Page 32 of Claiming Chaos
He inclined his chin, refusing to speak.
She turned toward me, her eyes calculating. “Change of plans. He’s going to watch her die. Hit her with everything you’ve got.”
“Gladly.” Umber gathered shadows between his palms that looked way too much like Shade’s when he’d summoned his magic to kill the rose bush.
I willed my legs to move, to let me step back, away from the icky, sticky funk of dark magic, but they didn’t budge. He sent the shadow toward me, and it rolled around my body, encasing me in agony as it dimmed my inner light, sucking the life out of me.
“Chaos,” I wheezed, hoping that was enough to let him know he could use whatever magic he needed to get us out of this place.
Umbra’s eyes widened, and he blinked three times. His magic released me, the shadows rolling back into him. I heaved two heavy breaths. If I hadn’t been frozen, I might have collapsed to the floor. Ouch.
“Umbra!” Sandra shouted. “What are you doing?”
He spun around. “I’m done taking orders from you.”
“The hell you are.” She shoved him into the bars, zapping him like a mosquito in a bug trap.
He roared and barreled toward her, knocking her into Chaos’s bars. She screamed and peeled herself away. Javon threw a punch at the other henchman, clipping him in the jaw. He fought back, and the four of them brawled like they were in a bar fight.
Chaos had bought us some time, but without the use of my magic, I couldn’t unlock these doors. He couldn’t bust through them, thanks to the containment circle, so we were still stuck. Think, Ash. Think.
I looked down, my head finally able to move. The binding spell was wearing off slowly, but these witches would kill each other before I could come up with a plan. Maybe, if the one who cast the spells to keep us in died in this fight, we’d be able to get out like Chaos said. But I had a feeling the High Priestess herself set up this prison. Only someone with immense power could deny an elemental access to her inborn gifts.
My shoulders moved, and I gazed at my arm. My sleeve covered Chaos’s mark, but it heated in response to his magic. I wondered…
“Do you think our bond works both ways?”
He walked toward the bars. “What do you mean?”
Sandra sent a wave of water toward Umbra, knocking him off his feet. Javon kicked him while he was down, landing a boot in his stomach. The other guy kicked his head.
“I’m going to try sending my power to you. Hopefully my magic will counter yours, and you’ll have control of their minds.” It sounded logical, anyway. He was madness; I was order. It was worth a shot.
He raised his brows. “That might just work.”
My fingers moved. Then my wrists. Finally my arms were free. Lifting my sleeve, I ran my hand over the mark. Chaos let out a slow exhale. One day I’d remember to ask him what that felt like.
I centered myself, taking three deep breaths and focusing on my connection to my demon. I couldn’t summon magic from the core of my being inside this cell, so instead, I thought about Chaos. I imagined the way my body reacted when he sent his power into me. The way it calmed me and helped my mind focus.
“Do you feel anything?” I rubbed the sigil again.
His gaze locked with mine, his expression going from concentration to wonder. He turned his head toward the fray and said, “Order.”
The witches stopped fighting, Javon in mid-swing, and turned toward Chaos. Umbra groaned in a pool of blood on the floor.
“Release us,” Chaos said.
“I…” Sandra’s brow furrowed in confusion.
“Open the gates and let us go,” my demon commanded.
“Yeah.” She held her hands over the lock and recited a spell. The door swung open, breaking the ring of salt, and Chaos stepped out of his cell.
“Now her.” He gestured to me, and Sandra shuffled to my side before casting the same unlocking spell.
I hauled ass out of there and clutched Chaos’s arm. “Ask her for our IDs.”
He held out his hand, and Sandra dropped the licenses into his palm. “Our bags,” he said.