Page 25 of Mastering Mayhem

A woman slammed against the wall, her throat collapsing before her stomach ripped open. Her insides spilled onto the floor as the invisible fae wrenched out her liver. The crowd silenced, watching in sheer horror, the sounds of bones breaking and flesh tearing echoing through the room as the soldier plunged his claws into her chest and ripped out her heart,Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doomstyle.

The squelching and munching that followed made me gag, but the gasps of terror from the other witches spurred me into action.

“Where’s the rift?” I shoved the knife into my bra and finally adjusted my boobs. I was tempted to whip the damn thing off, but it was the only clothing I had on that could hold a weapon.

“Above the chandelier.” Mayhem pointed, and another shimmeryPredatormonster dropped onto the fixture. “I count three.”

“Three rifts?” I grabbed more butter knives, creating a bouquet of blades in my cleavage.

“Three soldiers.” He gathered fire in his palms. “Make that four.”

“How?” Hazel’s eyes grew to the size of salad plates.

Mass panic ensued, making the spacious buffet room feel like a tiny, overcrowded closet. Grunts, rips, screams, and gurgling last breaths created a cacophony of horror as the fae wreaked their havoc on the unsuspecting witches.

“This was a setup.” I clutched two metal shrimp skewers and kicked off my shoes, scanning the room for the telltale shimmer of overgrown flies.

To my left, someone shouted a binding spell. I waited for a fae to freeze—or hell, I’d have been happy if it affected the entire room—but no magic built in the air. Her words were as mundane as a vampire was thirsty.

“We could use your spell kit about now, Ash.” I pressed my fingers to the earpiece, not giving a flying flip if anyone knew I was wired. “We’ve got a rift and four fae that need freezing.”

“Magic won’t work in here.” Hazel eyed Mayhem’s fiery hands. “It shouldn’t work.”

I ignited a fireball, heating the metal skewers until they glowed red. “What do you mean?”

“I guess they didn’t count on elementals.” She poked at her phone screen, frowning. “Once you pass the foyer, there’s a ward to bind magic on every room. No one can cast a spell, but apparently, elementals can use their inborn gifts.”

“She’s right,” Shade said. “Shadows aren’t elemental. I can’t create one.”

“There should be a door in the back left corner, hidden in the wall,” Ash said over the coms. “If you can get through it, we can guide you out.”

A guard blasted his assault rifle into the chandelier. The bullets lodged in—or passed through—the ceiling, but glass rained onto the throng of witches, making them panic more. The fifth fae, who’d dropped through the rift at just the right time, took a hit in the neck. He screeched, his shroud slipping as he thudded on the floor, revealing his ghastly nature to the crowd.

“Find the door, Em,” Ash reminded me.

“We’ll get right on that.” I stormed toward the injured fae, elbowing people out of my way and shoving a shrimp skewer into his ear hole. The bug goo inside him sizzled with my heat, and I lifted a layer of his armor and jabbed a butter knife into his heart.

Another fae grabbed the guard with the rifle and hurled him upward, into the ceiling. Sheetrock cracked and bones crunched before he fell, smacking the floor. Blood oozed from a gash in his head, and I cringed as the fae tossed him onto his back and ripped out his organs.

Rising to my feet, I spun toward Hazel. “Can you lift the ward? These witches aren’t fighters. Without their spell powers, they’ll be massacred.”

A fae shimmered three feet behind her, and Mayhem hurled hellfire at him. The bastard screeched, losing his glamour for half a second as he backed away to find an easier target.

Hazel squealed and clutched Mayhem’s arm. “I can’t. I didn’t cast it, and even if I was strong enough to break it, my magic doesn’t work in here either.”

“Hecate on a hellhound. Your people didn’t think this through. You’ve trapped us in a barrel. We’re the fish, and the fae have the guns.”

“Get to the door, Em,” Ash said in my ear. “I’ll see if I can lift the wards from the foyer.”

“Don’t you dare come into this building.” I grabbed Hazel by the arm, dragging her to the door in question. “Open it.”

“I can’t.” She blubbered, tears streaming down her face. “The seven-five-seven protocol means the doors are bolted by the security system. Only an admin can unlock them.”

“Miles?” I asked.

“On it.” The sound of his fingers clicking keys filled my ear. “Ash is on her way inside. I tried to stop her, but you know how those two are.”

Yes, I knew all too well, and I couldn’t fault her. Had our roles been reversed, and she’d ordered me to stay outside, I’d have come in anyway. “How long will it take?”

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