Page 32 of Mayhem and Ember

Chaos chuckled. “It wasn’t a gift. Discord won it in a bet.”

I frowned. “He told me it was a gift.”

“Because the bet was about whether or not you could beat Cerberus in a wrestling match when they were a puppy.” He laughed again. “They were half your size, and they took you down in sixty seconds, sitting on your stomach and nibbling on your pants with all three of their mouths while you bellowed about it not being a fair fight.”

“Oof.” Ash scrunched her face, and Ember rolled her lips inward, holding back a laugh.

Cold flashed in my chest before hellfire rose from my gut, spreading through my body and making my ears burn. It hadn’t been a fair fight, and Chaos knew it. Yet there he was, ridiculing me in front of this coven.

I should not have cared. I was the third Prince, the afterthought. My brothers having fun at my expense was nothing new, but the fact that these four witches…that Ember…now knew of their mockery made my stomach roil and my skin crawl.

Unable to meet her gaze, I turned toward the bookshelves and examined the mess they called a library. Ancient grimoires lay haphazardly on the floor, and dust coated the empty spaces on the shelves where the books should have been.

“What does the amulet do?” Ember asked, her hysteria under control, but I couldn’t answer.

My blood began to boil, anger flushing out the shame my brother had caused. How dare he attempt to humiliate me, to say to these witches that I was less than his equal. That I couldn’t best a puppy. It was time to prove what Mayhem could do.

I focused on Shade, sending my mind magic into his psyche. His eyes widened. Then they narrowed. He glared at my brother, cracking his knuckles before taking a blade from his holster. With a guttural roar, he charged toward Chaos, plunging the knife into my brother’s neck.

Chaos turned, swinging his arm and knocking the witch backward. Shade careened into the wall, cracking the sheetrock, but my magic was stronger than any injury he might have sustained. The witch lunged again. Chaos caught him by the throat and lifted him from the ground.

“Brother…” He said, his tone scolding.

I focused on Miles, sending him the same pulse of magic I had given Shade. He fisted his hands and blew out a hard breath like a bull ready to charge.

I felt the tip of the blade on my chest before I noticed Ember had drawn her sword. She stood in front of me, her eyes narrowed, her head slightly cocked. “What did I tell you about being a good boy?”

“Boy?” I growled low in my throat. “I am more man than you could handle.”

She pressed her blade harder against my chest. “Release them. Now.”

Miles gathered energy between his palms as he glared at my brother. With his free hand, Chaos removed the knife from his neck. Shade, who had been thrashing in his grip, now hung limp.

“Please, Mayhem.” Ash moved next to her sister. “We can’t do this without you. We need to work together.”

I cut my gaze from her to Miles. He lifted his hands, preparing to throw his magic.

“Alright then. Back to Hell you go.” Ember gripped her sword with both hands. Had the blade not been precisely over my heart, I would have let her stab me.

But I had no intention of returning to Hell now. Not when I had havoc to spread through Salem.

I released my hold on the men. Miles gasped, looking at the energy in his hands as if he couldn’t recall summoning it. He made fists, extinguishing the power, and Chaos dropped Shade on the floor.

The witch coughed before sucking in a large breath and rubbing his neck. “What the hell was that?”

“That was Mayhem attempting to prove a point.” Chaos rubbed the puncture on his neck, his fingers bloody from the wound.

“Which he won’t do again. You are not to mess with any coven member’s mind. Ever.” Ember twisted the blade, reminding me she would take no issue in vanquishing me should I not behave to her standards.

How far would I have to go for her to act on her word? Perhaps I would find out before this was through.

“Your powers are different. Chaos causes confusion and panic that sometimes turns into fights.” She sheathed her sword. “You go straight to violence.”

“We are not the same, if that’s what you’re implying,” I said. “Much like you are the brawn while Ash has the brains.”

She nodded her head, shrugging one shoulder at my insult. “That’s fair.”

“She’s smarter than you think,” Ash said, defending her sister’s intelligence. I doubted Ember needed defense from anyone, though. I’d never met a woman so fierce.

---