Page 36 of Mayhem and Ember

Yes, I might have fanned some in Mayhem’s direction, but in my defense, he had a helluva negative attitude that grated on my last nerve. He coughed hard, narrowing his eyes at me. Chaos wrinkled his nose, his lips peeling back in disgust.

Neither of them moved from their seats, and I had to admit I was a little disappointed. It would have been fun to watch them get sucked out the window like the vampires in True Blood when Sookie rescinded their invitation.

Ash let out a tiny cough before closing the pane. “That’s strong. I forgot how potent a new smudge stick can be.”

I held her gaze, trying to keep my expression neutral. The smell wasn’t strong at all.

“Let’s do this thing.” She plopped onto the floor, sitting cross-legged at the coffee table, and I extinguished the smudge stick before setting it by the bowl.

Chaos joined Ash on the floor, sitting next to her, which meant I had to sit by Mayhem. Ash smirked as we settled on the floor across from them, and I pursed my lips. My little sis read so many romance novels, I could only imagine what tropes she was applying to our situation. Forced proximity? Enemies to lovers? Thank the goddess we had more than one bed.

I laid my arm on the table, and Ash rested her hand in mine. The guys did the same, and I reluctantly…very reluctantly…slipped my other hand into Mayhem’s. The same, not unpleasant, pin-pricking sensation danced across my palm before spiraling up my arm. He wasn’t actively sharing his power, but something magical permeated his skin, spreading through my body and waking up nerves I never knew existed.

“Hecate prefers to call our king Hades, so it’s best if that’s how you refer to him during the ritual.” Chaos’s voice drew my attention away from the sensations in my body and back to the issue at hand.

I said a silent thank you to my sister’s demon before tugging from Ash’s grasp and lighting the candles. Staring at a flame, I allowed my vision to blur until everything in my periphery bled into nothingness. The fire flickered in response to our magic, stilling as we all cleared our minds and focused on our goddess.

“Everyone ready?” Ash asked.

We all murmured our agreement, and she lit the bowl of herbs ablaze before placing her palm in mine once more. “We call on the goddess Hecate,” she said. “Please accept our offering and show us a sign of your presence.”

I opened my senses, searching the ether for a signal that the goddess had heard our request. All I felt was the low, prickling vibration of the demon sitting next to me. Funny… I couldn’t recall feeling Chaos’s energy this strongly, even when he’d held my hand.

“Hecate, please hear our words,” I said. “We are desperate for your assistance.”

“Do you feel her?” Ash asked.

“I don’t.” I looked at her, my vision swimming back into focus.

“She either didn’t hear your plea, or she chose to ignore it.” Mayhem kept a tight grip on my hand.

“Shoot.” Ash tugged from my grasp and stood. “We forgot the crystals.”

She padded to the shelf and grabbed a piece of black tourmaline and labradorite before setting them by the candles.

“Good choice.” I laid my arm on the table and took her hand again.

“What do the crystals do?” Chaos asked.

“Black tourmaline is for protection and grounding,” Ash said. “We need the grounding properties now, but we used its protection to get through the electrified doorway at the BMS library.”

“I remember.” He smiled, flashing her an endearing look.

“Labradorite enhances intuition and psychic abilities,” I said. “It will help us sense her in the ether.”

“Apparently, you don’t perform this ritual often or you would not have forgotten such an essential part,” Mayhem said, goading me yet again.

“Excuse me for having a lot on my already-overflowing plate. At least I didn’t lose a wrestling match with a puppy.” I fought the urge to stick out my tongue.

His teeth clicked. “Chaos slipped marrow from hellcat bones into my pocket before the match. Had I known, it would have ended differently.”

I pressed my lips together. If I wasn’t hyper-focused on connecting with Hecate, I’d have laughed. “Let’s try again while the offering is still burning.”

I stared at a flame again, allowing my vision to blur, opening myself to the ether once more. “We call on the goddess Hecate. Please accept our offering and show us a sign of your presence.”

We waited, searching, focusing… Nothing.

“Chaos, you try,” Ash said.

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