The Tomb Buries Everyone Who Won't Listen
Piper Hayes · Completed · 6.5k Words
Introduction
She even brings some so-called expert along. Everyone crowds around the dark opening, practically shaking with excitement.
I'm the only one who tries to stop it.
"There's a mechanism in there. It's dangerous. We shouldn't go in. We need to report it to the antiquities authority first."
They just laugh at me.
"God, Blair, you're unbelievable. Untouched site like this and you just land it."
"Right, and some people never say two words all semester and now they want in on the action."
My palms are sweating. They don't know I come from a family of manuscript conservators. I grew up surrounded by dead languages and schematics for ancient mechanisms. What nobody else can read, I read clearly.
The stele at the entrance is carved with Egyptian hieroglyphs, and the warning is not subtle:
Whoever enters here will lose their soul to the void, and their bones will turn to dust.
Chapter 1
Cora's POV
The club is dragging everyone out to a tomb Blair Whitmore's family dug up in Egypt, and nobody asked if this was a good idea.
She even brings some so-called expert along. Everyone crowds around the dark opening, practically shaking with excitement.
I'm the only one who tries to stop it.
"There's a mechanism in there. It's dangerous. We shouldn't go in. We need to report it to the antiquities authority first."
They just laugh at me.
"God, Blair, you're unbelievable. Untouched site like this and you just land it."
"Right, and some people never say two words all semester and now they want in on the action."
My palms are sweating. They don't know I come from a family of manuscript conservators. I grew up surrounded by dead languages and schematics for ancient mechanisms. What nobody else can read, I read clearly.
The stele at the entrance is carved with Egyptian hieroglyphs, and the warning is not subtle:
Whoever enters here will lose their soul to the void, and their bones will turn to dust.
"Everyone, look at this. My dad's company dug this up in Egypt a few days ago. I checked, it's not even in the Egyptian antiquities records."
Blair Whitmore, president of our university's history exploration club and the only daughter of some local real estate tycoon, yells to the group, chin tilted up, decked out in some custom expedition jacket.
"Blair, this is insane," some guy next to her says, eyes lit up. "We get exclusive footage out of this, we're going viral on campus for sure."
A girl next to him chimes in, her tone sharp. "Exactly, Blair basically runs this club. Unlike some people who never say anything all year and suddenly want to ride her coattails."
She glances at me when she says it.
My name is Cora Vance. I've never been anyone in this club, just background noise. The only reason I'm standing here is that Blair wanted to flex her influence as president and made attendance mandatory for this "secret bonding trip."
But I can't look away from that stele. None of them can read it, but I can, and that warning isn't there for show.
I force myself to take a step forward.
"That stone, it says there's a mechanism inside. It's dangerous. We really shouldn't go in. We should report it to the antiquities authority first."
The clearing goes dead silent. Everyone stares at me like I grew a second head.
Blair lets out a sharp laugh. "Cora, are you serious right now? You're the girl who had to copy someone else's paper just to pass finals. You think you get to lecture me?"
"I didn't copy anything. That was a misunderstanding."
"Shut up." She cuts me off, rolling her eyes. "I hate people who pretend to know things they don't. You can't even read that gibberish. Stop trying to scare everyone."
She turns to a middle-aged man standing beside her in a khaki field vest.
"Dale, I paid you a small fortune to be our Egyptologist. Tell this idiot whether the tomb is actually dangerous."
Dale looks me over like I'm not worth his time.
"This kid doesn't know anything. I already surveyed the site. Sure, it's remote, but the energy here is incredible. Whatever mechanisms used to be in there stopped working ages ago. You're all safe with me leading the way. And Blair here, she's got good fortune written all over her. Whatever's inside that tomb, it's meant for her."
Blair's chin goes up another inch.
"You hear that? Cora, you're just some hick who's never seen anything outside this town. Of course you're jealous I found something this good."
The two friends beside her pile on.
"Seriously, if you're scared, leave. Don't ruin this for everyone."
"The expert already said it's fine. Who are you to argue?"
