Page 10 of Mayhem and Ember

Ivy took one step toward the exit before spinning around. “You should have paid more attention to what was happening in your coven.”

I crossed my arms, my jaw ticking, my patience thinner than single-ply toilet paper. “She’s your daughter. Maybe you’re the one who should have paid more attention.”

She gasped, fury sparking in her eyes, and I thanked the goddess our basement had a concrete floor because I had no doubt she’d have summoned the roots from every tree in Salem to tear me to shreds. “You…”

I should have shut my mouth right then, but my temper flared, rendering me unable to stop the words from flowing. “Don’t you come into our house and accuse us. Chrys brought dark magic into this coven. Your daughter tortured and killed one of us for goddess knows what reason. She lied, she hid things from us, and she used us. I…we…had nothing to do with her decisions, but her upbringing sure as hell did.”

Another gasp, and she pressed her hand to her chest. If she’d worn pearls, she would have clutched them.

“Ivy, please.” One of the men from the funeral home, who had been silently watching the exchange, gently grasped her elbow and led her out of the room before she could piss me off anymore.

Ash closed her eyes for a long blink, shaking her head.

“What?” I snapped.

“She’s a grieving mother, and you blamed her for her daughter’s death.”

“She accused me of teaching Chrys dark magic and then wished us both dead.” I jerked my hand toward the doorway she’d left through, doing my best to keep my middle finger from jutting up. “I had to say something.”

She sighed. “Of course you did.”

I could tell from the tone of her voice she didn’t approve of the way I’d said it, but I didn’t want to argue. Should I have shifted the blame onto Ivy’s shoulders? Probably not, but I also didn’t have to stand there and let her accuse me of everything.

Yes, I should have been paying more attention. Yes, I might have noticed something off about Chrys’s behavior if I’d thought about it. Yes, I had screwed up royally every chance I’d gotten through this entire ordeal.

That didn’t mean I was responsible for the decisions Chrys made.

The man returned to the room. “She’s waiting in the car. If you’ll excuse us, we’ll get out of your hair.”

“Be my guest.” I stepped into the hall with Ash and waited for them to load the body onto the stretcher. They wheeled her out the back door, and I locked it behind them.

“I told you everyone would blame me,” I said as we made our way toward the studio.

Ash stopped outside the door and clutched my shoulders. “No one will blame you for the thinning veil, but they will blame you for what happens next if we don’t give them a heads up so they can protect themselves.”

I sucked in a massive breath and blew it out hard. “You’re right. We need to call the meeting.” I shoved the door open and stepped inside.

“How did it go?” Patrice clasped her hands over her chest.

“Don’t ask.” I picked up the skull and dropped it into a bag before handing it to Ash. “Shade, Miles, set up the emergency meeting. Mayhem will have to wait.”

A low growl rumbled from Chaos’s chest. “The longer he waits, the angrier he will become. Postponing this will only serve to make him harder to control.”

I put my hands on my hips. “We managed you just fine, didn’t we?”

5

EMBER

“Her plan, it seems, was to take over both the Boston Society of Magic and Salem.” I stood at the podium in the hotel meeting room, facing twenty-plus members of our coven and trying not to sweat. “She summoned the demon, attempting to harness his power to make it happen.”

They sat silently, filling five rows of chairs beneath a small chandelier, as I explained everything that was going on.

Okay, not everything, obviously. If they knew Ash hadn’t ended the curse, but instead was the curse, all hell would have broken loose…and we were dealing with enough of the Underworld already, thank you very much. Besides, my sister was fine so far, and she had a demon who could calm her instantly if she decided to go nuts.

As long as he didn’t go nuts with her.

Honestly, of the three Holland sisters, Ash was the best one of us to bear this curse. I’d have already brought it to fruition. Not on purpose, of course, but I tended to act before I thought, and Ash was the opposite.

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