other side of the wall, flattening himself against it and jerking his head toward Ember. “You summoned a demon.”

“A Prince of Hell to be exact.” My eyes heated, the green undulating in my irises.

“We didn’t start it,” Ember said through clenched teeth. “We’re trying to stop it.”

He shoved her toward me, attempting to flee. I grabbed the back of his neck, my talons encircling it as I lifted him from the ground. He flailed, his legs and arms thrashing, knocking against the wall.

Ember sank to her knees, the poison climbing her legs like a vine on a lattice. “Let him go.”

“He knows our secret.” I tightened my grip.

He clawed at my talons, attempting to pry them from his neck.

“I can’t…” Ember’s eyes rolled, and she crumbled to the floor, unconscious.

I carried Shade into the living room. Ash stood in the kitchen, leaning on the counter next to a large copper bowl. “Let him go.”

“Are you certain you want me to do that?”

“Yes, do it.” Her lids fluttered shut. She swayed on her feet. “Antidote is done.” She fell to the floor.

“You will pay for this.” I dropped Shade, and he rushed out the door without looking back. He would pay, indeed.

My hands returning to their human form, I paced into the kitchen and took the container, dropping to my knees beside Ash. Reaching into the bowl, I scooped a handful of the thick liquid and applied it to her feet, smearing it up her legs. Sparkles gathered around her, and the purple and black faded, the swelling disappearing nearly instantly.

She sucked in a breath, opening her eyes. “Ember?”

“I will assist her. Will you be okay?”

She nodded and sat up, so I carried the bowl to the hallway and applied the antidote to Ember. She awoke with a start, scrambling to her feet before running into the living room. “Where is he?”

“I let him go, as you requested.” I set the bowl on an end table.

“Shit.” She paced. “What are we going to do?”

“I hate to say it…” Ash joined us in the living room. “But there’s only one thing we can do.”

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