Page 33 of Mastering Mayhem

Two beds, each barely large enough to sleep a single demon, took up most of the space, and a minuscule round table with two stained chairs sat near the shaded window. Ash spoke, though she emitted no sound. In fact, even the heated air blowing from the vent created no audible vibrations.

Ash waved her hand, and my ears popped, her voice becoming clear. “I brought you into the silencing spell so you can speak freely. I also put an amplifier on her room so we can hear her better.”

“She hasn’t left since we arrived,” Chaos said. “She had food delivered once, and she talks on the phone to a friend in New York.”

“Any idea why Adrian’s making her wait?” Ember curled her lip at the untouched bed and took off the thin, brown covering before sinking onto the edge of the mattress.

“We’re not even sure he’s the one she’s meeting,” Ash said. “She’s spoken to both a man and a woman about it, but we’ll find out soon enough. It’s going down in half an hour.”

“I’m glad we made it in time.” I sat next to Ember, and the mattress squeaked as it absorbed my weight. A red ring stained the faux-wood nightstand, and one side of the drawer handle hung loose. “I’m also glad we won’t have to stay the night in these sub-par accommodations.”

“You spent four centuries in prison, and you’re worried about sleeping in a seedy motel?” Ember adjusted her position, curling her lip as the mattress springs groaned. “Can’t say I blame you.”

“Any minute now.” Hazel’s voice sounded as if she were in the room with us. “You know how melodramatic High Priests can be. He probably wants to meet there for the aesthetic.”

I gave my brother a questioning look. “Adrian isn’t coming here?”

“He wishes to meet her in the cemetery across the street,” Chaos said.

“That tracks.” Shade laughed dryly and sank into a chair. “She’s not wrong about the melodrama. Remember his throne?”

“Why are we waiting for Adrian to arrive?” I asked. “Could we not break down her door and take the amulet now, saving all of us the trouble of dealing with the High Priest again?”

“Good question.” Ember patted my thigh. “Why are we just sitting here?”

“She doesn’t have it on her person,” Chaos said.

“She hid it somewhere before she got here.” Ash rose and padded to a sink at the back of the room. “Apparently, she wore it on the drive over and it’s already affected her. She’s been bragging to her friend about how strong the wards she put on the amulet and her room are.”

An array of bottles sat on the counter, and Ash arranged them in her bag. “I tried scrying for it, but she hid it well. We’ll have to follow her when she leaves and wait for her to uncover it. Shade can cloak us.”

“She can see through my shadows.” Shade drummed his fingers on the table. “Can’t you mind control her and make her hand it over?”

“We tried that too,” Ash said. “The wards she set up are stronger than anything I’ve experienced. If she hadn’t checked in under her real name, we’d never have found her.”

“Yet you were able to amplify the sounds of her warded room…” I arched a brow.

“The amulet made her stronger, not smarter.” Ash shrugged. “She’s not letting anything in, but she didn’t bother herself with noise getting out.”

“As far as she knows, we’re still locked in the vault.” Ember rose, turning left and right, but there was no room for her to pace. She sat back down. “She’s got dollar signs in her eyes. I doubt she considered someone might try to intercept it.”

“What about her?” Hazel’s voice drifted through the wall. “Unless she can conjure four times what she offered, she’s not a player in this game. The High Priest offered me twenty grand.”

Ember’s brows crept toward her hairline. “She has multiple prospects?”

“That explains why she’s been negotiating with a man and a woman,” Ash said. “I didn’t make the connection that it could be two different buyers.”

“I’m going to demand forty,” Hazel said. “Because, Mom, with forty, we can keep the house.”

We remained silent, waiting for her to speak again.

“I’d like to see them try,” she continued. “It made me so strong. You’ll see. I’ll be home tonight withfiftygrand in my pocket and more power than all our ancestors combined. I have to go… Yes, I’ll be careful. Blessed be.”

Hazel’s lock disengaged. The door opened and closed. Miles pulled back the curtain slightly, watching her as she exited the motel. “She’s heading to the cemetery on foot. Maybe she hid the amulet there.”

Ember rose and stretched the tension from her neck. “Here’s the plan. Shade, you’ll cloak us. Like you said, seeing through shadow is active magic. She’s so distracted with the thought of money, she might not use her power.”

“And if she does?” Chaos asked.

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