Claiming Chaos, page 16
So, why did it feel so much like we’d lost?
Chaos cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “We need to leave before the mundane come back. Shall I cremate her?”
“No.” I wiped the mist from my eyes. “She was our friend. We’ll give the body to her mom.”
Ember sniffled. “That’s the right thing to do. Gather your stuff, and let’s head to the van. Cloak us, Shade.”
Chaos cradled Chrys in his arms and carried her as we made our way through the labyrinth of tunnels to the ground floor. Mayhem’s skull rested inside my satchel, and no one spoke on the fifteen-minute ride home.
We left her body in the basement—Patrice casting a preservation spell on her remains until her mother could retrieve her—and made our way upstairs. It would take time to process everything we’d won and all we had lost, but the energy in the house already felt lighter.
Ember opened the fridge and handed a beer to each of us. “To bitter-sweet endings. May Chrys finally find peace.” We clinked our bottles in a toast, and I took a long pull from mine. The effervescent bubbles cooled me on their way down, reminding me that we were still very much alive, and our quest had barely begun.
“She said she had no choice.” I laced my fingers with Chaos’s. “What do you think she meant?”
“Rantings of a madwoman.” Shade took a drink. “Mayhem nearly had her; I’m sure he scrambled her brain.”
“Indeed,” Chaos said. “He was moments away from overcoming her. Even if she had survived, she would not have been herself. I’m surprised she spoke at all.”
“What do we do now?” Patrice asked.
“Now we rest,” Ember said. “Recharge, recover, live to fight another day.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Miles clinked his bottle to hers.
We finished our beer, and everyone headed to their respective bedrooms. I set my satchel on the dresser, but Chaos opened a drawer and slipped it inside.
“Don’t want him watching us sleep?” I rose onto my toes and pressed a kiss to his lips.
“Not really.” He slid his arms around me, holding me tightly. “I’d rather have one last night alone with my little witch.”
I leaned back to look into his eyes. “This won’t be our last night. We’ll figure something out.”
“We will try our best.” He kissed my forehead, lingering there as he inhaled. “Right now…”
“Is all that matters.” I angled my head up to brush his lips with mine.
He smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I can’t promise you the happy ever after you deserve.”
I rested my hands on his shoulders, looking at him with all the sincerity I felt in every fiber of my being. “I’ll settle for happy for now.”
He shook his head. “It’s so much more than now. I will be by your side until the bitter end.”
“Okay.” I cupped his cheek in my hand, and he nuzzled into it. “How about happy until the inevitable?”
The corners of his eyes crinkled as he curved his lips. “Happy until the inevitable. That, I can promise.”
The saga continues in Mayhem and Ember…
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ALSO BY CARRIE PULKINEN
Fire Witches of Salem Series
Chaos and Ash
Commanding Chaos
Claiming Chaos
New Orleans Nocturnes Series
License to Bite
Shift Happens
Life’s a Witch
Santa Got Run Over by a Vampire
Finders Reapers
Swipe Right to Bite
Batshift Crazy
Collection One: Books 1-3
Collection Two: Books 4 - 7
Crescent City Wolf Pack Series
Werewolves Only
Beneath a Blue Moon
Bound by Blood
A Deal with Death
A Song to Remember
Shifting Fate
Collection One: Books 1-3
Collection Two: Books 4-6
Haunted Ever After Series
Love at First Haunt
Second Chance Spirit
Third Time’s a Ghost
Love and Ghosts
Love and Omens
Love and Curses
Collection One: Books 1 - 3
Collection Two: Books 4 - 6
Stand Alone Books
Flipping the Bird
Sign Steal Deliver
Azrael
Lilith
The Rest of Forever
Soul Catchers
Bewitching the Vampire
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carrie Pulkinen is a paranormal romance author who has always been fascinated with things that go bump in the night. Of course, when you grow up next door to a cemetery, the dead (and the undead) are hard to ignore. Pair that with her passion for writing and her love of a good happily-ever-after, and becoming a paranormal romance author seems like the only logical career choice.
Before she decided to turn her love of the written word into a career, Carrie spent the first part of her professional life as a high school journalism and yearbook teacher. She loves good chocolate and bad puns, and in her free time, she likes to read, drink wine, and travel with her family.
Connect with Carrie online:
www.CarriePulkinen.com
Carrie Pulkinen, Claiming Chaos
