Page 40 of Mayhem and Ember

The change in his demeanor barely had time to register in my mind before he moved, his arm jutting out, his thick fingers wrapping around my throat. I gasped, and he squeezed, lifting me from the ground as a sinister growl rumbled in his chest.

His grip tightened, leaving me mere seconds before he crushed my windpipe. The rhythm of my pulse whooshing in my ears quickened, and I prayed to the goddess I could maintain control over my bladder.

“You push me too far, witch.” His voice turned gravelly, underworldly. “I am a Prince of Hell, and you will…”

Before he could finish his tirade, I lifted my knee, snatched a dagger from my thigh holster, and shoved the blade two inches into his chest. His eyes widened in shock, and his grip loosened enough for me to drag in a breath as he lowered me to the ground.

“I could snap your neck,” he growled.

“Not before I could pierce your heart.” I pushed it in a smidge farther.

His eyes locked with mine, and the purple glow faded to a gentle pulse. We stood there, frozen in a draw for what felt like an eternity. His gaze dipped down to my mouth, his eyes tightening as they met mine. I couldn’t tell if he wanted to kill me, eat me, or bang my brains out right there in the kitchen. Maybe it was all three.

“Hey, Em?” Ash called. “I found something.”

I pulled my blade out an inch. “Truce?”

He loosened his grip, resting his hand at the base of my throat. “For now.”

I stepped backward, out of his grasp, and ran the tip of my dagger under the faucet to rinse off his poisonous blood. “Sorry about your shirt.”

He glided his finger over the slit I’d made with my blade and shrugged.

“Ember?” Ash called again.

“Coming.” I gestured for him to go first, and he conceded, striding into the bedroom like our little standoff hadn’t just happened.

I took a step, and my knees nearly buckled. I caught myself on the counter and inhaled a deep, hopefully calming breath while my stomach roiled. There had been nothing little about that standoff at all. He’d gone from being a thorn in my side to giving me a near-death experience in a blink.

Maybe I had pushed him too far.

After two more breaths, I tested my legs. Thankfully, they held, and I put one foot in front of the other, willing my hands to stop trembling as I joined the others in the bedroom.

Or rather…the bathroom.

Chaos and Ash stood on either side of the toilet, peering into the tank. Mayhem loomed toward it, but Chaos put a hand on his chest.

“That’s not…” He leaned forward, and Chaos pushed him back, freeing enough space for me to slide in.

An unassuming red stone rested at the bottom of the tank. Twisted wire created a cage around it, with a long black cord laced through to make it wearable. “Is that it?”

“It’s a piece of it,” Ash said.

I dunked my hand into the tank to scoop it up, but Ash grabbed my arm. “Don’t touch it. Look what it did to Chrys. It drove her mad.”

“That’s only one theory.” I tugged from her grasp. “How else are we going to get it home if we don’t touch it? Bring the whole toilet with us?”

“I will carry the amulet,” Mayhem said.

“No.” Chaos widened his stance, blocking his path to the commode.

“What’s the matter, brother? Afraid to be the least powerful prince?”

Chaos let out an irritated sigh. “It’s a broken shard, and we don’t know which aspects of the magic reside in this piece. Until it’s complete, no one touches it.”

“We need to contain it.” Ash slipped her bag off her shoulder, laying it on the counter before removing the lid from a clear plastic container and dumping out a wad of cotton balls. “We can scoop it up with this and put a ward on it to keep the magic from seeping out.”

“How are you going to keep the toilet juice from spilling? It doesn’t look watertight. Hold on.” I slipped past the demons and returned to the kitchen, rummaging through the drawers until I found what I was looking for.

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