Chapter 20
By the time I returned to my dorm early the next morning, I was a bundle of nerves. I had to keep up appearances, attend my Journalism classes, and avoid letting slip that I was living a double life.
To make matters worse, Harry from the Howler cornered me in the hallway after class. He looked disheveled, dark circles under his eyes.
“Hey, you’ve been MIA,” he accused, breathless. “We’re finalizing that big article on campus hush money. Why haven’t you turned in your draft on the Skulls rumor?”
My stomach clenched. I couldn’t risk exposing the infiltration yet. “I’m still digging,” I said, forcing a casual tone. “These rumors are tough to prove, Harry. Give me a bit longer.”
He frowned. “Come on, Suede. There’s a wave of suspicion about Toccara’s death, the library sabotage. The campus is hungry for truth. Don’t you want to break the story?”
“Of course I do,” I snapped, frustration slipping out. “But I need more time to get hard evidence. If we go public too soon, we could get shut down.”
Harry studied me for a beat, then softened. “Fine. But we can’t wait forever.”
He hurried off, leaving me feeling torn. In a few short weeks, I’d gone from wanting to expose Edenvane’s underbelly to wanting to survive it.
That afternoon, I found a note slipped under my dorm door. The handwriting was tight, looped:
“I know what you did at the library. Meet me behind the Music Hall at 6 p.m. if you value your life and Carlisle’s.”
My pulse fluttered, panic surging. Another threat? Or a potential ally?
The hours dragged until 6 p.m. I couldn’t risk telling Anubis, so I went alone. I arrived behind the Music Hall, a secluded area near a row of old practice rooms. The sky hung heavy with clouds, wind rustling the branches overhead.
A figure emerged from behind the dumpsters, tall, dark coat, hair partially hidden by a hood. My heart pounded until I recognized the face: Kate , one of the Howler staffers.
I stepped back, startled. “Kate? You wrote the note?”
She nodded, eyes flicking nervously around. “Don’t freak out. I’m a friend. I’ve seen you sneaking around, acting weird, and after that library sabotage? I realized something big was happening. I…” She took a shaky breath. “I’m not the only one who suspects a secret society is controlling everything. Some of us want to help.”
My mind spun. “Us? Who else?”
Kate glanced at her phone. “There’s a small group, students, staff, even an adjunct professor, who’ve noticed the strange suicides, Toccara’s death, the hush-hush around campus finances. We’re calling ourselves the Undercurrent. We… fight back quietly.”
I stared, unsettled yet intrigued. “What do you mean, fight back?”
She licked her lips. “In small ways, like sending a random text to warn you in Carlisle’s building. That was me. I recognized you sneaking in, guessed you were forced into some sabotage. We can’t fight the Skulls directly, but we can disrupt them. You can help.”
She had been the one who texted the warning.
“How do you know I’m not loyal to the Skulls?” I asked quietly.
Kate’s gaze held steady. “Because I’ve seen your face after each sabotage, and I saw how upset you were about Toccara. You’re not one of them. You’re stuck.”
Emotion clogged my throat. Fuck. Did I trust her? I made a quick decision based only on the feeling in my gut. Besides, I needed a friend. “I am stuck,” I whispered. “But they’re powerful. They’ll kill me, kill Anubis, if we openly betray them.”
“Then do it from the inside,” Kate urged, voice trembling with passion. “We can help from the outside. Pass us intel, let us sabotage the saboteurs. We might save Carlisle yet, or reveal who killed Toccara.”
I swallowed. “You risk your own life.”
She gave a wry smile. “We’re risking it, anyway. The question is whether we stand by and watch or try to change something.”
A swirl of hope blossomed in my chest. We weren’t alone. The Skulls were not as omnipotent as they wanted everyone to believe.
I pressed a piece of paper into her hand. On it was the fake name of the email account Anubis and I used for secret communications. “If you get something big, send it here. I can relay it back. But you have to be careful.”
She nodded, relief evident. “We will.”
Then footsteps sounded on the pavement near the Music Hall entrance. We froze. I recognized one figure as a campus policeman, scanning the area. Kate hissed, “I have to go.”
Before disappearing behind the dumpsters, she whispered, “Stay strong, Suede.”
I managed a nod, adrenaline pulsing.
Two days later, we had to present the stolen Carlisle research to the Skulls. This time, the meeting place was an underground lounge I’d never heard of before. Anubis and I followed instructions to a nondescript metal door behind the campus theater.
Inside, the lounge was all dark leather, low light, and a quiet hum of conversation. Sophie greeted us with a raised brow, perched on a velvet chaise, flanked by masked minions.
“Show me,” she said without preamble.
Anubis handed over a flash drive, and some printed pages. “Carlisle’s final draft, charts, everything.”
Sophie’s grin lit with savage glee. “Excellent. The professor’s work won’t threaten our donors now.” She snapped her fingers at a masked figure, who took the documents away.
I forced my expression to remain neutral, even as guilt gnawed.
Then Sophie stood, crossing the lounge with slow, purposeful steps. She trailed a finger across Anubis’ chest in a way that made my stomach twist, half intimidation, half flirtation. “You’re performing well, Captain. Finally living up to your lineage.”
