Page 51 of Mayhem and Ember

“Where are you from?” Ash asked.

Tracey smiled proudly. “Houston, Texas. Born and raised.”

“Ah. Hell on Earth,” I said.

She looked at me with questions in her eyes. “It’s not so bad if you don’t mind the humidity… Oh, I get it!” she laughed. “Yeah, it can be hotter than Hell in the summertime. I’ll be right back with your drinks.” She disappeared through a swinging door.

“Why do you call me Dave?” I perused the restaurant’s offerings, not bothering to lift my gaze. I could feel her irritation with me rolling off her skin in waves, and I hadn’t yet decided if I should make it worse or relent to her yet again.

“I suggest you don’t speak until I have some food in me. Hangry Ember doesn’t know how to be nice.” She turned her menu over and scanned the backside.

“I didn’t realize you ever tried to be.” It appeared I’d decided to make it worse. I simply couldn’t help myself when it came to her.

She cast a sideways glance at me, her mouth tightening as if she were trying, in this moment, to be nice.

“As far as anyone else needs to know, you and I are fire witches,” Chaos said. “I’m from Maine, and apparently you’re now from Texas.”

“You’re lying to your coven?” I turned to Ember, and her nostrils twitched as she silently stewed.

“Just a few lies here and there.” Ash glanced at her sister. “We’re mostly omitting the important details, which I know…” She held up her hands. “Lying by omission is still lying, but here we are.”

Stacey returned with four large glasses of iced tea and took our food orders. Ember asked for a hamburger containing beef and a fried egg. Based on my limited experience with modern food, the combination sounded odd, yet interesting.

“I’ll have the same.” I handed the menu to Stacey, and Ember side-eyed me, her nostrils flaring again. How my request for the same meal as hers could be upsetting, I couldn’t fathom. Perhaps I should back off and let her cool down before resuming our normal banter.

We sat in silence until our food arrived. Ember used a serrated knife to cut her burger in half before taking a bite. While it was massive in size compared to her hands, mine were nearly twice as big as hers. I picked up the whole sandwich and took a bite.

The moment my teeth sank into it, the egg yolk burst and half the contents fell out the back of the bun in a heap. Mayonnaise coated my fingers, and gooey cheese dangled from my chin.

Ember snorted. “Did you think I cut it in half to eat like a dainty lady? Now you’ll have to finish it with a fork and knife.”

I chewed the surprisingly tasty combination and swallowed before scooping the mess from my plate with my fingers and shoving it into my mouth.

She shrugged. “Or do it the heathen way. It suits you.”

I wiped my hands and face with a napkin and sipped my tea, giving her ample time to get food into her stomach. When she finished half the burger, I set down my glass. “My reason to believe the fae are organizing is this…”

“Stop.” She wagged a finger at me. “What you did out there, making those men violent… That’s not allowed. We protect the humans. We don’t hurt them.”

“Those men were already violent in nature. I barely sent a suggestion to them before they turned on one another.” I used a fork to scoop a bite of egg and beef.

“It doesn’t matter.” She gestured between herself and Ash. “We’re light witches. You have to at least pretend to care about human life if we’re going to get through this.”

“But I don’t care about it.”

She threw her hands in the air and dropped them on the table. “Are you sure we can’t break the curse without him?”

“Positive,” my brother answered. “I’d have done it already if there were any other way.”

“Fine. Just…” She rubbed her temples. “Don’t do it again, okay? I’m sure you want to get rid of me as much as I want you gone, so work with us. Please.”

That word again. Every time she directed it toward me, it felt like silk running over my skin. “I will try. I swear.”

Her shoulders slumped. “Sadly, I know that’s the best I’ll get from a demon.”

Indeed it was. “I believe the fae are organizing because the latest two bodies were hidden. They targeted those who would not be missed, fed out of sight, and removed their leftovers from plain view.”

She curled her lip. “They’re humans, not leftovers. Try to show a shred of decency.”

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