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“ S peaking of out,” I growl, trying to get us back on track, “I think we should head that way.” I point in the direction the cave-in would be if we were a level above still. “Maybe there are stairs or something that are still intact.”

“Maybe.” Jax says, then points his finger the opposite way. “But I want to see what that is.”

There’s a blue glow a ways down the hall that I didn’t notice. It must have been my worry for Cora that made me miss it, because I sure as fuck see it now. Is he fucking serious? Why the hell would we willingly approach some weird ass glow in an unexplored ancient temple? It’s clearly not daylight—the color tone is all wrong. I can’t think of many things that naturally glow that color. This is how horror movies start.

Jax may have been helpful in getting us down here after Archer fell, but I still don’t trust him, and every time he looks at Cora, it makes me want to growl .

Bear helps Archer to his feet while Cora picks up the torch on the floor.

“I kinda want to see what that is, too?” Cora admits with a slight shrug of her shoulders. Of course she does. She’s curious and inquisitive, something I find annoyingly attractive.

“It could be the way out.” Archer bends his neck side to side, like he’s stretching out a kink. I imagine he’ll be sore for a while after that fall. “That way seems as good as any to me.”

“Guess we’re following Jax.” Bear keeps an arm around Archer as they head off.

Seriously? Come on .

“I’m following you .” I take the torch from Cora, my other hand coming to the small of her back.

My skin prickles with awareness from where I touch her, and my heart beats anxiously as we follow the rest of the group. I don’t like walking into things blind. I’m the kind of guy who wants to know what to expect. Uncertainty gets my hackles up and puts me on the defensive. But the group seems set on heading toward the creepy glow.

We barely make it a hundred feet before we’re all stopping again. A tangle of green foliage blocks the path, thick curls of plant life hanging from the ceiling like a natural curtain, albeit one too thick to just shove through.

“This is… wait, what is this?” Archer steps forward, bending to get a closer look at the vines. “I’ve never seen a plant like this.”

“Don’t you have a degree in biology?” Jax asks, holding the flashlight closer so that Archer can examine the green shoot.

“Yeah, biology, not horticult—” Archer is cut off by Bear’s protective growl.

“How do you know that?” Bear demands, turning on Jax.

Unphased, Jax shrugs and turns back to the indomitable flora. “Researched all of you.”

“What? Why?” Cora asks apprehensively at the same time as I say, “Fucking hell?!”

“Know your enemies,” Jax winks at her before tilting his head toward the three of us. “And your competition.”

“There’s nothing we’re competing for,” I say.

“You sure about that, professor?” Jax’s gaze slides from me to Cora and back to me, his implication clear. The bastard goes a step further, reaching out to gently tuck a piece of Cora’s hair behind her ear.

“Yes.” I clench my teeth and grab a fistful of vines intending to pull some out of the way. “Are we still going this way?”

Cora looks nervous.

“What?” I ask her, a little too harshly.

“Should you really be grabbing an unknown plant like that? What if it’s poisonous?” She’s got a point. Even Archer doesn’t know what this thing is, and if it’s been living down here for thousands of years, goddess knows what kind of prehistoric secretions it could be oozing out. I don’t say anything, but I do release the vine, wipe my hand on my pants, and step back to look at the group.

“Well, I think we’re gonna have to touch it unless Rambo over here has a secret machete hidden up his ass.” Bear hikes a thumb at Jax who shakes his head.

I bite my tongue to keep from reminding them that we could go the other way, away from the vines. It seems like their minds are made up, and not only am I not wandering off into the unknown alone, I’m sure as hell not leaving Cora with that Captain Jack Sparrow wanna be.

Turning back to the natural wall, Bear parts the vines gently with both hands, leading the way. I direct Cora to go next, following behind her with the torch. Archer and Jax fall into step behind me.

“Try not to damage the plant too much. I’m gonna want to come back and study it once we get out of here. It’s remarkable to find such a thriving vine without any access to sunlight,” Archer comments.

Instead of a curtain like we thought, the foliage is thick, a veritable forest hanging from above that stretches on much farther than I expected. The trek is eerie, the source of the blue glow still not visible. I’m reminded of the fairytales parents tell their children, the dark forest teeming with hidden dangers. The stories that kept kids from wandering off alone where they shouldn’t. Stories ingrained in the human collective consciousness.

A sense of foreboding blankets every step, and a nervous energy thrums through the group. We’re silent as we hold vines back for each other and walk forward in a tight line.

“Do you hear that?” Bear whispers after the last of the vines closes in behind us, making it even darker than it was before .

I listen intently, but all I hear are five chests breathing and the soft padding of our feet as we walk. As I focus back on Cora in front of me, she reaches to pull a vine out of the way like we’ve been doing the whole time. Except this time, it falls to the ground, wiggling and writhing.

“Snakes!” Cora screams, and all hell breaks loose.