glanced over to where he was inspecting a mark on the wooden beam near the mine’s entrance. It looked like a faded bloody handprint.
Dread rose up inside me, but all I had to do was place one foot in front of the other. I was in the company of three powerful demons. I trusted you to protect me, and for Lucian to be a savage monster if needed.
“Hmmm, what could these ancient markings mean?” Lucian asked. I looked up to find red graffiti painted on one of the walls. Pussy eater, it said, and I chuckled. Then a low howl rolled through the tunnel that raised the hair on my arms. But it was only the wind, right?
“How did you come across Ashur the last time you were here?” you asked Seneser, probably thinking the same thing as me—that noise sounded way too human.
“He found me. And he was completely silent in his approach. I had the impression he’d been stalking me for some time.”
I glanced behind me, my watery beam of light wobbling crazily over the rock walls. The main tunnel was reinforced with thick wooden planks, so old they appeared petrified, though I knew that wasn’t the case. In Florida’s climate, the wood would have decomposed in no time, but here, the air was so dry that it had lasted.
The light from your headlamp swung back and forth in a steady rhythm as you scouted the side passageways for any sign of danger. We were following the mine railway. Every few yards, you’d mark the rock wall with a slash of spray paint, so we’d know if we got turned around. After a while Seneser stopped, and we gathered in front of a gap in the rock where there were no wooden reinforcements.
“I’m afraid we’re going to have to go in there.” Seneser pointed.
It looked like the literal mouth of Hell. I wasn’t even sure your large frame would fit through the opening.
“I once kept a man in a cage for several weeks,” Lucian said. “He was so grateful when I finally let him out that he wept and kissed my feet. After that, there was nothing he wasn’t willing to do for me in order to avoid going back inside.”
Lucian winked at me. I felt sick.
“No one wants to hear about your sadistic pursuits,” you said gruffly and removed your pack so that you might be able to squeeze through the small opening. I was suddenly gripped by a terror that we might be separated, so visceral it felt like a premonition. I grabbed your hand and tugged you back, forcing myself into your arms. You hugged me tightly and pet my head.
“I’m right here, my darling,” you said softly. Your physical contact reassured me, but my anxiety remained.
“Touching,” Lucian remarked. “Shall we?”
Once we were all through the crevice, along with our packs, the terrain slanted downhill with loose rocks and pebbles acting like marbles underfoot. I had to watch my step or risk catching my ankle on a craggy rock. Focusing on keeping my balance meant that I didn’t have to think about the beastborn possibly stalking us. We’d gone about 50 yards farther when we heard another extremely human-sounding moan. It rose from deep in the tunnel and echoed all around us. Spooky stopped and hissed, rising up on her haunches.
“Dybbuks,” Seneser said. Dispossessed human spirits. Creepy as fuck. “Try not to disturb anything.”
Naturally, I stumbled. You pivoted and caught me. I glanced down to see what had tripped me up.
It was a corpse, preserved well enough that there was still matted hair attached to its skull. Its clothes had not completely disintegrated, and bits of flesh still clung to the bones like flaking tree bark.
“First point goes to Vincent,” Lucian said, crouching down to inspect the skeleton closer. “Blunt trauma.” He pointed to the webbed crack in the corpse’s skull. “Painful but quick. Perhaps this was your father,” he said with a smile.
My breath caught as your arm came out of nowhere and grabbed Lucian by the throat. You shoved him back until his body was trapped against the rough rock wall.
“Enough,” you ordered, shaking him. Your arm muscles bulged, and your eyes narrowed with fury.
Shockingly, Lucian didn’t give a smart reply, only dropped his gaze submissively and nodded. A moment later you released him and resumed walking, tugging me along so that I wouldn’t linger. I glanced back at the corpse and wondered if Lucian might be right. What if that had been