Page 67 of Dig Your Grave

He gave a wan smile.“We find a safe place off-campus, wait to see what chaos unfolds.Then we regroup.If the Undercurrent truly leaked everything, the Skulls might face public scrutiny like never before.”

Despite the swirling fear, a tiny flame of hope flickered in my chest.Maybe Toccara’s story would come to light.Maybe Edenvane’s dark legacy would be laid bare.And maybe, at last, Anubis and I could imagine a life not dictated by hooded watchers and forced brands.

He pressed his forehead to mine, an intimate hush in the golden morning light.“I love you,” he whispered.“I don’t regret any of this.”

Tears sprang to my eyes.I cupped his cheeks, feeling the desperate pounding of my own heart.“I love you, too,” I breathed.“Whatever comes next, we face it together.”

And as we leaned into each other, sharing a final moment of peace before the storm resumed, I knew that our love, forged in secrecy and danger, was the one bright anchor that might carry us through the darkness.

Chapter 25

The early sunlight felt too bright against my bleary eyes.Anubis and I crouched behind a low stone wall near the edge of campus, struggling to catch our breath.I kept checking the path behind us, half-expecting the black-clad watchers to appear at any moment.But all I saw were morning shadows stretching across the dew-slick grass.

My phone showed it was just after six-thirty in the morning.We’d fled Eden Hall less than an hour ago, leaving behind echoes of shouts, scuffles, and the pounding of our own hearts.If the Undercurrent’s ambush was successful, then the Skulls might be reeling from the sudden leak of our compiled evidence.Toccara’s murder, experimental gene therapy, sabotage, everything was laid bare.

Yet I felt no triumph, only a bone-deep fear.The brand on my shoulder stung, a permanent reminder of the hold the Skulls once had on us.Would they double down and hunt us to the ends of the earth?Or was it too late for them?

Anubis rested one hand gently on my back, the other shielding his eyes from the sun.“Let’s get off campus,” he said, voice low with urgency.“They’ll be tearing the place apart soon.”

I nodded, swallowing hard.“Where can we even go?”

“Anywhere that isn’t here,” he said.“We can’t risk your dorm or the caretaker’s cottage.Kate or someone from the Undercurrent might have a place.”

Kate.I pictured her barreling into that courtyard, the watchers closing in.We didn’t know what happened to her.My stomach twisted in guilt and worry.“We should try to contact Kate, see if she got away.”

Anubis gently took my phone from my hand, scanning the screen.“No bars.Either the network’s jammed, or there’s just too much traffic.”He tried his phone too.“Same.”

I repressed a shiver.Of course the Skulls would try to clamp down on communications.“We’ll have to find her in person, then.”

Standing upright, Anubis offered me his hand.I took it, letting him pull me to my feet.A swirl of dizziness hit me, too many nights of tension, too little sleep.My black dress, still from last night’s gala, was torn at the hem, and Anubis’ suit jacket bore smears of dirt.We looked like we’d stumbled out of some post-apocalyptic formal.

Still, his hand in mine felt like the only steady thing in the world.“Come on,” he murmured.“Let’s see if we can slip down to the city edge.There’s a motel near the highway.Maybe we can lie low there, regroup.”

“Okay.”My voice was a whisper, but determination underpinned it.

We stayed off the main paths, circling behind the soccer field and tennis courts until we reached the deserted visitor parking lot.The morning sun climbed steadily, brightening campus walkways that were usually so serene.Today, they felt ominous.

Once on the perimeter road, we trudged another half-mile in tense silence.Edenvane’s wrought-iron gates loomed ahead, strangely quiet.A bored campus security guard sat slumped in the booth, possibly unaware of the chaos deeper inside.Anubis held his breath as we passed.The guard eyed us but didn’t stop us, probably assuming we were just early joggers or a couple who spent the night out.

We made it through.My heart pounded with relief as we stepped onto the public road.A line of tall pines framed either side, leading into the small city beyond.My scalp prickled, waiting for black SUVs to roar up and block our path, watchers bursting out.But no one came.

Going behind a bush, Anubis emerged with a duffle bag.“For emergencies like this.”

He’d been prepared.I felt relieved for a second.

“Don’t exhale yet,” Anubis warned, reading my mind.“Let’s keep moving.”

We flagged down a passing taxi, one of the few rattling along the early route.The driver, a middle-aged man with wiry hair and kind eyes, didn’t question our disheveled appearance.We asked him to take us to a motel on the outskirts, offering a crumpled bill from Anubis’ wallet as partial prepayment.The driver nodded, unconcerned, perhaps used to frantic college kids needing emergency rides.

I pressed myself into the back seat, Anubis’ arm steady around my shoulders.As the taxi pulled away, I caught a final glimpse of the looming Edenvane gates in the rearview mirror.We’re out…for now.

The sign for the Redwood Inn flickered with a missing letter, so it readRedw__d Inn.The place wasn’t fancy—two stories of faded green siding, a row of doors opening onto a shared balcony.But it looked quiet, and it was well off the main roads.

Anubis paid the driver and escorted me inside the office.A sleepy clerk barely glanced at us, offering a halfhearted grunt of greeting.We secured a room with one bed.No sense wasting money on two.My cheeks warmed at the realization that once again we’d be sharing tight quarters, but so much had happened that I didn’t dwell on modesty.

The clerk handed over a key, and we trudged to the far end of the second floor.The door creaked open, revealing a musty smell, a patterned bedspread, and a small TV perched on an old dresser.A battered table stood by the window, curtains drawn against the morning light.

I flicked on the overhead lamp.“Cozy,” I murmured, my voice tremulous with exhaustion.

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