Page 4 of Vicious Little Vows
On his knees, Crispin leaned over the pool, peering down through the depths.
“Can you tell how deep it is?” I asked.
He shook his head, still looking down. “I was just wondering if there were any portal markings like in Emerald Heights.”
“There is only solid stone at the bottom,” Mistral said behind us.
I looked back. “You mean you’ve gone down there?”
He shrugged, the movement graceful. “Would you not be curious? It was some time ago. I dove to the bottom searching for the source of the spring, but no source exists.”
“There must be some source with the way it bubbles,” Crispin said.
“You are free to check for yourself.” There was a hint of laughter in Mistral’s voice. Perhaps he thought it unlikely Crispin would go on a diving expedition after he’d expressed concerns about trolls.
“Well,” Crispin said with a shrug. “I wouldn’t be a true scholar if I didn’t study every possible angle.” He stood, reaching for the buttons on his shirt.
“Dude, I don’t think he was serious.” I stood, placing myself between Crispin and the water. “You don’t know how the magic will react to you. Is it really worth drowning over?”
Crispin continued unbuttoning his shirt, revealing the smooth skin of his chest. He was built more like Mistral than Gabriel, though the shoulders were broader. “We hiked all the way out here, Eva. I will not let our day be for naught.”
I looked pleadingly at Mistral, but he made no move to stop Crispin. “At least go with him,” I said.
Mistral twitched a brow. “You would have me drown as well?”
“You’ve already been down there!” My voice came out more shrill than intended, but I couldn’t help it. I’d always had a fear of deep water. Not quite a phobia, but close enough. The thought of Crispin going down and not coming back up—
Reading my expression, Mistral sighed, then lifted his shirt over his head. His smooth muscles rippled as he tossed it aside, his body made for swimming and running rather than lifting big heavy objects. My eyes lingered a little too long, and by the time I turned around, Crispin was in his underwear. Briefs, and they were red plaid. Why was I not surprised?
Doing my best to not ogle the elf, I stepped back as he and Mistral both approached the water. Mistral was still in his pants rather than his underthings, but maybe he wasn’t wearing any, and didn’t want to dive into possibly dangerous waters nude.
I had a moment to think what a bad idea this was, then they both walked into the water, submerging and diving down a moment later. Ringo darted away from the rippling pool, huddling near my right boot for safety.
“Eva?” Gabriel called from outside.
“Still here!” I called back. “The guys decided to go for a swim!”
I glanced back as a shadow shifted outside the cave, expecting to see Gabriel’s face, but instead I saw the silhouette of a thick vine. “Oh not again,” I muttered.
“There are more of them out here. They just showed up.”
Glancing once more at the now serene surface of the water, I hurried to the mouth of the cave, leaving Ringo huddled and blending into the stone. The vine that had been peeking in turned its white flower toward me, looking me up and down. I tensed as it came close to my face, making small movements like it was sniffing me.
Gabriel had one hand on his sword, ready to unsheathe it as he watched the vine, but I was at least pretty sure by this point that the vines didn’t want to hurt me. Last time a vine had come to visit through a window, it seemed like it just wanted to touch me, and had whipped Crispin with a tendril when he got too close.
Remembering that incident, I gave Gabriel a wary look. “We probably shouldn’t threaten it.”
He lowered his hand from his sword hilt, but I could tell it took some effort.
More vines slithered in around us, crisscrossing over the ground, their passing reminiscent of slithering snakes. Even though I’d just been thinking they didn’t want to hurt me, the sheer amount of them made my palms sweat. I held extra still as another white flower rose toward my face. Its soft petalscaressed my cheek, leaving a waft of scent behind as it moved to my brow.
I barely moved my lips as I said, “Crispin and Mistral should have surfaced by now. Maybe you should go check on them.”
Gabriel snorted, and it was answer enough. He wasn’t leaving me alone with the vines.
“Okay, maybe I can check.” I took a small step back, but something barred my way. Another vine, this one as thick as my arm, had snuck around, and now leaned a massive white flower over my shoulder. More reared up, blocking my escape.
“I don’t like this.” Gabriel’s hand lifted toward his sword again.
