Page 57 of Dig Your Grave

Anubis did just that, nearly all night long.

Chapter 21

A day passed in a haze of throbbing pain, not just from the brand, but from Anubis giving me the real him.I wore a loose long-sleeve sweater to cover the wound.Anubis texted me from a row team meet, confirming he was likewise sore but coping.

That evening, I received a coded email from Kate’s group, the Undercurrent.It included a link to a hidden forum page, describing partial police logs from the night Toccara died.

“Two individuals in black hoods entered the boathouse at approx.11:50 p.m., returned at 12:40 a.m., soaking wet.Toccara’s body was discovered the following day by the captain of the rowing team, Anubis Edenvane.The Dean personally oversaw the investigation that concluded ‘suicide.’Evidence was sealed.”

My hands shook reading it.Black hoods, fitting the Skulls’ rituals.They might have confronted Toccara or forced her into the river.My throat constricted.

I forwarded the link to Anubis with a single line:“This has to be them.”

He replied instantly:“We have to find who those two were.”

A surge of determination gripped me.The Skulls were responsible, or at least complicit in Toccara’s fate.And they were branding us, controlling us.Enough was enough.

I steeled myself.We’d gather every shred of evidence we could and pass it to the Undercurrent or the Howler.We’ll burn this corrupt empire from the inside out.

Yet the brand on my shoulder throbbed, reminding me the Skulls weren’t powerless.They’d kill us if they suspected betrayal.

By the next week, the campus buzzed with rumors of yet another upcoming event, some grand philanthropic gala.The Dean planned to host major donors to show off Edenvane’s new expansions.

Meanwhile, Sophie gave no new orders, leaving Anubis and me in anxious limbo.We continued to meet in the caretaker’s cottage, comparing notes with Kate’s group, searching for any break.

One late afternoon, I found myself scanning old yearbooks in the caretaker’s cottage, Anubis’ idea to see if we could match known Skulls members or alumni to the suspicious faces in Toccara’s logs.The brand on my shoulder itched under the bandage, but I forced myself to focus.

Suddenly, the door flew open.I tensed, expecting some Skulls enforcer.But it was Anubis, hair disheveled, eyes bright.

He rushed over, yanking a sheet of paper from his pocket.“Look what I found in the Edenvane genealogical records at the archives.”

I took it, scanning the typed lineage notes.The nameDivorepopped out at me, my own last name, linked tenuously to an older branch of the Edenvane family tree.

My pulse slammed.“Wait…this means…someone in my ancestry was connected to the Edenvanes?”

He nodded, excited but also concerned.“It’s centuries old, but it might explain why you were singled out in the scholarship lottery.You’re more than just a random poor girl.You’re an old bloodline they wanted to keep track of.”

My head spun.“So, I might be a distant relative?Is that why they keep forcing me deeper into the Skulls?”

Anubis exhaled.“It would align with the old practice of bringing distant Edenvane lineage back into the fold.The name changes over generations, but the blood stays the same.”

A jolt of indignation and confusion swirled in me.I never knew my father.Could the Edenvanes have orchestrated my scholarship from the moment I was born?

I set the paper down, heart hammering.“This is bigger than I realized.My entire life could be part of their plan.”

Anubis cupped my cheeks, gaze intense.“But you are not them, Suede.No matter your bloodline.You can still choose your own path.”

A tear escaped me.“I want that more than anything.”

He pulled me into a warm embrace, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the caretaker’s cottage floor.

“What does this mean for us?We’re related.”

“Barely.Back in the 1600s maybe.You’re a very very distant cousin if anything.No different from everyone else.”

As if we were scared of losing each other, our lips met in a desperate, searching kiss, the swirl of revelations fueling raw emotion.I clung to him, seeking comfort amid the chaos of discovering my past might be entangled with the very family I despised.His family.He held me tight, vowing to protect me from the destiny others tried to script.

When we finally separated, breath ragged, I found a new sliver of resolve.The lines of fate might be drawn in blood, but I’d fight for my own story.

---