Page 43 of Claiming Chaos

I tossed him some clothes. “Get dressed. Whether she summoned him or not, it’s time to end this.” I winced, a stabbing pain slicing through my heart. Why did I have to choose those words? Ending this meant sending the man I loved to another dimension and never seeing him again.

I couldn’t think about that now. Stopping Chrys and saving the coven had to be my first priority.

He shoved his legs into his pants and pulled on a t-shirt. “I sensed him.” Closing his eyes, he took three deep breaths. “But I don’t anymore.”

“Could it have been a dream?” I stepped into the bathroom and grabbed my hairbrush before raking through my tangled locks. “I’ve had dreams that were vivid enough to make me swear they were real.”

Chaos joined me at the sink and squirted toothpaste on my toothbrush and then his. “It’s possible. Or I could have felt him the moment he passed through the veil, and then her shroud concealed him. She is powerful enough to hide his aura from me.” He jabbed the toothbrush into his mouth and scrubbed.

We spit and rinsed and made ourselves presentable before heading down the hall to the empty living room. I turned on the lights and strode to the kitchen for breakfast. Chaos stood in the center of the room, confusion tightening his features. If we weren’t in crisis mode, I’d have said he looked adorable. But we were counting on his ability to sense his brother.

“Still nothing?” I grabbed a fresh carton of eggs and cracked them into a bowl.

He sucked in a breath. “No. Shall I wake the others?”

“Not yet. Let them recharge fully so we’ll be in top shape for whatever’s about to go down.” I beat the eggs and set a large frying pan on the stove to heat. I couldn’t find any bacon in the fridge, but Patrice had bought ham, so I added the thick slices to another pan to heat them up. They popped and sizzled, making the kitchen smell so savory good that my stomach growled.

“Can you start the coffee?” I dumped the scrambled eggs into the pan and stirred them around. “Ten scoops in the filter and a full pot of water.”

He smiled softly, a small chuckle emanating from his throat as he poured in the grounds. “This domesticity is quite…quaint. I could get used to it.”

“You’d get bored so quickly. Our lives aren’t usually this fast-paced.”

“I could never be bored with you by my side.” He added the water to the machine and turned it on.

Ember strode into the room, dressed in her fighting yoga clothes, and settled onto a stool at the counter. “How’s your vim?

“Completely full. You?” I took six plates from the cabinet and set them next to the stove before popping four slices of bread into the toaster.

“Good, because we’re all going to need sigils before we go after Chrys.” She locked her gaze with mine. “We need protection.”

I blinked, my go-to response of you know I don’t do those threatening to cross my lips. Old Ash would have blurted it out in a nanosecond, but I was new Ash now. “Protection, speed, and strength for everyone. I can do that.”

She lifted her brows. “Five sets. You’ll be okay?”

“I’m Ash effing Holland. Ink is in my blood.” The coffee maker beeped, so I poured a cup and set it in front of her.

She cut her gaze between Chaos and me. “I like this newfound confidence.”

I smiled. “Me too. Soup’s on.”

We filled our plates, and the others joined us in the kitchen. Coffee, eggs, ham, toast, my demon by my side… I could get used to this domestic life too. Patrice sat next to Ember at the counter, and the rest of us settled at the breakfast table and dug in.

“Do we have a plan?” Miles shoved a forkful of eggs into his mouth.

“Has she summoned Mayhem yet?” Shade asked.

We all looked at Chaos, who flattened his palms on the table. “I’m not sure. I sensed him this morning while I slept, but it only lasted a few seconds. She is either shrouding him, or I dreamed it.”

“Did you get a sense of his location when you felt him?” Ember sipped her coffee, watching him over the rim of the mug.

“Sadly, no.” Chaos cut a piece of ham and put it in his mouth, chewing and swallowing before he continued. “If she knows anything at all about summoning demons of our level, she will do it in a secluded place, not far from her home.”

“We’ll have to scry for her.” I set my fork on my empty plate and folded my arms on the table.

“We already tried that,” Miles said. “We can’t cut through her shroud.”

“Chaos can.” I placed my hand on top of his. Their gazes flicked to where we touched, but nobody bristled at my suggestion. Yay for progress. “He’s the reason we found Shade.”

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