I looked over to see a woman in overalls walking toward us. She was wearing bright yellow rain boots and had her hands shoved in her pockets. She moved with causal ease, as if she was totally comfortable with two random people showing up in the middle of a magic cemetery.
She smiled and her blue eyes crinkled in a friendly way. “Nice to see you again, Xander.”
“You too,” Xander said.
“This way.” She turned, her long dark braid swinging behind her as she walked.
“Who is she?” I whispered.
“She’s the caretaker,” he said.
“Of the cemetery?” I was surprisingly uncomfortable with this whole thing. You’d think for someone who was around death on a regular basis, this wouldn’t freak me out. But here I was, totally not jiving with whatever the hell this place was. It was as if there was a force trying to push me away. I wanted to be anywhere but here.
It wasn’t just the cemetery. There was something about the magic that filled the air. It felt ancient and unmoving. Dangerous. The hair on my arms stood on edge. The sooner we could leave here, the better. I would almost rather take my chances with the demons than have to stay here too long.
We stopped in front of a gray stone structure. A tall, narrow door was set between two columns.
Our guide opened the door. “Guests first.”
“You want us to go in there?” Call me paranoid, but I didn’t think it was a wise idea to go into a crypt with a mage.
“It’s okay,” Xander said. “I’ll go first if that helps.”
I hated that I was letting fear get to me. Usually I stared down danger without flinching. Okay, with limited flinching. Besides, Xander wasn’t worried. Why couldn’t I shake how nervous I felt?
With a resolved breath, I stepped forward. “I’ll go.”
If Xander said this was the way to figure out the next steps for destroying the stone, I was going to take the risk. I wanted it out of my locket and gone from my life.
When I stepped through the door I was surprised by how bright and large the interior was. There weren’t any creepy steps to walk down. No spider webs or torches. There wasn’t a coffin in the middle of the room or even a single sign of anything creepy.
Instead, I stepped into what looked like a living room.
Inside a crypt in a cemetery.
Okay, so it was still weird.
Three women were sitting on chairs and they all rose when we entered. Like the mage, they were dressed in casual clothes. Two had chestnut colored hair and green eyes. They looked similar enough that it was likely they were sisters. The third was a red head who was wearing faux leather leggings and a tunic that hugged all her curves. Out of all the gathered group, she was the only one who looked like she was ready to face civilization. Even her makeup was impeccable. The others gave a laid back vibe. Red was intimidating as hell.
“Hey, Xander,” Red said with a sultry tone.
“Hi,” he said flatly.
It sent a wave of jealousy rolling through me. Xander wasn’t flirting with her in the slightest but I did not like the way she was eye fucking him.
“Can we see it?” The other brunette asked. “The book. You really have a book written in demonic?”
I tore my gaze away from the seductive redhead and held the book out in front of me.
“Thanks for helping us on such short notice,” Xander said.
“I’m sort of lost” I said. “Who are all of you?”
Overalls walked to the center of the room and stood near the others. “I’m Becca.” She pointed to the sisters. “Ali and Kate.” Each woman smiled and raised her hand at the motion of her name.
“I’m Sam,” the red head said. She didn’t even attempt to smile.
“Nice to meet you,” I said. “I’m Skylar. But I’m still not sure why we’re here.”