Page 6 of Claiming Chaos

“We know.” Ember paced to us, and we helped Patrice into the chair. “Tell us what to mix to heal you.”

“There’s a headache powder in the brown jar on the second shelf. That and twelve hours of sleep should do the trick.”

“I’m so glad you’re alive.” Miles had Shade’s arm over his shoulder, and he led him to the table, leaning him against it before letting him go. “What did she say to you?”

Patrice shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. Chaos rested his hand on my back.

“We’ll have time to talk when we get home.” Ember brought a mug of water with dissolved headache powder to her. “Chrys knows we’re here. We need to get home quickly, and then we’ll discuss what we know.”

“Home, where Chrys set up who knows what kind of wards.” I took the mug from Patrice after she drank it and handed it to Ember. “I never thought to check what she’d done.”

“You didn’t think you had reason to,” Chaos said.

“Let me grab a few necessities, and we can go.” Patrice stood, took a bag from a cabinet, and filled it with herbs, oils, and powders before heading upstairs. We followed her up, and she took more vials and herbs from the kitchen. “I think I’m good.”

“Pack some clothes,” Ember said. “You’re sleeping at our place for a while.”

We waited in the living room as she packed, all of us silent, including Shade. When she finished, Chaos carried her suitcase to the car, while Miles helped Shade into the front seat. Ember drove to Miles’s house and parked in the driveway.

“Do you have enough vim for one more revealing spell?” She twisted in her seat to face me. “We need to make sure his house isn’t booby-trapped before we go inside.”

“Yeah, I think so.” I opened the side door and climbed out.

“I can assist you.” Chaos followed me onto the pavement.

“Thanks, but I’m good.” I had to use my demon’s magic sparingly. Too many rushes of power from him, and I might turn to the dark side too.

“What about me?” Shade asked. “My house and all my clothes are ashes now.”

“We’re the same size. I’ll get enough of mine for both of us.” Miles exited the van, leaving Patrice and Shade alone.

I rested a hand on Chaos’s chest. “Will you wait here? They’re defenseless right now.”

He nodded and crossed his arms, widening his legs into a bodyguard stance.

I said the incantation. No magic protected Miles’s home, so he opened the door. One last spell on the inside revealed nothing sinister. “Unless something is cloaking the nastiness, I think it’s safe.”

“Wait at the van.” Ember clutched her sword just in case. “I’ll go in with him.”

“Gladly.” Because my vim was nearly spent, and I still had to figure out what Chrys had done to our house. The twelve hours of sleep Patrice mentioned sounded like pure heaven. I climbed into the van, and Chaos stayed on guard duty until Ember and Miles returned with two giant duffel bags.

I rested my head on Chaos’s shoulder on the short drive home, letting his warmth soothe me. He carried everyone’s bags upstairs, leaving Patrice’s in Cinder’s room and Miles’s in my parents’. Once we got everyone settled in the living room, I ordered three large pepperoni pizzas, gathered some supplies, and went with Ember to check the wards.

Outside on the sidewalk, Ember slipped her hand into mine, sharing her vim with me as I revealed what Chrys had done. Golden sparkles gathered around the perimeter of the building, coating the doors and windows.

My sister laughed, unbelieving. “She set up a ward to keep out the fae? That’s it?”

“Apparently so.” I rubbed oil on four railroad spikes and handed her two with a hammer. “You do the back, and I’ll do the front.”

“Sounds good.” She headed to the back of the building, and I hammered a spike into the slim space where the cobblestone met the foundation. After placing the second one at the other corner, I joined her around back to cast our spell.

“Protect this space from malice and harm. If our ward is broken, we will be warned.” We pushed our magic toward the building, hoping to wrap it in a cocoon of protection, but our spell hit a barrier and bounced back, stinging my cheeks and blowing through my hair.

“Oh, for Hecate’s sake.” I threw my hands into the air. “What the hell did you do, Chrys?”

A meaty hand landed on my shoulder, sending my heart into my throat. I squealed and whirled around, throwing a punch at the same time. My knuckles met Chaos’s rock-hard chest, nearly crushing my bones.

“Ow! Son of a bison.” I shook my hand. “You scared me to death.”

---