Page 40 of Dig Your Grave

“But the worst might be coming at dawn.”

I shuddered.“Why dawn?”

“Symbolic,” he explained wearily.“Night to day, a rebirth of sorts.I’ve heard rumors they do something in the crypt beneath the Alumni House, or maybe near the river.Some couples get separated.Others are tested on ‘sacrifice.’”

The wordsacrificejarred me.“I’m not sacrificing anything.”

He pulled me close, ignoring the watchers who drifted around.“I won’t let them hurt you.I promise.”

Despite the illusions of safety in his arms, I couldn’t ignore the creeping dread that tomorrow’s final Rite might demand something I wasn’t ready to give.I surely wasn’t ready to murder someone, even to save my own life.

“Did you know him?”I finally asked.

Anubis hung his head.“Yeah, Thad was on the team.”

We were herded into a luxurious sitting room with velvet couches and a roaring fireplace, apparently the designated “waiting area” for the newly blood-bound pairs.Some dozed off in corners, others murmured anxiously.A few watchers lingered, ensuring no one left.

Anubis and I sat together on a couch, forced to endure the hush of tension-laden hours.My bandaged palm throbbed.Eventually, around 2:00 a.m., I drifted into a fitful doze against his shoulder.

Images of Toccara’s face plagued my sleep, warping into nightmares of her beckoning me from the river, black water swirling around her ankles.I awoke with a gasp to find Anubis stroking my hair.

“You okay?”he whispered.

I shook my head, tears burning my eyes.“I keep seeing her… my roommate.”

He pressed a kiss to my temple.“We’ll get to the truth soon,” he assured me in a hushed tone.“We’re almost through this.”

I wanted to believe that.I curled into him, letting the minutes bleed into hours.

Somewhere around 5:30 a.m., watchers shook us awake.The sky beyond the tall windows was faintly tinted with the first streaks of sunrise.My pulse spiked in fear.

Chapter 15

We were led out of the sitting room, down a corridor that sloped deeper into the building, lit by electric lanterns.The walls turned to rough stone.It felt subterranean.

Finally, we stepped into a cavernous chamber under the Alumni House, some sort of crypt or catacomb.Thick columns supported the low ceiling.A faint smell of damp earth clung to the air.

Sophie waited at the far end, flanked by two older men in suits.One wore a black tie with a skull pin.The other had a half-mask.They exuded a powerful presence.

“Laudari,” Sophie said, addressing the masked man.“Shall we commence?”

He nodded once.“Commence.”

My heart thundered as Sophie pointed to a large circle inlaid on the stone floor with silver mosaic.“Each pair stands within the circle.For this Rite, you will offer your loyalty and an object of significance.Something that ties you to your old life.If you do not have a physical token, a confession or vow will suffice.”

An object that ties me to my old life?My mind raced.They want a symbolic sacrifice.

The first pair stepped forward, each placing an item at Sophie’s feet.One left a thick journal.The other, a photograph.Sophie gestured, and watchers took the objects away.

When it was our turn, I felt faint.I had nothing on me except the cloak and slip dress.My phone was in a hidden pocket, but I sure as hell wasn’t giving it up.

Anubis touched my elbow, then unexpectedly he reached inside his cloak.He drew out a battered driver’s license, the one from high school.I glimpsed his younger photo on it.

He placed it on the stone.“This represents my old life before the Skulls,” he said quietly.“I give it up.”

Sophie’s gaze shifted to me.“And you, Nubia?”

My breath caught.“I…I have nothing.”

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