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I hesitate for a second.Fuck it.Taking a deep breath, I step through the door behind him.
We’re on a raised walkway about the width of a typical city sidewalk. On either side of me, I can see a cavern far below. And it’s full of what looks like lava flowing on either side.
“Seriously?” I ask.
Liam glances over his shoulder. “I told you, stay on the path.”
“Isn’t lava a little on the nose for the underworld?” I ask. So far, everything else I’ve experienced has been the opposite of what I expected. This was exactly what I thought I’d see in Hell.
“It’s my dad’s humor,” he says. “It’s not like it actually prevents anyone from getting through. It just adds some drama. He loves theatrics.”
“Yeah, I got that when I met him,” I say. “Apple doesn’t seem to fall far from the tree.”
Liam stops walking and turns around so he’s facing me. His handsome features look a little scary in the shadows cast by the glowing lava around us. “Don’t ever compare me to him. I’m nothing like that sadistic asshole.”
“Really?” I know I shouldn’t push his buttons while standing on a platform between two lava flows, but I can’t help myself. “Making a brand new student crawl to you for her key sounds super nice. Not sadistic at all.”
He shakes his head and his usual joking expression is gone. “You don’t know anything. You got off easy for some reason. Normally, people who violate his bargains are killed. Something made him go easy on you.”
“Easy?” Heat rises inside me and it’s not because of the lava. “Your dad sent someone to kill my friends and kidnap me. I was taken from everything and everyone I loved and sent here. With a sentence of serving him for the rest of my life. Yeah, seems like I got off easy, right?”
“The normal order would have been to kill you too,” he says. “Would that be better?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “You tell me. Would you be willing to live life as someone’s slave?”
He shakes his head. “No.”
“Well, neither am I.”
“The pass?” he asks.
“Yes,” I say. “It’s my only shot. And I will take it from you.”
He grins, the seriousness fading. “I hope you do.”
He turns around and keeps walking. “But we’ll have to get through this project first. So get used to having me around. Cause you won’t pass it without me.”
“I’m used to doing the work on my own,” I say. “I’m pretty sure I could do it without you.”
“Yeah?” he asks. “You do a lot of translation for primary sources?”
Shit.He’s got me there. “Fine.”
I see the end of the rivers of lava ahead of me and a large open space that resembles a living room. Several couches, a few tables, squishy chairs and tons of book shelves.
“This is the archive?” I ask.
“The whole space was enchanted to help persevere the books.” Liam steps off the path onto the open area. I follow behind him.
“It’s not so scary,” I say.
“Well, my older brother came in here once with a friend after drinking too much,” he says. “His friend didn’t watch his step. I don’t think Mr. French has forgiven himself for giving them the key that night.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I say. “That’s awful.”
“My brother came here a lot when he attended. It’s a good place for some privacy,” Liam says.
My eyes widen. “We are not here for that. Sex is off limits.”
“There are lots of things we could do besides sex,” he says.
I catch myself staring into his blue eyes and I feel like I’m being pulled in. It takes everything I have to break the eye contact. Liam is dangerous. And not because he’s a cocky asshole. But because despite my limited interaction with him and how much I know I should stay away from him, my libido is begging me to cave.
“We have work to do,” I say, forcing myself to walk toward the book shelves. My heart is racing and despite myself, I almost want him to push me into something else.
“Alright,” he says. “Let’s get to work.”
