~Valeria~
Sneaking into a basement at midnight to investigate your stepfather's murder altar was either going to end up in the news or something worse.
I'd told myself I was just going to look. Just going to see what was down there and then leave. Make a plan with my stepbrothers tomorrow when we could all go together like rational people who didn't have death wishes.
But the truth was, I couldn't wait. Couldn't spend another night sleeping in a house built over the altar that Cassian wanted to use to kill me. Couldn't keep pretending everything was normal when I knew what was lurking beneath the laundry room.
The key turned smoothly in the lock, and the basement door swung open to reveal darkness and stone steps leading down into what looked like actual hell.
"This is fine," I whisp
