Page 37 of Mastering Mayhem

“Apprehend her,” Ignacus shouted at his soldiers, who turned on their glamour, becoming nearly invisible in the dark night.

Adrian raised his hand and slammed a gust of wind against Ignacus’s head. The fae stumbled, losing his grip and allowing Adrian to jerk away and dart behind Olga and Gray.

A shimmer appeared in front of Hazel before a soldier grabbed her and dragged her toward his leader. I hurled a fireball at the culpable fae. Mayhem threw one a split second later, and the soldier dropped his camouflage.

His pincers opened and closed, poisonous goo dripping from them as he dropped Hazel and lunged for me. I sidestepped, smacking his back with my sword and letting him plow past me, into my demon. Mayhem caught him by the throat, and Chaos plunged a taloned hand beneath a breastplate, ripping out the creature’s heart.

“One down, three to go.” I sheathed my sword and clutched Hazel’s arm, hauling her upright. Mayhem grabbed her around the waist and carried her behind the mausoleum while Chaos charged into the fray.

“I’m going to unfreeze you.” I gripped her shoulders, pressing her against the wall. “And then you’re going to tell me where you hid the amulet. If anyone else gets their hands on it, life as you know it will end. I’m talking catastrophic consequences. Do you understand?”

Hazel’s eyes, the only part of her body she could move, darted back and forth. Why had I wasted my breath? If Olga’s binding spell worked like ours, Hazel wouldn’t remember a word I just said.

“The rift is sealed,” Ash shouted, “but there’s a new one with another beastie trying to get through.”

“Go help them,” I said to Mayhem.

“But the amulet?—”

“I’ll take care of it. Go.”

He raised his hands, giving me a weird look before shaking his head and joining the others in the battle.

“What was done is now undone. Break this bind and restore her mind.” I tightened my grip on Hazel’s shoulders, leaning all my weight against her as I repeated my warning. “Tell me where the amulet is so I can save the world.”

The witch had the audacity to laugh in my face. “Unless you’ve got sixty grand in your pocket, you can screw yourself.”

“What part of the world ending don’t you understand?” Now would be the perfect time for Ash’s mind control thing she and Chaos did. Could Mayhem and I do it…? It didn’t matter because I had sent him away, dammit.

Hazel laughed again. “I have problems of my own to deal with. The amulet is mine. I’ll find another buyer.”

“The hell you will.” I sent a wave of heat down my arms and out my palms. I didn’t burn her shoulders. Not yet, but I would if I had to. It wasn’t very light witch-like, I knew. Butit’s for the greater goodhad become my excuse for doing anything unsavory lately.

“Get your hands off me.” She narrowed her eyes.

“Not until you tell me where you hid the amulet.” I turned up the temperature to a slow roast.

“That’s not happening.” She wove her hands upward, between my arms, and grabbed the back of my neck, pulling me forward with otherworldly strength while simultaneously kneeing me in the gut.

I swear my stomach nearly shredded on my spine and came out my back. The ridiculous thought ofhow the hell did she get so strongflashed through my mind, but I knew the answer. She’d worn the amulet for three hours. Of course she was strong.

Hazel shoved me into the wall, my head hitting the stone with athwack, and sprinted toward another tomb. I gave chase and tackled her, but she wiggled free and kicked me in the shoulder, dislocating it with apop.

I ground my teeth, groaning, a slew of cuss words flying from my lips as she dove into a mausoleum. Stumbling to my feet, I clutched my useless left arm, holding it against my body.

Shouts, grunts, and more cuss words sounded to my right. I spun toward my team. Ash kneeled next to Gray, smearing a salve on her injured neck, while Chaos knocked a soldier off his feet. Mayhem charged toward Ignacus, but effing Adrian sent a tornado for my demon, knocking him backward before he could reach the prince.

Miles hurled an energy ball at the second soldier, making him stumble, and Shade raised a hand toward the creature, attempting to suck the life from his body. I glimpsed the back of Olga’s head as she high-tailed it out of the cemetery, and a massive beak protruded from a rift, followed by a feathery head with enormous golden eyes.

“Please tell me that’s not another chicken-snake.” I took two steps toward Hazel’s mausoleum when Ignacus let out a screech, the sound so loud, it hit me in the chest, knocking me—and everyone else—to the ground.

Hazel grunted behind me. I pushed myself to sitting and turned toward her. The amulet dangled from her fingers as she clambered to her feet. “Holy shit. Is that a griffin?”

I followed her gaze to the beastie, which was definitely not a chicken-snake. This creature had the head of an eagle and the body of the biggest lion I had ever seen. It shrieked and stomped its murder mittens, making Hazel freeze in her tracks.

My instincts turned to fight, and I shot to my feet, unsheathing my sword with my good arm. The griffin prowled toward us. Hazel whimpered. I sent fire licking up my blade and swung. The griffin took to the sky.

Did I mention the beastie had huge, feathered wings?

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