Page 136 of Eternal Devotion

Ensley went at the sarcophagus again, but his effort was useless. We were wasting time.

I scanned the room, seeking a lever but found nothing of value.

Ensley crouched, braced the lid across his shoulders, and used the power of his legs to heave upward, growling and spitting obscenities.

“Would you stop before you hurt yourself again.”

He paced away from the sarcophagus, cursing and threading fingers through his hair. When he nearly tripped on a broken piece from one of the garlic mist contraptions, he kicked it, and it crashed into the wall with a clatter.

“Fucking fuck,” he yelled.

“Are you two done dillydallying?” Cristofer called from the far end of the tunnel. “You’re making enough racket to wake the dead.”

“Isn’t that the point?” Ensley spat.

“I should rather hope not, mate. You’ve cut yourself. My loins are stirring all the way over here.”

I shot a dirty look in Cristofer’s direction even though he couldn’t see me. “Get your knife out and scrape as much of the stuff off one corner as you can.”

“What good is that going to do? It weighs a fuckton. There’s no way we can lift this.”

“You can’t. I can. Please don’t argue.”

Ensley did as I asked, wedging his knife as far into the crevice as possible, getting as much sealant out as he could, so I had a spot to grab. Once he’d cleared a corner, I asked him to step back. With an upturned palm, I crouched, securing a hold with my unburned hand, and pushed.

To my shame and utter embarrassment, nothing happened.

“See?” Ensley crossed his arms.

Frowning, I realized my error. “The lights. Of course. I have no strength, but it didn’t burn me, so we’re on track. You need to extinguish the lights and get out now. I can do the rest.”

“You can’t lift that.”

“Ensley, I can. It’s time, love. You must go. Remember what I said.”

He stalled. Our gazes locked. I wanted to kiss him, hold him in my arms and never let go. He must have been thinking the same thing. We stepped toward one another, and my nose instantly wrinkled.

“I’m sorry.” He stepped back, a distraught crease forming beside his eyes.

“Come here, love. I’ll suffer the discomfort for a taste of your lips.”

But as I moved to kiss him, a more powerful repulsion halted my movement, and I hissed. The necklace. The cross. Ensley touched the chain, realizing at the same time.

“Go,” I said. “It will be over soon, and we’ll have all the time in the world to share affection.”

“Okay. Good luck.”

Ensley hopped from the platform and aimed for the car batteries that powered the remaining lights. He grabbed the cords that were still attached and yanked them free.

The chamber plunged into darkness, which was fine for me, but not for Ensley. He knew what he was meant to do. We’d gone over it several times. A second later, his flashlight came on. From the corner of my eye, I saw him sweep the beam toward the tunnel, and I thought he was leaving.

My instructions couldn’t have been clearer.

Only he didn’t leave. He didn’t run toward Cristofer and safety.

Caught up in my task, by the time I realized he hadn’t left it was too late.

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