Page 3 of Chaos Carnival

“Tess.” Maverick's fingers brushed my shoulder. “We'll find her.”

A choked sound escaped my throat. The room spun as panic clawed up my chest. My knees buckled, but Maverick caught me before I hit the ground.

“Monstre.” He framed my face with his palms, forcing my eyes to meet his. “Focus. Room by room, okay?”

I nodded, swallowing hard. The hallway came first. We checked each nook, every corner. The bathroom door creaked as Maverick pushed it open.

Empty.

My bedroom looked ransacked, but no sign of Addie or Ivan.

A thump echoed from the back of the apartment. The kitchen.

My spine stiffened.

Movement. Muffled, but definitely human.

Maverick took my hand, squeezing once as we crept toward the sound at the end of the hall. The shadows appeared to writhe and shift, playing tricks with my vision. Any of them could hide Ivan's tall frame.

A light flickered. Static electricity made the hair on my arms stand up. Another thwack, louder this time.

My fingers tightened around Maverick's as we approached.

The harsh kitchen bulb sputtered and died, replaced by an eerie sapphire glow that seemed to pulse with each beat of my heart. Reality bent and twisted. Dishes lifted from the counters, spinning in lazy circles like a demented mobile. The refrigerator hummed at an impossible pitch, its metal surface crawling with ribbons of blue lightning.

And there, in the center of it all, was my best friend.

Chapter 2: Devil’s Grip

Tess

Addiehungsuspendedthreefeet off the ground, Ivan's power wrapping around her like luminescent serpents. The protection charm at her neck sparked weakly, trying to fight back against the corruption holding her.

Her eyes met mine, wide with terror, silently begging for help. Ivan stood beneath her, one hand raised as if conducting some malevolent symphony. His face permanently marked with that elaborate tattoo I’d done for him, of a demonic clown smile stretching unnaturally from ear to ear, the dark ink creating a grotesque parody of joy that never reached his cold eyes. His knife danced through the air between us, spinning and weaving like a silverfish.

“Told you I'd get to you, didn't I, Tess?” His lips curved into a cruel smile. “And look how easy it was. Barely an hour since our little chat at the shop.” The blade darted forward, drawing a thin line of blood across Addie's throat. “But I'm feeling generous. A simple trade. You for her.”

Maverick tensed beside me, energy gathering around him like storm clouds. But before he could move, something changed in Ivan's face. His features twisted, skin rippling like water, and when he spoke again, it wasn't his voice that emerged.

“CAREFUL, LITTLE SERAPH.” The words scraped my eardrums like rusted nails, ancient and wrong. “SO MUCH POWER, JUST WAITING TO BE CLAIMED. SO MANY SECRETS YOUR KIND TRIES TO HIDE.”

I felt Maverick go rigid and glanced to see his face drained of color, eyes wide with recognition. The wraithshade's laugh made the floating dishes vibrate.

Addie dropped.

My scream caught in my throat as she plummeted to the ground, then stilled again, seized in that crackling blue web.

“NOW THEN—” The otherworldly voice cracked and shifted, ancient corruption giving way to familiar cruelty as Ivan's natural tone emerged “—about that trade...”

“No.” Maverick's arm shot out, pulling me back to his chest. Shadows rippled around us as porcelain crashed back to the counters, the wraithshade's power fighting his seraph energy. “That's not happening.”

“It's the only way.” I struggled in his grip, my own magic sparking uselessly against Ivan's corrupted field.

“Absolutely not.” His fingers dug into my shoulders. “We're not trading anyone.”

“Clock's ticking,” Ivan sang, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. The knife spun faster, drawing elaborate patterns in the air. “What's it going to be?”

My mind raced, calculating moves and distances. The protection charm lay crushed beneath Ivan's boot, wisps of its dying alchemy curling up like smoke. Blood trickled down Addie’s neck, staining the collar of her favorite sweater.

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