Page 102 of The Howl
“Two seconds. You can do it.”
I opened my mouth to argue, and he was already setting me on my feet at the rocky opening.
“The ground is warmer here,” he said. “Your cute little piggies would have squealed if you’d tried walking.” He gestured toward the opening. “Go ahead. I’ll bring up the rear.”
I stared at him for a moment, trying to decide if I should still scold him. He knew what the contact did to me, but his intent had been sweet.
Shaking my head at his knowing grin, I bent down and entered the cave. The cooling mist immediately coated my skin, and I was glad I’d removed my jeans.
The floor sloped steeply for the first few yards then eased to a gentle decline. We gained headspace quickly, but it wasn’t easy to see anything beyond the light of the opening. My steps slowed as soon as that faded.
Fenris’s hand gripped my hip and nudged me forward.
“Keep going. You’ll see light ahead soon.”
He steered me with light touches until my heart was racing painfully in my chest. Just when I thought I wouldn’t be able to take any more, the air grew even warmer and a light appeared ahead.
I brushed his hand away and hurried forward to an opening in the tunnel. Torchlight glinted off steamy pools of water. The air was heavy with warmth and moisture.
Ashlyn waved from one of the pools, surrounded by Fenris’s girls. Jenna lifted an arm from the water and waved, the move proving that not everyone had shared Fenris’s consideration about underclothes.
My cheeks, already warm, heated further as I waved in return then started studying the nearest wall.
“Since Eliana doesn’t want to swim with the group, I’m going to show her the rest of the pools,” Fenris said. “We’ll be back in a minute.”
Chapter Sixteen
Wasit smart to go off alone with Fenris? Probably not. But I knew it wouldn’t be smart to stay with the others, either.
I followed him deeper into the cave system through another tight opening. Again, the light faded, and I had to reach out to keep my hand lightly on Fenris’s back.
Touching him was a little easier than him touching me. But only because I was keeping the contact to a bare minimum. We walked a long while. In the dark, my hearing was more acute. The scrape of our feet along the path was the loudest noise for a while. And my breathing. Then, I heard the burble of water. That sound grew, along with the heat, then both faded again.
Twice more, we passed pools before Fenris stopped.
“Stay right there,” Fenris said.
I waited until another torch flamed to life.
“How do they light when everything is so wet in here?” I asked.
“We got special torches from some druids. They always light and never burn down.”
I looked around this smaller opening in the cave. Right alongside the path, there was a pool big enough for about four people.
“Get in,” he said.
“What? No way. I really don’t want to swim.”
He grinned and walked to the edge of the pool, lowering himself into the water. I watched him extend his arms along the edges so he was taking up a third of the space.
“There’s not enough room to swim. This is soaking with a purpose. The waters are hot and full of minerals. Good for the body and the mind. If you were any more stressed out, you’d supernova.”
The water tempted me. A lot. I glanced back at the way we’d come. The tunnel was dark.
“You’re far enough away from Ashlyn that you won’t sense her.”
I looked at him.
