Page 1 of Claiming Chaos

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ASH

“Poor Patrice.” My heart hammered in my chest as we crept toward her house. Chrys didn’t bother with shadow spells or cloaking for whatever she’d done inside, and the icky, sticky dark magic funk bled out into the yard, making my stomach lurch.

A knee-high leaf pile stood to the right of the walk, a discarded rake lying next to it. The wind had blown through the mound, scattering half the leaves she’d gathered across the yard. One crunched beneath my foot as I stopped at the bottom of the porch steps.

Yep, I had taken point on this endeavor, which was so not me. But I could reveal her spells without a potion, so there I was, leading the way into who knew what madness. I still couldn’t wrap my mind around Chrys being involved in this ordeal…especially not her being a murderer. She was Cinder’s best friend, for Hecate’s sake.

Chaos stood behind me, so close I could feel the heat radiating from his skin. Ember positioned herself behind him, with Miles and Shade taking up the rear. I cast my spell, sending magic onto the house, and golden sparkles gathered around the door and windows.

“Of course there’s a ward.” Ember bounded up the steps ahead of me and examined the magic. “Have you seen anything like this before?”

I joined her on the porch. “See how the energy moves in waves, rather than shimmering? She cast it with a lower vibration than a light witch would dare. It reminds me of the electrification spell BMS has on their library.”

“Hold on.” Shade brushed past Miles, giving Chaos a wide berth before squeezing his way onto the small porch with us. “You’re the ones who trashed their library? Ginger died because of you.”

The back of my throat heated as I blew out an irritated breath. We should have left him at home. “Boston didn’t kill Ginger. Chrys did.”

“We’ll explain everything after we find Patrice. She’s our first priority.” Ember picked up a pinecone and tossed it at the ward. The magic fried it like an electric bug zapper, and it exploded into tiny pieces. “I hope you have black tourmaline and horehound in your bag.”

I clenched my teeth. Chrys had burned up my favorite satchel, so I’d had to stock one of my old ones that wasn’t nearly as comfortable on my shoulder. “I don’t, and I doubt it would work. This spell is different. I’m sure she wouldn’t have cast one she knows we can get through. We need to unravel it.” I followed the trail of magic down the jamb and across the porch where it penetrated the ground.

“She’s an earth witch,” Chaos said, following my gaze. “Her magic originates in the land.”

I hopped off the porch and brushed the leaves aside. “The ward gets its power from the earth here. It’s not very old. Maybe we can dig it up. Neutralize the source.”

Ember paced around the house, and the guys joined me on the ground. Wavering energy disappeared into the grass, but I had no idea how deep it went. Honestly, I’d had no idea how powerful Chrys was until today. She’d hid her magic well.

“I’m sure I can make it through.” Chaos eyed the front door. “We survived the electrification ward.”

“Did you not see what happened to that pinecone?” I shook my head. “No way.”

“Let him,” Shade said. “If he wants to blow himself to bits, I say go for it. Let him get vanquished.”

I crossed my arms. “Except if he gets vanquished, I die. This plot is deeper than you can imagine, so please just play along for now.”

“Got shovels.” Ember returned to the front yard, her arms full of gardening tools. “Patrice has a shed in the back.” She dropped them at our feet.

Chaos picked up the biggest shovel and started to dig right over the magic.

“Wait.” I grabbed his arm. “Dig around it, not on it. If you hit the spell, it will fight back.”

He moved the tip of the shovel and planted it into the dirt. Five minutes later, we could see where the magic rooted, three feet deep. Gotta love demon strength.

“And?” Ember kneeled, cocking her head at the source. “Can we unplug it?”

“I think I can neutralize it.” I set my satchel on the porch and rummaged through it for the ingredients. Angelica, basil, garlic, and a drop of myrrh oil would do the trick. I crushed and mixed the herbs before adding the myrrh. The potion popped and sizzled, turning to flakes like crushed red pepper.

I poured it into my hand. “We’re all spent after what happened this morning, and who knows what we’ll encounter inside.”

“You may use my energy.” Chaos held out his hand.

I looked from Shade to Miles. “This isn’t the time to freak out over a demon. Believe me, he’s the least of your worries right now.” I slipped my hand into his.

Shade stiffened, his lids flying high, his brow shooting toward his hairline. “You can’t.”

Ember motioned for him and Miles to move back. “I don’t like it any more than you, but she’s right. We need to save our vim, so we’re going to let her channel Chaos. She’s done it before.”

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