Page 60 of Mending Mayhem
“No.” I ran for the door once more.
Again the bracelet tightened, and thorns scraped across my skin. Ember wailed. We returned to the center of the store.
“What in Lucifer’s name?” Chaos stared at me, bewilderment contorting his expression.
“He trapped me.” I held up my arm, showing him the ouroboros encircling my wrist.
My brother merely sighed, yet I could feel his disappointment dripping from the breath he exhaled. “You fell for his guise.”
“I was…” An idiot. It wasn’t his guise that had fooled me. No, it was my own folly that got me…that got us…into this predicament. I’d gotten caught up in my emotions, enjoying this mundane shopping experience with the woman I loved.
My focus had been so pinpointed on the moment, I hadn’t noticed there was nothing mundane about it.
“You must get them out.” I clutched Ember’s shoulders and pushed her toward him. “Take them to safety.”
“What about you?” He extended one arm, taking my witch into his embrace.
“I will find a way out.” I held his gaze with conviction. Ember’s life was worth far more than my own. I would remain in this shop of horrors for eternity if it meant my witch would be free. “Guard her with your life.”
“I will.” Chaos stepped through the door, and the witches screamed.
In an instant, both women reappeared in the center of the store. Chaos stood just past the threshold, with Miles and Shade flanking him.
“What the hell is going on?” Shade clutched a knife in each hand.
“My sisters.” Ember gripped Ash’s hand as they sank against the wall adjacent to the bodies.
I spun in a circle, searching with my eyes and my magical senses. George was nowhere to be found. “A Formorian has trapped us.”
Miles frowned. “Aren’t they extinct? I thought the fae wiped them out eons ago.”
“We thought so too,” Chaos said. “It was the one thing both demons and the fae agreed upon. Formorians were a blight to all the realms, so we aided them in their battle.”
I watched the women intently. No chains magically appeared to bind them. “This one says he’s a son of Balor.”
“Which means he is a prince,” Chaos said. “He’s as powerful as us.”
“Can you vanquish him?” Miles asked. “Will that dissolve his spell?”
“No. I have dealt with these creatures before.” I moved toward the door, keeping Ember and Ash in my sight. “Their magic holds, even if they are vanquished. We must find him and learn his name. Only then can we force him to release the women.”
“We’re coming in.” Shade moved for the door.
Chaos grabbed his arm. “Do not, under any circumstances, use real names.”
“That is how he trapped the women,” I said. “If he learns your names, you’ll be joining the other bodies chained to the wall.”
“Bodies?” Miles stepped inside and gulped. “Holy shit.”
“Indeed.” I peered around the clothing racks. “M, watch the women. If the Formorian reappears, do not allow him to bind them. And feel free to rough him up if you must. I plan to make him beg for vanquishment.”
“On it.” He pulled out his phone and typed on the screen. “You said he’s a son of Balor, right? I’ll see if I can find his name.”
“Good.” I stalked toward the shoe area. “Show yourself, Formorian.”
“He’s just George,” Ember said. “This is his store.”
I growled. How could I, a Prince of Hell, have allowed this to happen? I had no doubt my brothers would have seen through this ruse the moment they set foot inside the store. But not I… Perhaps I deserved their incessant ridicule, after all.