Page 36 of Mastering Mayhem

A blast of power shot through the rift, blinding light enveloping us, the force of the wind so strong, Adrian and his witches stumbled. Three fae soldiers entered our realm, the first latching onto Hector so quickly he didn’t have time to gasp before the creature plunged his talons into the witch’s chest and ripped out his still-beating heart.

13

EMBER

“Well, that escalated quickly.” I crept toward Hazel, planning to drag her away from the fray and force her to give us the amulet, but another, bigger fae crawled through the massive rift.

This one had glistening wings like a dragonfly and round, faceted, silver eyes protruding from his forehead. An array of stone-like extensions circled his skull, or the top of his exoskeleton head, or…whatever these buggy bastards had…in the shape of a built-in crown, and soldier number one lowered to one knee, holding the heart up like an offering to the big guy.

Adrian dropped to his knee like the follower he was, and his minions cowered behind him while poor Hector lay heartless—and liverless—at the fae’s feet.

“Ignacus,” Mayhem growled beside me, his lip curling in disgust before he sucked in a sharp breath. “Another rift is forming.”

“Adrian said they weren’t planning an invasion here.” Ash clutched a potion bottle in one hand and held a ball of fire in the other.

“Adrian lies.” I crept a little closer. “They all do. Is our silencing spell still intact?”

“For now. Want me to reinforce it?”

I shook my head. “Take Shade and Miles around the mausoleum and get behind them. Seal the rift before any more fae get through.”

“My shadow won’t reach that far,” Shade said. “I won’t be able to cloak you.”

“Same goes for the silencing,” Ash said.

“That’s okay. Things are about to get messy, anyway.” I jerked my head, urging them to go, and turned my attention back to the display before us.

Adrian, still kneeling in faux deference, held one hand behind his back and twirled his finger, quietly gathering the air toward him and answering our question. No, the cocky High Priest did not call the bug men to this little shindig.

Ignacus, the half-blooded fae prince, accepted the offered heart, opening his wide mouth and revealing a set of dagger-like teeth. Gooey saliva strings stretched from the top row to the bottom, making my stomach sour, and I tilted my head, scrunching my brow.

How could this guy be a prince and look so much like the lesser fae we unaffectionately called overgrown mosquitoes? Wait… Did the fae king get it on with a…?

That would be like a Great Dane going for a Chihuahua. Ew. I shook away the thought.

A squelching, chomping sound drew my attention back to the moment, right in time for me to watch Ignacus devour Hector’s heart and move on to his liver.

He made a clicking sound in his throat and wiped the blood from his face with a clawed hand, completely missing the dribble running down his chin. “What happened to our deal?” He straightened his spine and inclined his head, looking both regal and ridiculous at once.

No, not his spine. I kept forgetting these guys wore their skeletons on the outside.So gross.

Adrian looked up at Ignacus. “It’s still on. I came to get the amulet, and I was planning to give it to you.”

“That was not the deal.” He wrapped his long, spindly fingers around Adrian’s neck and hauled him to his feet. “You were to find the amulet and send word of its location.”

Adrian fisted his hand, ending his call on the wind. “I did. The auction,” he squeaked. “I gave you all those witches. The amulet was there.”

Hazel took a tentative step backward. I clung to the edge of the mausoleum, doing my best not to draw attention. Olga looked at Hazel and gave her head a tiny shake before her gaze locked on me. Her eyes widened, her mouth dropping open with her gasp.

I pressed a finger to my lips, shushing her, and crept forward a little more. So far, the fae were focused on Adrian and his minions. If I could just grab Hazel…

Ignacus growled. “You gave us witches who knew our weak spots. Your blue-haired woman shouted orders to the rest. They slaughtered my men. Only one got away before she sealed the rift.”

“That wasn’t my work.” Adrian swirled his finger again, finally realizing his lies and excuses weren’t going to save him. “The blue-haired one is from Salem. They’re your enemies, not us.”

“A witch is a witch. Where is the one you sent to take my amulet?”

“Shit.” Hazel turned to run, but Olga hit her with a binding spell, stopping her mid-stride.

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