Page 26 of Dig Your Grave

A beat of silence passed, heavy with unsaid worries.Then quietly, he said, “Try to get some rest, Nubia.”

My throat tightened at the name.I wanted to argue I wasn’t Nubia, but after everything we’d faced, maybe that identity was forging itself around me whether I liked it or not.“Thank you, Anubis,” I whispered.“You, too.”

We ended the call.I sank onto my bed, hugging a pillow to my chest.Despite the swirl of fear, confusion, and simmering anger, exhaustion pulled at me like a riptide.Eventually, I kicked off my shoes, turned off the lamp, and curled under the blanket, letting fatigue drag me under.

I drifted off with the note from Sophie still on my nightstand.Its presence felt like a loaded gun, waiting to be fired.The sense of being hunted, whether by the Dean, the Skulls, or the ghosts of Toccara’s memory, pressed on my chest like a weight I couldn’t shake.

Tomorrow, dawn would bring another day.Another chance for the Skulls to tighten their noose.Another day for me to gather evidence that might blow it all wide open or bury me in the process.

Somewhere out on the campus, the Edenvane River flowed silently in the moonlight, carrying away the secrets of those who succumbed.I vowed I wouldn’t be the next thrown into its dark waters.I clung to that oath as I slipped into a restless sleep, uncertain of what new horrors or alliances the next chapter of my life at Edenvane would bring.

But one thing was certain: there was no going back to the naïve scholarship girl I’d been on move-in day.I was part of the underbelly now, and if I was going to survive, I’d have to master the darkness the Skulls had thrived on for generations.

Chapter 10

I jolted awake to the sound of someone pounding on my door.My phone read 7:14 a.m.My brain was still foggy from the nightmares that had dogged me all night.Shadowy shapes chasing me around campus, water lapping at my ankles, voices whispering,Dig your grave, Suede.

I shuddered.Reality felt just as sinister.I was still locked inside my dorm with Sophie Mence’s note on my nightstand, telling me she wanted an answer soon.She’d basically broken into my room to leave it.And then Anubis had warned me about the police poking around, possibly wanting to pin me for a donor’s “allergic reaction.”

Reluctantly, I shuffled to the door, my pulse racing.What if it was campus security?Heart pounding, I pressed my eye to the peephole.My breath rushed out in relief when I caught sight of Anubis’ broad shoulders and tousled hair.

After flicking open the deadbolt, I cracked the door.“You’re up early,” I said, my voice scratchy with sleep.

He leaned in.“So are you,” he teased softly, then glanced down the hall.“May I come in?”

I stood aside, letting him pass.The battered silver watch on his wrist glinted under the dim hallway lights.I didn’t miss the tension in his stance, as if prepared for a confrontation.

Once inside, I locked up again.A soft exhale escaped him, and he rubbed the back of his neck like he wasn’t sure how to begin.

“They questioned a bunch of staff last night,” he said.“And a few students who poured drinks for the donors.But it’s dying down now, or at least that’s how it seemed when I left the Boat House this morning.Some money must have changed hands.”

“Just like always,” I muttered.“Money sweeps away the scandal.”

He gave a wry nod.“Exactly.And Sophie?She’s playing it up like the loyal daughter, telling my father how she’s ‘so glad it was just an allergic reaction’ and that you or I weren’t involved.She’s basically orchestrating a cover story to keep you out of jail, but you and I both know it comes with strings.”

I shot him a weary look and wandered to my desk to show him the note Sophie left.“Looks like she took the liberty of reminding me I owe her an answer.She wants me to join her ‘mentorship program.’”

Anubis read the note, the muscle in his jaw ticking.“This is her style.She extends a hand while threatening you in the same breath.”He crumpled the note in his fist.“Do you feel safe staying here?”

I considered it.“Not really,” I admitted.“But I don’t know where else to go.I can’t go home.I don’t even have a home to go back to anymore, not with my mom off on tour with Rock, and the house up for sale.”

He inclined his head, quietly taking in my exhaustion.“You could crash with me… or somewhere else on campus.But trust me, the Skulls’ reach is everywhere at Edenvane.Even if you stayed in the caretaker’s cottage by the river, you’d still be on their radar.”

I closed my eyes, the stress building behind them like a pressure headache.“Guess I just have to face them head-on.”

His gaze softened.He stepped closer, offering a hesitant hand against my shoulder.“We’ll handle it.Together.”

For a moment, we just stood there, the hum of my small desk fan the only sound.Memories of the caretaker’s cottage, the old ledger that revealed how thoroughly the Edenvane family and the Skulls controlled everything, flashed through my mind.

“You hungry?”he asked abruptly, as if trying to shift gears.

“Starving, actually.”

He gave me a small, tight smile.“Let’s sneak off campus for breakfast.I know a place.”

“Off campus?With security possibly still looking for me?”

He shrugged.“I’ll take the service exit that staff and Rowing team members use.It’s rarely watched.I promise, no one will notice if I drive you out in my car.”

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