He stared ahead, jaw tense, not reacting to her touch.
“It’s a real shame your casket has to be so low. But we both know that can change.”
She turned her attention to me. “Nubia, I trust you’re not letting your old loyalties confuse you.”
I swallowed. “No.”
A flicker of something cruel shone in her eyes. “Good. Because once you’re fully initiated, you’ll have no old loyalties left. But know, when it’s time to Dig your grave, Anubis can choose differently. I don’t want you to be caught unaware.”
“I know,” I said, my voice quaking. But I thought enough to keep her talking. “What happens to me then when he chooses you?”
She shrugged. “It depends on if you’ve made other alliances in the Skulls. So, don’t be so flattered Anubis is keeping you to himself. If you have no grave to dig, eventually one will be dug for you.”
The words sent a cold shiver through me.
She shot a look at him.
My gaze followed.
He was pissed at her. But when he met my gaze, he didn’t look happy with me either. I’d asked a question when he’d told me to keep quiet and follow his lead. But he never told me what would happen to me if he chose her. Only that he never planned to.
Sophie gestured for us to follow, leading us to a side room with a single gold-lacquered door.
Inside waited a small circle of robed Skulls members. I recognized one from the crypt, but their face was hidden behind a mask. In the center stood a stone pedestal bearing black candles arranged in a triangular pattern.
The robed figure spoke in a gravelly voice: “Anubis. Nubia. Step forward and receive the Mark of the Crescent.”
My heart hammered. Another ceremony? Another vow?
Sophie smiled, the candle flames casting eerie shadows on her face. “You’ve proven yourselves. This mark shows your status as novices who are nearly full members. It also binds you deeper to us.”
The robed figure produced a small branding tool, shaped like a crescent, its tip glowing faintly from heat.
I jolted. A brand? My eyes flew to Anubis, panic mounting.
He looked outraged. “Is this necessary?”
Sophie’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Afraid of a little burn, Captain? Your ancestors wore far worse.”
My mind reeled. Did I have to do this to avoid suspicion? A brand would be permanent.
But we had no choice. The robed figure gestured for me first. My legs nearly buckled.
Anubis stepped forward, voice tight. “I’ll go first.”
Sophie arched a brow but made no protest. Two watchers flanked Anubis, pushing up the sleeve of his black T-shirt. The robed figure pressed the heated crescent against his biceps. A sizzle, the faint smell of burned flesh, and a gasp from Anubis.
He clenched his teeth, not crying out. My own eyes brimmed with tears at the sight.
Then they turned to me. My vision swam.
“Left shoulder,” Sophie said casually. “You can hide it with a shirt if you like.”
“Why are these so public? The shoulder?” Anubis asked. “Why not somewhere more discreet?”
Sophie answered him with a sneer. “It’ll keep her out of the hot tub.”
He looked at me, pain flickering in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he mouthed silently.
I forced myself to step up. The watchers bared my shoulder. The brand hissed as it met my skin, and I let out a strangled sob at the searing agony.
It lasted only a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Then the tool was pulled away. My entire arm throbbed, tears slipping down my cheeks.
Sophie clapped once, her smile predatory. “Well done. Now you bear the Mark of the Crescent. Wear it proudly, or hide it, just don’t forget what it means.”
Afterwards, Anubis helped me stumble out of the side room. We ended up in a shadowy corner of the lounge, where I leaned heavily on him, shaky from the pain. He hugged me carefully, mindful of my injured shoulder.
“That was barbaric,” I whispered, tears burning. “I… I can’t believe they.”
He gently cupped my chin, voice trembling with anger. “I’m so sorry.”
I pressed my forehead to his chest, listening to his racing heartbeat. The brand burned, a constant reminder of how deep we’d sunk into the Skulls’ grip.
Later, back at the caretaker’s cottage, we treated each other’s burns with cool compresses, soft apologies passing between us.
“I’m sorry I asked Sophie anything.”
“You said when I choose her. I don’t intent to. I told you that.”
“And I believe you. I was only looking for answers.”
“I’m sorry too. Sorry you have to worry about if you’ll end up with me in the grave. I don’t plan on digging another grave, Suede.”
Anubis called me by my real name, making me believe he was sincere about bringing down the Skulls. I decided to be honest.
“I believe you. I admit, every now and again, I’m scared this is another prank. That you’re actually using me, like you said before. How you could be sweet and get everything you want from me or you could be honest. Sometimes, I fear I’m wrong.”
“You’re smart to be suspicious Suede. It only means I need to do a better job of convincing you. I want out. I want to be with you.” Anubis caught my lips. But when he broke free, it’s as if I saw the old him again. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to put you across my knee and spank you for doubting me. You’re right. I’ve been holding back. Because I long to punish you, hear you whimper, make you cry, and then lick your pussy and dry your tears. I’ve been scared you can’t love the real me. I’m cruel. I take what I want. It’s in my nature.”
“Show me the real you, please.”
Anubis did just that, nearly all night long.