Page 112 of Mortis

I wasn’t sure how that was relevant.

“I’ll have to pick you up.”

Arlo shrugged. “Fine. Crack on.”

I stepped closer and scooped him into my arms, one beneath his knees and the other around his back. He crossed his arms and stared up at me expectantly.

“Now what?”

Without answering, I adjusted my hold and clamped a hand over his mouth. Arlo’s eyes narrowed. He immediately began trying to wrench my hand away, muffled sounds spilling from beneath my palm. Judging by the fury in his expression, I assumed most of them were expletives.

Then I bent my knees and jumped.

We launched into the air. Arlo went rigid. His blue eyes widened as the ground rapidly disappeared beneath us, and his hands flew to the front of my shirt. A high-pitched squeal escaped him, thankfully muffled beneath my palm.

I silently congratulated myself for thinking ahead.

We sailed over the fence. At the peak of my jump, we were high enough that I could see across the rooftops of the houses surrounding the cemetery.

Then we began to fall.

Arlo’s eyes slammed shut. His grip on my shirt tightened. But seconds later, my feet hit the grass. I bent my knees to absorb the impact and landed steadily on the other side. The moment I removed my hand from Arlo’s mouth, he threw himself out of my arms and collapsed onto the grass. He remained on his hands and knees, fingers twisted into the blades as his back rose and fell with several deep breaths.

“Next time . . . warn . . . a guy,” he wheezed. “Fucking . . . hell.”

I bowed my head. “My apologies.”

Though I couldn’t summon much remorse. We had already wasted too much time searching for an easier way inside. Teddy was our priority, and I would do whatever was necessary to reach him. Even if that meant launching Arlo thirty feet into the air.

Eventually, he pushed himself upright. His face was still pale beneath the moonlight, but at least he no longer looked as though he might empty the contents of his stomach onto the grass.

“Okay.” He inhaled deeply and brushed the dirt from his palms. “Minor panic over. Where to now?”

I jerked my head towards a path leading deeper into the cemetery. “This way.”

We moved quickly and silently towards the catacombs. Despite the darkness, we remained close to the trees, using their shadows for cover. Sebastian would likely have members of the cult scattered throughout the grounds, watching for our inevitable arrival.

They knew I would come. They had Teddy, so of course I would come.

But knowing that didn’t mean I had to make it easy for them.

Our plan was simple. Get inside without being detected. Find Teddy. Free him. Get him and Arlo far enough away that I no longer had to worry about either of them getting hurt. Then I would return, and with the element of surprise still on my side, I would eliminate every remaining member of the cult, including Sebastian.

Once and for all.

But the entire plan depended on reaching Teddy before they realised we were there.

We weaved between the graves, keeping our footsteps light and avoiding piles of leaves and fallen twigs that might give away our position. And the longer we walked, the more uneasy I became. The grounds were far too quiet. I couldn’t sense a single human nearby. Couldn’t hear hushed voices or careful footsteps. There were no guards patrolling the cemetery. No cult members lurking amongst the graves, waiting to ambush us.

Nothing.

It was wrong. They knew I would come. They had Teddy.

So where were they?

“I thought there’d be, like, spies dotted around,” Arlo whispered beside me. “You know, waiting to catch us or something.”

I hummed in agreement, scanning the darkness between the trees. “As did I.”