Page 54 of Claiming Chaos

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ASH

Hecate on a highwire. We did not have time to deal with the friggin’ fae. Hundreds of the little buggers flowed through what had to be the biggest rift to date. I couldn’t see the actual opening, but the sheer thickness of the swarm indicated a massive tear in the veil.

“I don’t suppose you can control these guys like you did the imps?” I started toward the fray, but Chaos clutched my hand.

“I cannot. Ash, try again. Do you sense Mayhem?”

“We need to help the others.” I attempted to tug from his grasp, but he tightened his grip.

“With a rift that big, she must have summoned him. I felt him for a moment. I know I did, and if he’s in there, we must stop her. She’ll use him to raze the entire town.”

“I don’t know.” I looked from our team to him. “It’s muffled. She’s still cloaking.”

“Go,” Shade shouted as Miles hit a group of fae with a binding spell. “We’ll take care of this.”

“Ember?” I started for the door with Chaos.

“I’ll be right behind you.” She swung her sword, slicing two fae in half with one blow. “Remember, sis, you’re at full power now.”

Chaos tugged me through the door before I could remind her how much vim I’d already used throwing wasted spells at Chrys’s second line of defense. I wasn’t at full power. Honestly, the needle on my vim tank struggled to point to the halfway mark.

The sanctuary stood silent. A line of candles, half of them lit, sat on a shelf to the right, and rows of pews led to an ornate altar of carved wood with gold inlays.

We stopped halfway in, and Chaos took both my hands. “Where is he?”

Adrenaline battled with fatigue for control of my psyche. “You’re lucky inborn powers like this don’t deplete our vim.”

“Focus.” He squeezed my hands, and I half-expected him to send a pulse of magic through his mark. He stayed true to his promise and let me calm down on my own.

I closed my eyes on a deep inhale and searched for demonic vibrations. All I felt was the man in front of me, so I switched my focus to Chrys. “Her cloak is still in place, but I’m sure they’re in the basement. She’ll be as close to the earth as she can get inside a building.”

“Which way?”

The tug in my body immediately showed me the path. I pointed to the door to the right of the altar. “Through there. The stairs lead downward.”

He nodded and turned, stalking toward the doorway like the predator he was. I followed behind, scanning the chapel for signs of another attack. If anyone lurked in the shadows, waiting for an ambush, they’d hidden themselves well. Did Chrys find another shadow witch to lure to the darker-than-dark side? It wouldn’t have surprised me.

I spun in a circle, but no one jumped out, nor did Ember make it inside. Chaos reached the door in three more strides and grabbed the knob. I didn’t even have time to shout, “Wait,” before he shoved it open with his shoulder.

A massive blast of magic exploded from the door, knocking us both off our feet. I flew backward into a pew, smacking my back against the edge of the wood and tumbling to the floor. My head hit the ground with a thwack, and my vision swam, threatening to tunnel into darkness.

I could not let myself pass out. Clutching the sore spot on my scalp, I sat upright and shook my head. The pain faded in a matter of seconds, along with the protection sigil on my arm. Damn. Now that I knew I could make them work, I’d have to come up with a longer-lasting design.

Chaos groaned, and I scrambled to my feet to find him prone on the floor beneath a pew. Blood trickled from his forehead, and I reached to wipe it off before it got into his eye.

“Don’t touch that.” He knocked my hand away and lifted himself up, hitting his head on the underside of the bench. “Shit!”

He wiggled out from under the pew before sitting upright. “Demon blood can drive people insane.”

I arched a brow. “And you’re just now telling me this?”

“Come on.” He stood and started for the open door.

“Chaos stop.” I grabbed his hand. “Did you learn nothing from that explosion? Let me check for magic first.”

He blew out a hard breath. “I can withstand—”

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