Page 63 of Welcome to Bone Town

Of course our moment wasn’t real. It was a result of the relic, nothing more.

“What’s going on?” Jax asks.

Bear ignores the question, pulling Cora into his chest. “We don’t know what that thing can do or if it’s booby trapped like the rest of this place. What if… you could have been hurt.”

“We need to get out of here.” I cast a quick glance back at the relic, then turn away from it lest it pull me back under its spell.

“Withthe relic,” Cora says.

“Maybe we should just figure out how to get back to the pools and then come back for the necklace,” Roman says. “Now that we know where the traps are set, we can bring torches to scare off the scorpions and come back when we’re more prepared.”

“I’m not leaving without it.” Cora squares off with Roman.

“Did you find another way out?” I ask.

“Nah, probably have to brave the scorpions again.” Jax shrugs. “Hopefully they’ve gone back to their nests by now.” He sounds cavalier, but then his gaze lands on Cora, and his scowl makes it clear he doesn’t really like the idea of her facing the death-trap hallway again.

“There is one place we haven’t checked for another exit.” Bear points to the red glow in the middle of the room.

Roman walks over to the edge of the pool, staring intently at the water as if he can see into its depths. “You think there’s a passage underneath it? I guess it’s possible that they could have built a waterway to serve as an emergency exit of some sort, but only if it opens into a passage with an airway.

“I doubt they’d want this place to have more than one way in,” I muse.

“Worth a look.” Jax throws off his shirt and strips out of his pants so fast I barely have time to realize what’s happening before he’s jumping into the ominous pool.

Seconds tick by without Jax coming up for air. My eyes scan the surface of the water for any sign of movement, but not even a bubble breaks through the glass-like appearance. I feel like I’m holding my breath right along with him. It’s been too long. What if he’s stuck down there? Hurt? The treasure hunter has grown on me over the past twenty-four hours. He’s part of this group, and if anything happened to him… “Should one of us…?”

Bear starts to strip out of his shirt to go in after him, but just then, Jax breaks the surface with a gasp. He takes a few deep breaths as he swims over to the edge and lifts himself out, chest heaving, muscles rippling as the water sluices down his body. For all his faults, the man is a beautiful specimen of masculine power.

“There’s a pipeline, letting water in, but it’s not big enough to get through,” he says, breathing heavily. “Searched as far as I could hold my breath, but nothing.”

I stomp up to him and smack him in the chest with the back of my hand. Jax’s eyes open wide in surprise.

“Don’t you ever scare us like that again! Do you know how distraught Cora would have been if something happened to you?”

“Cora, or you?” Jax smirks, pulling his pants back on over his wet thighs.

I roll my eyes. “Keep dreaming.”

Jax leans so close, his lips brush my ear. “Oh, I will.”

Goosebumps rise on my skin from his proximity and implication. My gaze flicks to Bear, worried that he might not like Jax flirting with me, but he doesn’t look upset. His head is tilted to the side thoughtfully, desire in his eyes. It’s probably just that damn necklace making us all horny. It’s highly unlikely that I could have more than one person in this soon-to-be pack—if I can even be a part of it.

Roman clears his throat. “Well, looks like we’re gonna have to go back through scorpion city. Maybe there’s something else here we can use to keep them at bay. Some way we can light a fire maybe.”

“A blow torch would be nice.” Jax rubs his hands together.

“Right, yeah.” The sarcasm is thick in Roman’s voice. “I think I saw one of those over—” he points behind us, but cuts off abruptly.

We all turn to look and find Cora holding the choker against her neck. “Just to be clear, if this makes me go into heat, I want all of you.” Her gaze turns to Jax with a shy smile. “No condoms. Uh… if you want.”

Then she snaps the choker onto her neck.

47

Idon’t know how long Jax has been under the water, but for once, I’m not worried. This is all meant to be. The five of us, down here, together. With Lunara’s relic.

The necklace seems to grow brighter, like it’s agreeing with me. The gold should be dull from years of disuse, but it’s as bright as the sun in the dimly lit room. It’s clearly not a standard piece of jewelry from this era, from any era really. Maybe it’s made of something other than gold? Some alchemistic metal, lost to antiquity. Or maybe it really is magic, imbued with the power of the goddess who wore it. It’s easy to believe in the occult here, in the secret temple of Lunara, surrounded by scent matches I never thought I’d find, men so uniquely suited for me I could have never imagined them.

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