Page 54 of Mastering Mayhem

“She can move.” Ember rose to her feet. “She’s not in labor yet, but she thinks she will be soon.”

“Is she speaking in your mind? Do you hear her voice?” I asked.

“Not really. It’s more like I just know.” She rolled a length of rope around her arm and handed it to her sister.

“That’s an empathic ability,” Ash said. “I had no idea you could do that.”

“Neither did I.” She shrugged. “Go figure, right?”

The goosebumps on my arms turned to pinpricks. “Where can we take her? I can feel the creatures on the other side trying to break through. We must leave this area now.”

Ember crossed her arms before tapping a finger to her lips. “We can hide her in the mausoleum where we took out the ghouls. It’s big enough for her to lie down, and it’s quiet there.”

“That’s on the other side of Salem,” Miles said. “How will we get her there without anyone noticing? She won’t fit in the van.”

“She’ll have to fly,” Ember said. “I’ll go with her and show her the way. Shade, can you fill the dagger with a shadow so we can stay hidden?”

“I can do that.” He held the artifact in his hand and closed his eyes.

“Good. I’ll ride her to the mausoleum. The rest of you take the van and meet us there.” She tossed the keys to Ash. “Stop by the house and pick up some blankets and whatever we have to feed her. Once we get her settled, Mayhem and I will stay with her until she does the deed.”

I smiled as Ember laid out the plan, imagining her commanding a battalion rather than a small coven of witches. She could be a great warrior in the Underworld.

“What will we do after that?” Patrice asked. “I think I should stay with her too. She might need a healer if she gives birth.”

“No,” Ember said. “I need you to go home and whip up as many salves and healing potions as you can. Come midnight, all Hell is going to break loose.”

“Hopefully notallof Hell,” Ash said.

Ember continued giving orders. “Miles, see if you can get with Wendy. Find out what Adrian is planning. We haven’t seen the last of him. Shade and Ash, scry and see if you can find Ignacus and his minions. They’re planning something.”

“On it.” Shade gave a mock salute and handed her the enchanted dagger.

As the witches gathered their things, I stepped toward Ember and lowered my voice. “I would prefer not to leave your side. Can she carry us both?”

She turned her arm over and gazed at the empty patch of skin where my mark once lay.

“I had no choice.” I rested my hand on the small of her back.

She ignored my plea. “Can you carry this big oaf, or is he too heavy?”

She paused, awaiting the griffin’s reply. “That makes sense. She said the amulet she accidentally swallowed has made her stronger. She can carry us both.”

The others left the clearing, heading for their vehicles, and Ember hoisted herself onto the griffin’s back. I joined her, wrapping my arms around her waist, the physical contact filling the void that removing my mark had left behind.

The griffin flapped her wings and rose from the ground to the tops of the trees effortlessly. Ember pointed her in the right direction, and she took off, flying through the late morning sky.

The autumn wind stung my eyes, but I didn’t dare close them. The city below resembled a toy replica, appearing gray, unpainted through the shadow hiding us. In all my millennia of existence, I had never considered riding a griffin. Of course, without my witch’s newly found ability, capturing one would have caused the beast unnecessary trauma.

Back then, however, I wouldn’t have considered the griffin’s feelings. The time I had spent here with Ember had changed me in ways I never could have imagined. I held her tighter, resting my chin on her shoulder.

“It’s an amazing feeling, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Indeed it is.”

We arrived at the cemetery in mere minutes, and though I wanted to ask for a longer ride, now was not the time. Most likely, the time for such leisure would never come, but I couldn’t think about that.

The griffin touched down outside the mausoleum, and we dismounted. The trees and gravestones in the cemetery appeared charred, the ground covered in fresh dirt that hadn’t yet settled.

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