Page 17 of Mending Mayhem
6
EMBER
After a morning fae fight, a demon summoning, and then my possession, I was famished, so we stopped for burgers on our way to Boston. Miles paid the tab this time and thank the goddess for that. Hecate knew I wasn’t the best at saving, and my credit card would be maxed out soon.
With all the paranormal shit going on in our lives, it was easy to forget the normal. Thank the goddess for that too, because getting caught up in my head, thinking about finding another job and paying the bills right now, was the last thing I needed to worry about.
We had much bigger insects to fry at the moment.
Shade took the wheel, with Ash riding shotgun, and I sat in the middle seat with Chaos on my right and Mayhem in my head. They didn’t trust me to drive with a violent demon chattering in my psyche. Imagine that.
The deep oranges and reds of the trees preparing to shed their leaves whizzed past as Shade drove faster than necessary, but who was I to complain. If anyone had a sense of urgency on our current quest, it was me. Ash lasted as long as she did with Chaos in her head because he held back.
After everything I’d done to Mayhem, I doubted he’d show me the same courtesy.
“Park over there. It’s better if I walk.” Ash pointed to her right, and Shade turned, rolling to a stop at the curb.
I climbed out and opened the hatch in the floorboard before handing an extra set of knives to the guys. “Better safe than sorry.” I grabbed my sword.
Miles arched a skeptical brow. “I hope you have a cloaking spell for that. I don’t think you can get away with carrying a weapon in plain view in Boston.”
I pursed my lips and eyed my beautiful blade. Shade could put it in a shadow, but if something happened to him, his magic would dissipate and it would be in plain view. “Do you have any cloaking spells in your bag o’ tricks, Ash?”
“They’re too volatile to carry premixed.” She slid out of the passenger seat and closed the door.
“You’ll have to sit this one out.” I laid my sword in the hidey hole and latched it shut.
“You don’t need it. Between your fire and your fighting skills, you are unstoppable.”
I laughed. “Should I take that as an actual compliment?”
“It’s the truth. Take it however you need to.”
“It was a compliment.” My mouth threatened me with a smile, but I fought it. Mayhem’s opinion of me shouldn’t have mattered. It didn’t matter.
Ash grinned, and I rolled my eyes.
The guys put on jackets over their knife holsters, and I did the same. Ash stood on the sidewalk and closed her eyes, doing her magical thing, and I couldn’t help but smile this time.
Pride swelled in my chest. My little sister had turned into the most amazing witch in a matter of weeks. At least one good thing had come out of this ridiculously terminal ordeal.
“What do you feel?” I asked.
She shuddered. “Icky, sticky dark magic.”
“Obviously.” I hadn’t even opened my senses to it yet, but I could feel it dampening the air and clinging to my skin like a wet sock. Yuck. “What about the spell?”
She shook her head. “Let’s walk.”
“Boston is almost 90 square miles.” Shade strode beside me as we followed Ash and Chaos. “It’ll take forever to walk it all.”
“We won’t have to,” I said. “Ash directed you to park in this end of town for a reason.”
“It’s just a hunch,” she said.
“We both know it’s more than that.” I rolled my shoulders, missing the feel of my sword on my back.
“What is this emotion you’re feeling?”