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Reaching out, Jonas grabs my hand. Squeezing it, we continue to walk. The path here takes us down, deeper underground. I hate this part of the tunnels because it’s easy to get claustrophobic, since it also becomes more narrow.
Grunting, I have to turn sideways to get through. Jonas mutters to himself, because he’s so built he has to squish his body to get through. Football has made him bulk up more as a linebacker, and it hinders his ability to squeeze through small spaces.
“Is this going to make you give up your sweets?” I tease, breathing a small sigh of relief as the path opens slightly.
Cool water flows over my feet and ankles, and I frown. “Do you guys feel that?” I ask, because I don’t trust my mind or senses in the dark right now.
“Yeah, it feels thick, like sludge to me. Ugh,” Jonas groans.
Bastian agrees that he thinks it’s water. There’s no way this could get down here, so we ignore it and keep walking. Once we’re through and the path opens again, we grab water from the backpack carefully. Taking a few greedy sips, we put the bottles back. The next clue should be close.
“This is going to open up in a minute or two into a large cavern,” I remember. “The map said the next clue should be in here. Each of us should take a match and search the area. There’s no way we can get lost as long as we stay in the cavern.”
“You’re right, even though I don’t like it,” Jonas grumbles. “Let’s find this damn clue.”
As the path opens, I shiver. The bottom of my robe is wet and sticking to my body. Somehow, the water, or whatever it was, is gone. It may be a long time before I enjoy these tunnels again.
Pulling off my pack, I fumble through the bag until I find the matchbox. Giving one each to the guys, I take one for myself with the box, closing the backpack.
“Let’s do this then,” I tell them and they grunt, just the way they do on the football field.
My lips twitch in amusement at the thought, and then I’m choosing a direction and striding away from the guys. I really am on a mission to get this done and get the fuck out.
I am not looking forward to whatever horror is awaiting me, but I can bear it. It’s just one more hurdle I have to make my bitch.
Running my fingers over the wall, I walk slowly over the area. The map said it was somewhere in this cavern, which honestly, is terribly unhelpful. This cavern is huge.
Muttering to myself, I freeze as my finger snags on a piece of paper shoved between two rocks at the base of the wall. It could have easily been missed, and I swear I only found it by the Grace of God.
Pulling out the paper, I shove it between my knees as I strike the match. Shaking the paper open, I wince as I see a photo of Chastity happily sleeping between Jonas and Bastian. I had a feeling this beautiful girl would be my trigger.
I can seeJonas and Bast claiming her as their Eve alone, taking their rightful places in The Locked Souls Society. Levi will marry Chastity, giving him the honor of having children with her first, and she’ll carry his name.
I can vaguely hear my name being called and a warmth is crawling closer to my skin, but I am unable to pull myself away from my worst fear.
Chastity gives me a cruel smile as Jonas kisses down her body.
“You’re incapable of love, Ash. Your greed blinds you to the good you can have, and because of that, you’ll have nothing. They’re mine, and you’re destined to live alone.”
“Ash, fuck! Roll him!” Bast screams.
Blinking in surprise, I find half of my robe is engulfed in flames because I dropped the damn match. Jonas rips the robe off of me, throwing it across the room. Bast and Jonas roll me across the hard ground to extinguish any lingering embers.
“I’m good, I’m good!” I yell, and they let go of me, breathing hard.
“Fuck, one second we were all looking for the clue, then I saw you light your match,” Jonas recounts, breathing hard. The lamps on the walls light up, and my jaw drops. His eyes are blown in terror, his hands shaking.
“You stopped moving, staring at the wall, and then you dropped the damn match. It was eerie how still you were, even as your robe caught fire,” Bast says with a shudder.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, for more than scaring them. The Chastity in my mind is right in many ways. My greed wants to keep her, even if I’m unsure if I even want her.
“It’s whatever drugs are in the air, you didn’t mean to scare us,” Jonas tells me, helping me up. They hug me, the scare allowing Bast to touch me without flinching.
Somehow, I feel we’ll be wearing the emotional scars of this trip to the tunnels for a long while.
“Did the paper survive the fire?” I ask, an irrational giggle escaping.
It would be my luck to burn the last clue. Jonas picks it up, shaking his head as he sees one side is empty. The other side clearly tells us where to go.
