Page 56 of Mayhem and Ember

“To shower and change. Miles has an early date with Wendy, and we need to be there to listen.” I kicked off my other boot and opened my underwear drawer. The shard of amulet glinted in the overhead light, reminding me how much easier this would be if we didn’t have to babysit an unruly demon.

Ash leaned against the dresser, crossing her arms. “Do you seriously not see the way he looks at you?”

“Like he’s trying to decide which way he wants to kill me? All the time.” I knocked on the drawer her butt was against, and she pushed off, crossing the room to sit on the bed. I yanked it open to find one lonely pair of fireproof pants. “I know it’s mean of me to say, but I miss Patrice for the laundry and grocery shopping she did for us. Think we can convince Miles…?”

“Ember, listen to me.”

“I will when you speak rationally.” I slammed the drawer shut.

“Why is believing in fate so hard for you?”

I tightened my grip on my last pair of pants. “Believing in fate isn’t hard. I truly believe we were meant to find these guys so we can end the curse. And their magic having the opposite effect on us makes sense. It’s karma. They cursed our bloodline, so they can’t scramble our brains to bring the curse to fruition themselves.”

I grabbed a shirt from the closet. “But Mayhem is not my meant-to-be. I don’t believe that person exists for me, but if he does, it is certainly not that arrogant, self-centered brute who doesn’t give a flying eff about anyone but himself.”

She raised her brows. “He’s enamored of you.”

I scoffed. “How can you tell? Is it the constant needling, the way he doesn’t lift a finger to help me fight, or the fact he lifted me from the ground by my throat and threatened to snap my neck?”

She gasped. “He didn’t.”

“He most certainly did. The only reason he put me down was because I dug a blade two inches into his chest.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She stood and paced toward me. “That’s so scary.”

“Not really.” I shrugged and headed for the bathroom, dropping my clean clothes on the counter before peeling off my socks.

Ash leaned in the doorway. “You don’t have to be a badass all the time. It’s okay to be scared.”

“I wasn’t.” I unzipped what was left of my pants and fumbled my way out of them.

Ash smiled smugly. “You knew he wouldn’t do it.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did.”

I took off my shirt and dropped it in the hamper before turning on the tap. “We were at a draw.”

She lifted herself onto the counter and swung her legs. “Somewhere, deep inside, you knew he wouldn’t kill you. It’s not rational because he gave you every indication that he would, but your soul knew he wouldn’t.”

I rolled my eyes and stepped into the shower, closing the curtain before taking off my bra and undies and tossing them into the hamper. What could I say to that?

“You know I’m right,” she sang.

“No, I don’t.” The hot water felt fabulous beating down on my tired muscles, and the peppermint in my shampoo helped to wake up my mind. Tired and weary didn’t begin to describe my level of fatigue.

“And for some goddess only knows reason, even through all the bickering, he’s growing on you,” Ash said.

“Like a fungus.” I stretched my neck beneath the stream, willing the knots in my muscles to release.

“Your body reacts when he touches you.”

“Whose wouldn’t? He’s smoking hot, and you’ve seen what he’s packing.” I shut off the water and reached out for a towel.

She handed me one. “You’ve seen Chaos, too. Does your body react like that when he touches you?”

No. No, it did not. “Chaos is your lover boy, not mine.”

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