I watch them, so pleased with themselves, and something in me goes cold and quiet. I warned them. They don't believe me. There's nothing else I can do.
"Fine. If you're all going in, I'm not." I turn to walk back the way we came. I can't win an argument and I definitely can't win a fight, so I leave. That's the only trick I've ever learned.
I barely get one step before Blair grabs my wrist, hard.
"You think you're just going to walk off and report me? Let me be clear. You're going in whether you like it or not. You ruin this for me, I'll make sure you can't survive another semester here."
She waves a hand and the guys close in around me, shoving me toward the entrance.
"Let's go. Dale's leading the way. We're not leaving here empty-handed." Blair swings her flashlight around, grinning, and ducks into the dark opening first.
Someone shoves me from behind and I stumble into the cold, damp passage. The dark swallows me whole. I already said my piece. Whatever happens next isn't on me anymore.
"Keep quiet in there. Keep running your mouth and see what happens." The guy behind me shoves me again.
I clench my fists, keep my head down, and follow them in.
Last Chapters
You Might Like 😍
Invincible Upon Release: The Strongest Mage
Her family looked down on him, and even she herself said coldly: “You’re not worthy of being my husband.”
Everyone thought this newly released good-for-nothing was just a poor fool who’d taken the fall for his brother.
Thorne said nothing.
He merely raised his hand, gently pressing his bride’s forehead.
In an instant, the chaos in her eyes faded. Holy light surged from beneath the church, shooting into the sky.
The world’s only candidate for the Saintess, blessed with holy power, slowly opened her clear eyes before him.
The mafia princess return
The Princess's Revenge
Alpha Logan is an illegitimate son whose mother disappeared when he was 10 years old. He grew up suffering from humiliation and lacking maternal love.
Alpha Logan saves Valencia at Marcus's funeral, which seems to be destined by fate—part of the Moon Goddess's grand plan.
As Valencia accidentally discovers prophecies in Logan's mother's diary that seem to be related to her, the truth gradually surfaces. Valencia appears to be merely a tool in a princess's revenge plot. How will Logan and Valencia navigate their path amid the national war and pack politics?
Real Heiress, Hidden Boss
On the engagement day, my fiancé slipped a ring on her finger. My parents handed me a train ticket to oblivion.
They celebrated their victory while I disappeared.
What they didn't realize was that letting me go was the worst mistake of their lives.
I am the surgical prodigy saving lives that science deems hopeless. I am the muse of the art world. I am the true heir to a dynasty they couldn't even dream of.
Now, I am back.
Not as the girl they abandoned, but as the storm they prayed would never come.
My ex-fiancé kneels in regret. My fake sister chokes on her jealousy. And the CEO who once looked through me? He is now crawling, desperate to taste the success he once threw away.
The joke isn't on me.
It's on them.
The Vampire King's Feeder
Emory: I was born to be the Alpha of my pack, my father's first born daughter. But now... I am here, in the castle of our greatest enemy, the Vampire King. I should hate Kane Alexander, but the more time I spend with him, the more I long for him in ways I cannot understand. I am not here to be his lover, though. I am here to be his feeder. But even before his lips graze my skin the first time, I know I would give myself to him in every way imaginable if only he should ask. Kane: I long to taste the wolf shifter, but not her blood, her body... her essence. I want her in every way imaginable. But I'm already betrothed to marry another blood-born vampire, and if I call that off, I have resigned my kingdom to yet another war. There has to be a way to keep Emory Moonraker as my feeder but not claim her in my bed. I just haven't figured it out yet, and every time I look into her jade eyes, I forget everything and everyone but her. But I have enemies, and every moment she spends here in my home, Castle Graystone, she's in danger.
The Billionaire's Mask (A Dark Steamy Romance)
Tango with the Alpha's Heart
“He met her at the Alpha training camp,” he said. “She is a perfect suitor for him. It snowed last night, indicating that his wolf is happy with his choice.”
My heart sank, and tears made their way down my cheeks.
