“Chaos, cut it out.”
“I’m sorry, Ash.” My sister swung, clipping us in the chin. Pain exploded across one side of our face, but Chaos laughed in spite of it. Or maybe because of it. I wasn’t sure.
The rage he’d kept at a gentle simmer began to boil. Our fists tightened, the muscles in our arms coiling. “Don’t hurt my sister.”
His punch landed dead center in her stomach. She doubled over with a groan.
“Stop it, Chaos. I mean it.”
Her head snapped up, and she lunged. He swung our arm, flinging her away. “Enough!” I shouted in our head, but his demonic nature was in full swing. I had to take back control before he killed her.
“You’re wasting time.” I focused on the fire in the core of my being. It was still there. I was still there. I let it burn as hot as I dared and imagined it filling my body, flowing down my arms and legs, and I used that fire, my inborn gift, to seize control.
My muscles burned with the strength of my ancestors as I ripped my body away from Chaos and threw up my hands. “Stop fighting. Both of you.”
My breath came out in a rush, and a maniacal giggle followed. I’d done it. I’d taken my body back.
“Ash?” Ember took a tentative step toward me. “Is it you?”
I parked my hands on my hips. “Yes, it’s me, and I’m pissed at you both. You’ve wasted ten minutes fighting when I only have hours left. What were you thinking?”
Neither of them answered me, but I didn’t have time to listen to their excuses, anyway. I turned toward the building in the brush. “Confess, expose my magic sleuth. I call on you to reveal your truth.”
My head spun, but I shook it off and waited for the golden dust to reveal what we were up against. It billowed like a cloud before swirling upward and descending over the structure like a dome.
“A cloaking spell? That’s all?” Ember drew her sword and took a few cautious steps toward it.
I held out a hand to stop her and focused on the energy. One deep breath. Two. Then three. The low vibration I’d felt before hadn’t grown any stronger. “Do you sense anything, Chaos?”
He was silent for a beat. Then he wheezed. “You should not have taken back control. I can’t hold back.”
“Oh, yes you can. Do you sense any demons close by?”
“The veil is thicker here. I don’t sense anything but my skull.”
“We’re good.” I nodded at Ember, and she slashed her sword through the spell, unraveling the camouflage. The decrepit building dissolved away, taking the overgrowth with it.
“Great. More grass.” She sheathed her sword. “What now, Prince Harming?”
“He’s in a timeout.” My stomach rolled, and my peripheral vision grew hazy. His power was growing. I could tell he was holding back, but I had half an hour at most. “There has to be something here.”
I swept my gaze across the grass and crept toward the space where the illusion of the house used to be. “That was a powerful cloaking spell if it could change with time and the environment.”
“We’ve already established Isabel was a beast.” Ember searched the ground with me. “What are we thinking? Did she cast a circle or hide it underground?”
“Where’s the bag? I’ll check.”
“Oh, crap. It’s over there.” She pointed behind us.
“I’ll get it.” I jogged to the bag, and by the time I got back to my sister, my muscles trembled. My hands shook as I uncapped the bottle of perimeter dust, and as I blew it toward the space, a hacking cough racked my lungs. Oh, lordy. I should not have done that. Every ounce of energy, every iota of magic dried up like a gully in a drought.
Ceasing to exist didn’t feel peaceful anymore. It felt like getting hit by a train.
“What’s wrong?” Ember clutched my shoulders and then pulled me to her chest. “Tell me what to do.”
“Magic. Drained. My vim,” I said between coughs. “Chaos.”
“Is he coming back?” Alarm filled her eyes, and I nodded. “Okay. Okay, let’s get the skull. Let’s…shit. It’s a circle.”
“Holding in or keeping out?” My knees buckled for half a second before a surge of strength returned to my body. We stood, taking a step back, out of Ember’s grasp, and straightening.
“I told you not to attempt regaining control,” Chaos said with my mouth.
Fan-fluffing-tastic. The demon was back in charge.
“You were about to kill my sister.”
“I wouldn’t have killed her. Harmed her a little, perhaps. I was trying to subdue her.”
“Yeah, well. You almost walked into a trap. You’re welcome.”
He sucked in an irritated breath like he was about to argue. “Thank you.”
“Looks like we’ve got two choices.” Ember drew her sword and eyed the perimeter. “Break the circle and risk turning loose whatever she has trapped in there, or step inside and take the chance of being stuck.”
“Let’s look at the pros and cons of each before we decide.” I started to list them, but Chaos had another idea.
“Stay there,” he said to Ember, and he stepped inside.
