Page 17 of Mayhem and Ember

Surprise lifted his dark brow. “Impossible.”

“Yet here I stand. Ash is the victim of Isabel’s curse…” He dropped his hand and stepped toward the circle.

“These are Holland witches?” Mayhem asked, his deep, rumbly voice tinged with disbelief.

Chaos nodded. “Ash is the third born, the bearer of the hex, and only we have the power to break it.”

Mayhem narrowed his eyes at Ash, his gaze flicking between my sister and her demon. “It’s impossible without Discord.”

“Our sister is already taking care of that.” I pushed from the table and stepped toward him. “She summoned him, and he took her to Hell to find our parents. The gears are already in motion, and you were the final cog in our wheel.”

“What makes you believe I will comply?”

I lifted a shoulder dismissively, and his gaze followed the movement. “You don’t have a choice. If you refuse to help us, I’ll send you back to prison. We’ve already vanquished you, a shedim, a horde of imps, and a chicken snake. It won’t be difficult.”

He stepped toward me. “A chicken snake?”

“A basilisk,” Ash said. “And don’t forget the fae scout.”

My muscles crawled beneath my skin at the memory. “An overgrown cockroach with nearly impenetrable armor. Ever met one? They’re nasty.”

He curled his lip. “I despise the fae.”

“Don’t we all?” I matched his expression. Well, I curled my lip anyway. Without the tusks and protruding brow, I couldn’t mimic him identically.

Chaos tapped a finger against his thigh, as if formulating a plan. “With the veil this thin, there could be an uprising brewing. If we don’t mend it, and they take over this world, ours will be next.”

A look passed between the demons that I didn’t dare try to decipher. Could there be an uprising brewing? Why else would they send a scout across the veil if not to check out our realm?

Hecate have mercy, we did not have time for side quests.

“A war with the fae…” Mayhem’s dark eyes brightened. “You should have led with that. I’m always willing to kill those maddening creatures. When do we begin?”

“Hold that thought.” I raised a finger. “I need a word with my team.”

I jerked my head toward the door, and Ash, Miles, and Shade slipped through. “You too, Chaos.”

We joined the others in the library, and I pulled the door shut. “Do you really think the fae are planning an attack, or were you just blowing smoke?”

“Both,” Chaos said. “Mayhem’s favorite pastime is killing the fae that attempt to enter our world. If he believes he’ll get to battle them here, he is more likely to conform to our strategy.”

I paced in front of Ash’s desk. “But you think they might really have a plan to attack?”

Ash wrinkled her nose. “The scout did say ‘our world now.’ I doubt he meant he was going home.”

I dragged a hand down my face. “Goddess, help us.”

“Hopefully we can find Cinder and Discord and fix the veil before that happens,” Miles said.

Ash lowered her gaze. “Hopefully.” The sadness in her voice made my heart ache, but it had to be done.

“One thing at a time.” I continued pacing. “If acting like we’re about to go to war with the fae will make Mayhem join our side, then that’s what we’ll do.”

“Is it safe to come down?” Patrice called from the top of the stairs.

“Not quite.” She would shit a cinder block if she saw Mayhem in his demon form. Chaos scared her enough. “We need him to transform. Where are you keeping Chaos’s clothes?”

“I’ll go up and get him something.” Ash ascended the steps, and the rest of us returned to the studio.

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