“Shoot.” Both of his hands bracketed my waist.
I braced myself. “Do you know The Cave of the Undead?”
His body stilled.
The amusement drained from his face.
Shit. He knew.
“You do?”
“Where did you hear that?” His voice was steel now, no trace of play left.
I shrugged. “Could’ve been a book.”
His jaw flexed. “I’ve lived longer than your libraries, Sanora. I know what’s in a book and what’s not.”
“Fine.” I sighed. “I heard it from someone. On my way back from the library.”
Displeasure darkened every line of his face. “The boy, yeah?”
I might have laughed if his serious tone hadn’t killed the mood. “Yes. He said he saw the cave.”
His frown deepened. “And he’s still alive?”
The hair on my arms rose, my spine stiffening. “What do you mean by that? He should be dead?”
The memory of Merton’s words resurfaced—how the first researchers who discovered the cave had all died at the same time.
Merton should’ve died as well?
My stomach turned. What the hell was this cave?
“Where is it?” I demanded. Then quickly added, “And don’t you dare tell me you don’t know. You sure as hell do.”
He shook his head. “You can’t go there.”
I rolled my eyes. “Merton did.”
“I don’t know how he did but stepping foot in its perimeter can kill.”
I recalled Merton telling me his group didn’t go inside in fear they might not make it back out, but apparently, one couldn’t even walk in its perimeter.
“How much do you know about it? Tell me everything.”
“It’s nothing.”
I pushed. “Merton told me they hammered down a piece of the cave and it wouldn’t stop glowing in the dark. Shouldn’t that have killed them?”
He frowned, then shook his head. “It’s impossible.”
“Which?”
“You can’t even get close to it. It’s deadly.”
Okay, now I want to see the cave more than ever.
Thrax’s eyes darkened as though he just read my mind. “Don’t look so intrigued. There’s no way I’m letting you near that.”
