Page 19 of Sacrifice

“Thank you.” She went quiet for a moment, gazing at the ground. An owl hooted distantly, breaking the silence, and her pretty eyes shot back up to meet mine. “So… do you think myfather killed your mother because she saw the secret in the cave? A secret that’s drug-related?”

“I’m not sure,” I said gruffly. “But I think it’s possible. I mean, he probably wouldn’t want that kind of secret to come out, would he? After all, most of his own people don’t know about it. If it’s true, anyway.”

She swallowed audibly and nodded. “I suppose you’re right.”

I cupped her chin again, thumb tenderly stroking the soft skin along her jaw. “I know it’s hard to imagine that your father could’ve done something so terrible.”

“Yes, it is,” she said, voice hitching slightly. “For so long, I wished he was innocent. Even though I always knew the Covenant was involved in what happened to Miranda, I still hoped…”

She trailed off, and I pulled her closer to me. “I get it. It’s really hard to picture someone you love doing something so fucking horrible.”

“I just can’t see it, no matter how much I try,” she said, voice muffled by my chest.

“I know.”

She let me hold her for a moment. Then she sucked in a deep breath and pulled back. “We should keep going. We’re very close now.”

We arrived in a small clearing a couple of minutes later. Moonlight bathed the area in a silvery glow, revealing the forbidden cave’s entrance nestled between ancient trees. Its dark, yawning mouth stood in contrast to the serene forest around us, foreboding and inviting at the same time.

“There it is,” Rose said breathlessly, clutching my arm.

“It’s a lot smaller than I thought,” I said, tipping my head slightly to one side. “I guess it opens up more on the inside.”

Rose didn’t reply. She was staring at the cave entrance, eyes wide and lips parted. She looked utterly terrified.

“Baby.” I squeezed her hand again. “You really don’t have to go in if you don’t want to.”

“I know. It’s just…” She cut herself off and took a shaky step forward. “I canhearit. The power within. Can’t you?”

I frowned and strained to listen, wondering what she was talking about. Then I heard it too—a faint humming sound, emanating from deep inside the cave.

“You’re right,” I said, eyes narrowing. “It’s power. But not the kind of power you meant.”

She cocked her head, frowning at me. “What?”

“It’s electricity,” I said. “That’s what’s making that low humming sound.”

Confusion briefly wrinkled Rose’s forehead. Then her brows shot up. “Oh! It’s like the boundary fence.”

“Exactly. It’s not the Darkness lurking inside. It’s just manmade shit.”

The tension drained from her shoulders, and she inhaled deeply. “Let’s go,” she said. “Right now, before I lose my nerve.”

We approached the mouth of the cave and slowly stepped inside, using my phone to light up the dark, damp interior. The rough, natural walls loomed around us, except for one section at the back left where a wooden door hung. The wood was so dark that it blended almost seamlessly with the cave walls, making it invisible from the outside. It was barely even discernible to us right now, and we were only three feet away.

Rose spotted it too, lifting a trembling hand. “It’s a door.”

“Let’s hope it isn’t locked,” I said, heart hammering in my chest as I stepped toward it.

It was. Of fuckingcourseit was. A keypad below the handle prompted me for a six-digit code. “Shit. We can’t get in unless we know the code.”

“There’s no other way?” Rose asked, staring at the keypad.

“Nope. Unless you can guess it, I doubt we’re getting in there anytime soon.”

“This is probably too obvious, but maybe try my father’s birthday? 120469.”

“Worth a shot.” I tapped in the numbers. The light flashed red, and I grunted. “Dammit.”

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