Page 39 of Mayhem and Ember

Ash laughed dryly. “Hello, Ms. Pot. Have you met Mr. Kettle?”

She brushed past me, heading to apartment 1E. “We’re lucky that ward didn’t have an alarm. You both need to chill the eff out and think before you act.”

My sister sent her magic-revealing sparkles toward Chrys’s door, but they dissipated, a few clinging here and there while the rest dissolved. “There’s evidence of an old ward, but it’s not active.” She pulled out her lock-picking equipment and did her thing.

“A witch of her power wouldn’t need one.” Mayhem closed his eyes, his lips curving up slightly at the memory before he rested a steely gaze on Ash’s back.

Chaos moved to stand behind her, blocking her from Mayhem’s view.

“We’re in.” Ash rose and pushed the door open before stepping inside.

“Is this not breaking and entering?” Mayhem crossed his arms. “Don’t you have laws you must obey?” This time I definitely detected sarcasm.

“It’s just entering. No breaking involved.” I gestured to the door Ash and Chaos had disappeared through. “Go.”

He looked down his nose at me. “Ladies first.”

I lifted my chin. “Age before beauty, your royal pain in my assness. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

He fought his grin, and I didn’t miss the amusement dancing in his eyes before he stepped inside Chrys’s apartment. I followed, gently closing the door behind me.

The air hung stagnant, like the doors and windows hadn’t been opened for weeks, and dust motes floated in the living room, glinting in the long rays of afternoon sun filtering through the blinds. A book lay open on the coffee table, and Ash peered at the pages, bringing her fingers to her lips on a quick intake of breath.

“Those are the sigils Chrys used to control Shade and Miles.” She sank onto the sofa. “Where did she find a grimoire with this kind of power in it?”

I stood next to her and looked at the pages. It felt wrong to have a seat in the living room of our nemesis, so I crouched, leaning my elbows on my thighs. “You’re right. We should take this home. It could give us clues about her involvement in this ordeal.”

I hovered my hands over the book and recoiled when the sticky funk of dark magic washed over my palms. “It’s thick. We need to cleanse it before we handle it.”

“Cleanse it of what? It’s not dirty.” Mayhem slammed the grimoire shut and lifted it up and down as if testing its weight. “It’s not thick either. Just a few hundred pages.”

I straightened. “Thick with dark magic, smartass.”

“If light witches aren’t careful, it can seep into our psyches and make us sick.” Ash stood and strode toward the kitchen. “But since it doesn’t seem to bother you, feel free to carry it home for us.”

He dropped it onto the counter. “I’m here for the amulet, not to be your pack mule.”

“I’ll carry it.” Chaos grabbed the book and tucked it under his arm. “Ash, can you locate the artifact?”

Mayhem yanked out a drawer and dumped it on the counter. “We’ll find it if we have to tear the place apart.”

He pulled on the next drawer, and I popped my hip against it, slamming it shut. “We don’t have to tear anything apart. If it’s here, Ash will find it. Now, be quiet and let her search.”

“‘Magical amulet’ is so vague. It would help if I knew exactly what I was looking for.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “There are so many artifacts in here, it’s hard to differentiate them.”

“Don’t start doubting yourself now.” I rubbed her back. “You’ve got this.”

She nodded and stilled, her energy pulling inward as she opened herself to whatever it was she felt when she used this power. Mayhem arched a skeptical brow, his eyes… Honestly, his eyes had been calculating since the moment we brought him into our world.

Without a word, Ash paced across the kitchen toward Chrys’s bedroom, and a smile spread across my face. I elbowed Chaos. “Look at her go. I’m so proud of her.”

“As am I.” He followed her, flipping the light switch on his way into the room.

Mayhem turned to the cabinets, opening each one until he found Chrys’s stash of snacks. He stuck his hand into the Twinkie box, ready to steal yet another treat, so I slapped the door hard, bouncing it off his arm.

“Can’t you go five minutes without shoving sugar into your mouth?”

In half a nanosecond, his expression morphed from mildly amused to downright scary. His brow slammed down over his eyes, the purple in his irises glowing, his lip pulling into a sneer.

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