Inferno of Darkness (Divisa Huntress #2) - J.L. Weil Page 0,42

the other side, my feet hitting the ground, and dusted my fingers off on my jeans. In a nearby tree, an owl hooted from a large branch, watching us with his big large eyes.

“Let’s find this tomb before the groundskeeper finds us,” Chase advised, his gaze sweeping over the numerous graves.

“It’s not too late to back out, you know,” I whispered to my cousin. His loyalty was honorable, but it didn’t mean I was keen on this plan. I wanted my family safe, not in the thick of trouble.

“This is your call, Lex,” he reminded me. “If you want to turn back now, we’re right behind you.”

“You know I can’t do that,” I retorted.

“And neither can we,” Chase shot back.

I huffed. “Fine. Kira, where is this creepy tomb?” The sooner we got to the underworld, the sooner we could get back home.

It only took us another hour to find the hidden crypt. Not our best time, but all that really mattered was what lay inside. After getting shit on by a bird, snagged by a thorn bush, and soaked through with sweat, this trip better be fucking worth it.

The grave wasn’t with the others, nor was it marked, but concealed by an overgrowth of bushes and vines, making it nearly invisible to the naked eye—unless you were part demon. It was Angel who noticed the unusual symbol carved on the ground, only visible to her because of her demon status.

I grumbled a string of curse words all directed toward the Prince of Darkness as Chase and Travis worked on prying open the stone hatch embedded in the ground.

The door was heavy and shrieked inch by inch as Travis and Chase pulled until it was just wide enough for us to slip through. “I don’t suppose anyone brought a flashlight?” Emma asked.

Travis blinked at his girlfriend. “Why would we need a flashlight?”

Sometimes my brother could be so dense. “She can’t see in the dark like the rest of us,” I replied, thumping him on the back of the head.

“Hey,” he complained, rubbing at the spot. “I forgot, okay. And you can just hold on to my arm. I’ll lead the way.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Wonderful.”

This was turning into a comedy show, and not a good one either.

I stared down into the damp, cobweb-infested tomb. It looked as if it hadn’t been disturbed in decades. The stone steps leading into the crumbling temple were cracked and eroded. They groaned and creaked under our weight, pebbles skipping down the stairs into the dark abyss. “Are you sure this place is safe? It isn’t going to come crashing down on top of us, is it?” I whispered, my voice carrying from wall to wall, echoing like I was in an endless tunnel.

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Kira replied with an encouraging tone that did nothing to soothe my worries.

When we finally reached the bottom of the steps, I was inclined to order Angel to burn this place to the ground. Something in the air itched at my demon marks, like I was being stung by a swarm of pesky mosquitoes. I wanted out.

We continued to wade through the darkness, moving further into the tomb, until we saw a speck of light. “There.” Travis pointed. “Do you see it?”

“No,” Emma snapped.

“Something is there,” I told Emma, offering a speck of hope. “A torch, I think.” It only took another minute of scuffling down through the dingy cave-like corridor before we came to a small room. A collective sigh went through the group, relieving a bit of the claustrophobia I was feeling.

The chamber was barely big enough to fit all six of us, but we squeezed in, all staring at the massive stone statue that took up the back wall of the room. Goddess Hecate towered over us, long robes billowing at her feet and a crown spiked on her head. She stood in a column-carved doorway, flanked by two flickering torches, the source of light that had guided us at the end. It wasn’t like normal fire, but burned eternally—Hellfire, the same sort of fire Angel could produce.

“What’s this?” Angel asked, lifting her hand toward the statue.

“Angel, don’t!” Chase warned, flashing to his wife, but was too late. She had plucked the metal skeleton key from the goddess’s hand.

Everyone went still, as if the key was a bomb, ready to blow us to tiny bites. When nothing happened, I exhaled. “Holy shit, you gave me a heart attack.”

Angel inspected the tangled and maze-like design of the