Page 15 of Mayhem and Ember

The walls and floor shook with Mayhem’s scream. The sound brought Ash and me to our knees, and covering my ears did nothing to relieve the sensation of daggers stabbing my brain. I stumbled to my feet and lunged toward the table to grab Ash’s satchel. Yanking it down by the strap, I returned to the floor, where Chaos kneeled beside her, shouting at his brother to stop.

“Tell me you have a silencing spell in there.” I slid the bag toward her.

“What?” she shouted.

I stuck my fingers in my ears and mouthed silencing spell before gesturing to the offending demon. She nodded and rummaged through the bag, pulling out a small pink bottle triumphantly.

I uncorked it, grabbed her hand to give her as much vim as she needed, and hurled the contents into Mayhem’s face. “Sound offending, words unending, we call on the goddess to make the noise cease,” we said in unison. As the particles gathered around his throat, the magic cut off his roar, casting the room into glorious silence.

Well, silence except for the ringing in my ears and the sound of footsteps pounding down the stairs.

“What the hell was that?” Shade shouted as he and Miles raced into the studio.

“Shh…” I covered my ears, wincing at the sound. “Give us a minute.”

My head pounded with the high-pitched tone assaulting both my ears, but I rose to my feet and turned toward the culpable demon as Chaos helped Ash stand.

Mayhem stood nearly eight feet tall, with more muscles rippling beneath his dark purplish-gray skin than I ever thought possible. Thick horns with a spiral texture jutted outward from the sides of his head before arching up like a bull’s, and a set of what I could only call tusks protruded from both his upper and lower jaws.

Aside from his bad attitude and unnecessary volume, he was a magnificent sight to see. Thighs, thicker than my waist, led down to cloven hooves, and upward…

I squeezed my eyes shut and turned to Shade. No way would I allow myself to find that thing attractive. He was a monster. A creature from Hell, for Hecate’s sake.

“That was Mayhem feeling powerless and yelling like weak men tend to do when no one wants to listen to them.” I glanced at the demon again, and he pounded his chest, no doubt shouting at the top of his lungs for us to set him free.

“Damn.” Miles looked Mayhem up and down. “He’s big.”

Ash shrugged. “No bigger than Chaos. Will you go up and ask Patrice for some headache powder and something to stop the ringing in our ears? I’d rather not waste my vim on another spell right now.”

“Sure.” He bounded upstairs while Shade eyed Mayhem.

“I guess he doesn’t want to cooperate?” He moved closer to the containment circle, and the demon slammed his shoulder against the magic, making it pulse. Shade flinched.

“Nope.” I rubbed my temples to counter the pressure in my skull. “If he would just listen, he’d understand how we can help each other.”

Shade tilted his head. “Doesn’t he owe you a favor since you freed him?”

“Indeed he does.” Chaos tugged Ash to his chest and rubbed her head tenderly. “And that favor should be to break Ash’s curse.”

“But we need Discord for that, so for now, we have to figure out how to tame the savage beast.” I pressed my thumb between my eyes, but it didn’t ease the pain.

Miles finally came down and handed Ash and me each a steaming mug. “She put both powders into one drink and said you need to take it all at once.”

I hadn’t planned to sip the stuff. Tipping my head back, I chugged the bitter, nearly boiling-hot potion. It burned all the way down to my stomach, and if fire wasn’t my element, I’d have been scorched. Instead, a coolness spread through my body, quieting the ring and easing the splitting pain in my head to a dull, manageable ache.

“I guess Patrice is still afraid of a couple of hellions?” I set the mug on the table and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

Miles shrugged and gave a tiny nod. “How long will the silencing spell last on him?”

I eyed the demon, my gaze dropping to his unmentionables three times before I managed to hold his gaze. In my defense, I wasn’t the only one having trouble not looking at his junk. Miles, Shade, and even Ash’s gaze bounced up and down his nakedness.

With a package that impressive, it was hard not to look.

I took a deep breath and blew it out hard, a wave of fatigue washing over me, though I’d had plenty of time to recharge after this morning’s battle. If I wanted to be introspective, I could have admitted it was mental and emotional fatigue. But I was the fighter, the warrior. My brain didn’t get tired because I used my body more.

“We just want to have a civilized chat.” I parked my hands on my hips. “I think we’ve demonstrated our power enough, and we have Chaos on our side. If you want out of this circle, you need to listen to what we have to say.”

His nostrils flared and the tendons in his neck tightened, but at least he kept his mouth shut.

---