Page 167 of Golden Queen
Io took my hand again and pulled me the rest of the way to the cave opening.
I hesitated. "Are you sure there aren't ice cats in there?" I asked.
"Not in this cave."
"How do you know?"
"Because this cave is special."
I took a tentative step inside and immediately felt the change in temperature. It was warm, almost muggy.
Io's hand flared to life with bright gold flames as we moved into the cave through a narrow, arched tunnel. The light cast flickering reflections over the smooth, shiny black walls.
"Is this a natural cave?" I asked, thinking the walls looked much too smooth to be anything but man made.
"These are lava tubes."
"So this is a volcano?" I asked with sudden apprehension.
"A dormant one," he replied.
"It doesn't feel very dormant in here," I pressed. The temperature had climbed so high that I was sweating and needed to remove my thick fur coat.
"It's safe, I promise."
We followed the tunnel as it snaked down and around for several hundred feet until it abruptly opened on a massive chamber.
I gasped at the beauty of the cave before me. Diffuse light streamed from long tendril vines hanging from a central hole in the ceiling. I could see the stars and a portion of the night sky far above. Below, spreading off into the darkness, was a huge hot spring—more lake than pool.
Steam wafted from opaque blue water. It rose up to mingle with the glowing vines. Some of them reached nearly to the rocky shores of the hot spring. The edge of the pool was stained white with the build-up of minerals from the water so that it gave it the appearance of being a frozen, icy paradise.
Thick verdant mats of pale gray moss grew down from the cave walls and extended in flowing patches down to the water's edge. I could faintly see tiny swaying green plants in the water carried back and forth on some current.
Io released my hand as I stepped into the cave, shrugging off my coat. I turned in a circle, my face split in a wide grin of astonishment.
He studied me as I picked my way to the edge of the water and leaned down to feel it. It was warm—deliciously so.
I stood, kicking off my boots one by one and going for the buttons of my shirt. I heard his laugh as I threw it to the ground and moved to undo the buttons of my pants.
Only when I was completely naked and waded out to where the water covered me to my navel did I look back at him.
He was watching me, his eyes dark and intense as I ran my hands through the ethereally blue water.
"You look like a water goddess," he said, a slow grin curving his lips.
I didn't respond. I just turned and began walking further out, following the gentle slope of the pool until the water was deep enough that I had to swim. I tipped my head back and looked up at the brilliant stars overhead, visible through the open ceiling of the cave. Snow could be seen clinging to the edges of the rocks at the very top where those long, faintly glowing vines were rooted in between the stones.
The sound of splashing drew my attention to the shore, and I saw Io, gloriously naked, stalking out into the water toward me. His body was a masterpiece, his long arms and chiseled torso, with the flat planes of his stomach leading down to that deliciously wicked ‘v.’ Even his cock was perfectly made, long and thick between his massive thighs.
How could this wonderful, supremely powerful creature be stalking toward me with his eyes full of hunger? It was ridiculous.
I thought he would come straight to me, but he disappeared beneath the surface. He surfaced just in front of me, his head bursting through the water as his arms captured me. He pulled me against him as his lips found mine.
"I have wanted to see you in this place since the first moment I laid eyes on that devastating body of yours," he said.
I smiled. It always made me feel beautiful when he said things like that. I had never been particularly proud of my round shape, even when I easily comprehended the looks I got any time I wore something particularly form-fitting. Men liked the shape of me, that was true, but I never liked the way their eyes made me feel—somehow ashamed of it.
That all changed when he looked at me. When he looked at me likethat—like he was devouring the simple sight of me—like the image alone was enough to fulfill him…it made me feel like that goddess he compared me to.
