Page 49 of Mastering Mayhem

“Sounds better than getting covered in ghoul goo.” She lifted the shoulder strap over her head and carried her bag to a nearby tree. “Why rope and not a binding spell?”

“Of the animals in the Underworld, griffins are near the top of the chain,” Mayhem said. “A bind strong enough to hold a mother ready to lay eggs would deplete your vim for hours. I’m afraid we have very little time remaining to complete our quest.”

She returned the bottle she’d grabbed to her bag and pulled out a set of green crystals instead. “I’ll be ready if you need me.”

“Everyone else ready?” I asked.

My team nodded, and I gave the demons a thumbs up. They closed their eyes and breathed deeply. Miles kept his gaze glued to the sky, while Shade’s bounced between the demons and the treetops. Ash stared at Chaos intently while Patrice dug through her bag, doing her best to ignore the palpable low vibration building in the air.

At least, the vibration was palpable to me. I watched Mayhem work, a sense of peace washing over me as he and his brother called to a beastie that could murder me with a single swipe of her mitten.

Crazy, I know, but the man had that effect on me.

I focused on the sigil glowing softly on my arm, and his vibration grew stronger around me, inside me. I could feel him reaching out into the ether, searching for the griffin’s signature, and when he found her, it felt as if I had found her too.

Her vibration was unmistakable, not as low and strong as the demons, but definitely not of this world. Ash inhaled quickly, no doubt feeling the same connection herself.

Our demons raised their arms in unison, swiping their hands from left to right, tearing through the fabric of the universe and creating a rift…an opening to Hell itself.

I gasped and pressed a hand to my chest as if the gesture could keep the air in my lungs…could keep my boots rooted to the ground.

The glowing red edges of the rift drifted farther apart, creating a massive hole in reality, the earthly realm on one side, utter darkness on the other. I couldn’t ignore the pull. It drew me toward it, my feet moving of their own volition, the need to cross through it, to gohome, so strong, I couldn’t have fought it if I tried.

My vision tunneled until all I could see was my soulmate standing in front of the sure path to our happily ever after. My strides quickened, breaking into a run as the overwhelming call from the other side refused to be ignored.

“Ember, no.” Mayhem caught me around the waist. “The rift is for the griffin, no one else.”

“Don’t you feel it?” I clutched his arm. “I know you feel it.”

He gripped my shoulders, turning so I faced only him, my back to the rift. “Of course I feel it. I’ve felt the pull with every rift I’ve encountered, but I fight it.”

“Why?” I grasped his shoulders too. “We can be together there. Forever, Mayhem. Isn’t that what you want?”

His eyes searched mine, the purple in his irises growing fluid, pulsing, drawing me even further into the frenzied madness. “Forever in the Underworld,” he said. “Is that whatyouwant, Ember?”

“I…”

17

EMBER

Fear flushed through me, turning my veins to ice and battling with the pull of the Underworld. My nails dug into Mayhem’s shoulders as I tried to wrench myself free from his grasp.

He held onto me tighter. “That is the griffin’s fear, not yours.”

“The hell it is.” I turned, yanking my shoulder away, but he refused to loosen his grip. “Let me go.”

“Ember, stop.” He ducked down to catch my gaze. “Breathe for me, my love. Breathe and focus inward. What doyoufeel?”

Icy veins, nausea, full-on flight mode. “Sheer terror.”

“Ignore my sigil and look deeper.” He released one shoulder to press his palm to my chest. “What do you feel here?”

I swallowed the thickness from my throat and focused on the sensation of his hand against my heart. His irises returned to their normal amethyst hue, and my pulse slowed to a manageable speed. “I…”

“Have you ever been afraid of me?”

I gave my head a tiny shake. “No.”

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