Page 63 of Claiming Chaos
“I don’t think I should.” I returned it to the table.
Chaos jerked his head toward me, glowering. “If you exorcise him without it, he will not be able to reform. You’ll have to vanquish him to his prison in Hell.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Chrys growled. “Brother, stop them.”
Chaos looked at Chrys and then at me, his expression softening. “What is your plan?”
“He’s not a happy camper, and whether we exorcise him with his skull or he burns through Chrys, he doesn’t owe us a thing because we didn’t free him.” I drummed my fingers on top of the skull. “We need some kind of leverage.”
My demon straightened his spine. “You have me.”
“And he’s listened to you fabulously so far.” Ember sheathed one dagger, clutching the other tightly. “Ash is right. I don’t know what Chrys did to keep the mundane away from this church, but they’ll be back eventually. If we let him reform here, we’ll have to deal with transporting him back to the house.”
“Chaos!” Chrys roared before her eyes widened and she clawed at her face. “Do it. Do whatever you have to do. Just get him out of my head.”
He gazed into my eyes, and a full five seconds passed before he nodded. “Agreed.” He turned to Chrys. “We will call you back, brother. Have patience.”
“Patience?” Chrys’s voice grew garbled. “What have these witches done to you? Kill them. Kill them and set me free.” She slammed her fists against the circle, and the magic pulsed. The dark brown of her irises rippled with purple. Her nails broke the skin, drawing bloody claw marks down her cheeks.
“It’s now or never.” I grabbed my demon’s hand. “Get ready to pull her out, Em.”
Patrice rushed to the table to mix a healing potion while Shade held the book in front of me.
“What can I do?” Miles asked.
“How well can you pronounce Latin?” I held my hand toward him, and he took it.
“Don’t let them do this! Yes. Yes, they have to!” Chrys alternated with Mayhem, her fists clenched, every muscle in her body straining.
Miles and I read the words.
“No!” she shouted. “I’ll make you a deal.”
“Don’t take it,” Chaos said.
“Didn’t plan to.” I squeezed Miles’s hand, and we read the incantation again. On the third refrain, the walls shook. Chrys gasped and doubled over. A deafening pop resounded from somewhere inside her, and the tendons in her neck protruded until I thought they’d rip through her skin.
She stood upright, her mouth agape as she threw her head back and let out a blood-curdling scream. Purple smoke poured from her mouth and nose. She wheezed another breath, and more smoke rushed out with her exhale. Her third breath was clean, so Ember grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the circle.
The smoke billowed inside the ring, spiraling upward before crashing into the wall. The magic pulsed. Then it cracked.
Oh, shit. Crappity crap. “Why is he still here?”
“You must vanquish him,” Chaos said matter-of-factly, as if that was a detail I should have already known. “If he breaks free, he will possess another person.”
“You could have told me that ahead of time.” I grabbed the book from Shade.
“I believe I did.” Ever the helpful demon he was.
I took a deep breath and centered myself, willing my pulse and my breathing to slow before I passed out. Focusing my intention on a vanquishing spell, I flipped through the pages. “Here.” I shoved the book into Shade’s arms and took Chaos’s and Miles’s hands once more.
We recited the incantation. Nothing happened. Mayhem billowed, gathering his smoke into a ball and straining against the magic wall. Another crack.
We said the words three more times, and still nothing happened.
Chaos peered at the book. “I believe the third word is pronounced with a long E.”
“Now you tell me.”