Page 57 of Chaos Carnival

“Define okay.” Tess leaned her head to the window. “I'm seeing about three different versions of reality right now.”

“Fuck.” I pulled into the parking spot. “Just stay with me.”

The walk up to their third-floor apartment felt longer than usual. Each step seemed to echo through the dimly lit stairwell as Tess stumbled once, then twice. I steadied her with an arm around my waist, pulling her close against my side. The familiar fragrance of her hair helped ground me, even as anxiety churned in my gut.

Stone opened the door before we could knock, his expression grim as he noticed Tess's condition. We walked into his meticulously organized living room, the air thick with tension.

“How are you?” asked Lux from his perch on a leather armchair, his usually smooth voice tinged with concern. His eyes tracked Tess's unsteady movements as I guided her toward the couch.

“I'm...” Tess paused, clearly searching for the right word. “Stable. For now.”

A sharp bleat drew our attention to the corner of the room, where a small black goat stood partially hidden behind Stone's legs. Its eyes had an unnaturally glossy sheen to them, and it trembled as it watched us.

“Stone,” I said slowly, eyeing the trembling creature with a mix of disbelief and amusement. “Why is there a goat in here?”

Stone crossed his arms defensively, his jaw set in that familiar stubborn way that told me he wouldn't appreciate any smart-ass remarks about his new pet. His expression dared anyone to comment, practically screaming 'try me.' “I got him from Mac,” he stated flatly, shifting somewhat to better shield the anxious animal behind his legs.

“Did you?” I looked between Stone and the goat, trying to process this information. “Mac's goats? The ones he...” I fell silent, remembering exactly what Mac did to his goats.

“She wasn't taking to the binding well, so…” Stone said gruffly. “Mac was going to put her down.”

The goat bleated again, softer this time, and pressed closer to Stone's legs. Something about its movements was wrong, but I didn’t know how.

“So you... you rescued it?” Tess asked, leaning forward to get a better look. The goat skittered backward, and she stopped.

“Someone had to,” Stone muttered.

I was too focused on Tess, who'd sunk onto Stone's couch, her eyes tracking something otherwise invisible. The goat shuffled closer to her, its hooves making soft clicks against the hardwood floor.

“Easy,” Stone warned, but the goat ignored him.

It approached Tess cautiously, head lowered. When it got within a few feet of her, it stopped and let out a soft bleat. Tess blinked, her focus shifting to the creature in front of her.

“Discotek,” she murmured. “The binding... it's like looking at a broken mirror.”

Lux, who'd been watching this exchange with poorly concealed amusement, finally spoke up. “Stone has quite the soft spot for Eris.”

“Eris?” I echoed incredulously.

“She needed a name,” Lux chimed in, grinning. “Stone insisted it wasn't staying, but I thought…“

“Eris, goddess of chaos and discord. That’s fitting,” I said.

I watched as Eris settled more comfortably at Tess's feet, her otherworldly presence seeming to resonate with whatever Tess was experiencing. The goat's eyes flickered between normal and something darker, deeper—like staring into a void. I caught sight of Tess's face, her eyes distant again.

It was unsettling as hell watching them both, like they were tuned into some frequency the rest of us couldn't access. EvenStone was being completely ignored as the demon-bound goat pressed closer to Tess's legs.

“It's temporary,” Stone cut in, though his hand dropped to rest protectively on the goat's head. “Just until she's stronger.”

Stone, our stoic, serious Stone, had rescued a traumatized goat. It was almost too absurd to process—the man who didn’t seem to warm to anyone, was now playing nursemaid to a demon-possessed farm animal. If I hadn't been watching him stroke Eris's head with uncharacteristic gentleness, I wouldn't have believed it.

“Well,” Tess said diplomatically, “she seems sweet. But bitter like licorice too. Shadowy.” The words came out dreamy but wrong, and she didn't seem to notice how her fingers traced patterns in the air. I tensed, remembering Lilith's warnings, about how the strands could unmake her.

It was concerning that she could taste shadows now.

The goat—Eris—chose that moment to headbutt Stone's leg, then dart behind the couch.

“She's still adjusting,” Stone said defensively. “Mac's binding process is brutal. It'll take time for her to recover.”

---