Alexander took my innocence last night, and now he is taking that thing in his office as his Luna.
Emily became the laughingstock of the pack on her 18th birthday and never expected the Alpha's son to be her mate.
After a night of passionate love, Emily finds out that her mate has taken a chosen mate. Heartbroken and humiliated, she disappears from the pack.
Now, five years later, Emily is a respected high-ranking warrior in King Alpha’s army.
When her best friend invites her to a night of music and laughter, she never expects to run into her mate.
Will her mate figure out it is her?
Will he chase after her, and most of all, will Emily be able to keep her secrets safe?
Legacy Of Dragons, Royal Dragons Book 2
Ria and the Balaur brothers never imagined how far their family would come.
After surviving betrayal, loss, and the lies that nearly destroyed everything they loved, they dedicated themselves to building a future. What began as a training facility for dragons soon grew into something far greater—a place where dragons and other species from around the world could learn, train, and thrive together.
Now the facility is flourishing. Their children have grown, many finding their own mates among dragons, shifters, and other species from distant lands. The family Ria fought so hard to protect has expanded beyond anything she once dreamed possible, bringing new friendships, new adventures, and a growing legacy of grandchildren.
As old secrets continue to surface, long-held beliefs about dragons and mixed-species bloodlines are being challenged. Truths buried for generations are finally coming to light, reshaping everything they thought they knew about their world.
The Family Books 1-3 (A Mafia romance)
The saint to my sinner. with her innocent eyes and devilish curves.
A Madonna that was meant to be admired but never touched.
Until someone took that innocence from her.
She left.
The darkness in my heart was finally complete.
I avenged her, I killed for her, but she never came back.
Until I saw her again. An angel dancing around a pole for money.
She didn’t know I owned that club. She didn’t know I was watching.
This time I won’t let her escape.
I will make her back into the girl I knew.
Whether she likes it or not.
2/ Judge and Jury- I can’t stop watching her.
I’m not even sure I want to.
Taylor Lawson, blonde, beautiful, and totally oblivious to how much dangers she’s in.
She’s also the one juror in my upcoming murder trial that hasn’t been bought.
The one who can put me behind bars for a very long time.
I know I should execute her.
After all that’s what I do.
I am the Judge.
I eliminate threats to The Family.
And Taylor is a threat.
But I don’t want to kill her.
Possessing her, making her love me seems like a much better plan for this particular Juror.
3/ Rags and Ritches-
Iron And Glamour Just Don't Mix
Well… Sometimes you just might turn out to be right.
It turns out, the fae stole my little brother. In his place? A pixie with boundary issues and a talent for home repairs.
I’ve spent my life taking care of everyone else. So when my baby brother is taken, I don’t hesitate. I walk straight into a faerie mansion and make a bargain with its infuriatingly charming master.
Kie is everything you’d expect from a dangerous fae, beautiful, political, and entirely too amused by me. Power wrapped in a smirk. Sensual, mischievous, and far too aware of the effect he has on people. He agrees to help me find my brother.
For a price.
Now I’m bound by a faerie bargain and navigating a world of glamour, manipulation, and ancient rules I definitely should have learned sooner, enchanted forests, political games, magical contracts, and a fae lord who treats seduction like a perfectly reasonable negotiation tactic.
Iron is how I keep people out.
Glamour is how he draws them in.
And apparently, they just don’t mix.
BROKEN TRUST
Neither of them knew she was carrying his child.
Emily’s affair didn’t just end her marriage—it erased the life she thought was guaranteed. Ryan left without looking back, carrying his anger like armor and leaving Emily alone with regret she would never outrun. Three years later, fate drags them back into each other’s world, along with a little girl who has Ryan’s eyes and a truth that shatters everything he thought he knew.
Old wounds reopen, grief masquerades as rage, and love refuses to stay buried. As parenthood binds them together and the past demands accountability, Emily and Ryan must face the question neither of them is ready to answer: is broken trust the end of their story… or the beginning of a love forged through loss, forgiveness, and brutal honesty?
