Page 12 of Mayhem and Ember

“Let’s do this thing.” I shot flames from my fingertips to each of the candles on the floor.

Ash lit the ones on the tables and turned off the overhead lights. “It’s a short incantation. Can everyone memorize it?”

I scanned the Latin on the page, committing it to memory before stepping out of the way so the others could do the same. Shade glanced at it quickly and nodded. “I still remember it from last time.”

“Before we do this…” Patrice wrung her hands. “I don’t understand why we can’t summon them both at once. Get all three of them together so they can end the curse and we can mend the veil right now.”

“Discord will not be easy to summon.” Chaos took Ash’s hand and moved toward the circle. “Cinder freed him from the dark prison, so he owed his debt to her and no one else. He must be enticed to cross the veil again, and you will need Mayhem on your side to convince him to comply.”

“And Mayhem is already the unhappiest camper I’ve ever met,” Ash said. “You were busy with Chrys when we exorcized him, but let me tell you... He was pissed.”

I stood on the opposite side of Chaos and grabbed his hand. “They’re right. The longer we leave Mayhem in prison, the pissier he’s going to be. Chaos needs to reason with him, make him understand the plan. Then we can convince Discord to bring Cinder and our parents back.”

“Whatever it takes to set things straight so we can have some peace in Salem.” Shade slapped his palm into mine, and Miles joined hands with Ash, both, once again, taking no issue with sharing a demon’s power.

Patrice, ever the reluctant one, splayed her fingers before clenching her fists and splaying them again. “I should save my vim in case someone needs healing. You’ve all been using his magic more than any witch should.”

My teeth click audibly, my grip on the guys’ hands tightening with my frustration. I should have known better than to bring a healer on board and ask her to do anything but heal. Yes, we were light witches and consorting with demons went against our very nature, but sometimes even those closest to the goddess had to work in the gray areas to get things done.

“It’s for the greater good,” I said, my teeth still clenched tightly.

She inclined her chin. “It isn’t right, and Hecate would agree.”

I exhaled and yanked my hands free to press my fingers to my temples. I’d already brought her into the fold. She knew as much about the problem as the rest of us, and we would need her healing eventually. I couldn’t send her packing like I wanted to, so I made a face at Ash that hopefully said help me out here.

My sister opened her mouth to speak, but Chaos beat her to it. “Hecate spends a great deal of time in the Underworld. Your goddess wouldn’t be as opposed to my help as you might imagine.”

Patrice jerked her head back as if she’d been slapped. “Don’t speak ill of our goddess.”

“I’m not speaking ill.” Chaos held his hand toward me. “I’m simply stating a fact. Hecate exists in the gray areas. Dark witches worship her too.”

“We need you, Patrice,” Ash said. “I’ll temper the demon magic. You’ll hardly feel it.”

I grabbed the guys’ hands again. “If you don’t help, he might break free and kill people. Do you want that on your conscience?”

Ash cut me a look, but Patrice gave her head a tiny shake and slipped her hand into Miles’s. “This is the last time,” she whispered.

I didn’t mention the fact that we had another demon to summon after this. One step at a time. “Give it everything you’ve got. Mayhem has no loyalty to us, and he doesn’t listen to reason from Chaos. No doubt he won’t want to listen to us either, so we’ll have to make him.”

We recited the containment spell three times, and I hoped to Hecate we pronounced the Latin correctly. The air around us buzzed with magic, building with each recitation until the atmosphere thickened like pudding.

With one final push, we sent the magic into the circle, the candles flickering in response to our spell. The vibration in the room lifted, returning to normal, and we released our hands.

Patrice rubbed her palms on her pants. “I still felt it.”

I fought an eye roll and turned to Chaos. “Test it.”

He arched a brow, holding my gaze until I really did roll my eyes. “Test it, please?”

He reached toward the containment circle, his palm pressing against the invisible magic. “It will hold him. For how long, I can’t be certain.” He rested his other hand against the circle and shoved before nodding his approval.

I turned to the summoning spell and scanned the page. “I never thought I’d see the day when I willingly summoned a demon.”

Shade clutched a dagger in each hand. “We’re here for you.”

But should they be? As acting High Priestess, it was my job to keep my coven safe. If something happened…if the circle didn’t hold…Mayhem could kill us all. And then what? Salem would have two Princes of Hell on the loose and not a soul who knew what was happening.

Ash seemed convinced he wouldn’t harm her as long as she bore Chaos’s mark, but I had my doubts. If I had been imprisoned for centuries, rational thought would be tough to grasp.

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