Their confidence in their mates and the future of their relationships, was enviable. For the first time since meeting Xander, I had hope for the same thing. And sometimes hope was all that got me through.
The cave opened wider as we crept deeper, and thankfully the light remained consistent, despite the doorway no longer being visible behind us. “No sign of the stone yet,” I said, my eyes locked on whatever was coming up ahead.
“So what happened with you and Xander in the water?” Callie asked out of nowhere. “Did he say you bonded?”
My throat tightened. “Yes, the stone bonded us … like a Royale marriage.” I pressed my free hand to my chest. “I can feel him in here. But … I still don’t know about the future. In Royale, overlords choose the mates of their children. His mother already has a caramina picked out for him. If he goes against them, he might have to step away from his entire family and responsibilities. I’m worried he will eventually come to resent me if that’s what happens.”
“He loves you,” Maya declared. “Anyone can see that. I don’t know Xander well, but the side of him we all know is sort of arrogant and self-centered. But he’s not like that with you. He’s softer … kind. He shows that he cares, and not just about you. About all of us.”
Xander had pretty much said the same thing. “Sometimes love isn’t enough,” I said sadly. “I mean, if we were no longer welcome in Royale, where would we live? What would Xander do? He’s used to being a leader … he would be unhappy if that was gone.”
Before any more of this depressing conversation could happen, I caught sight of a gleaming reflection ahead. Slowing, I pulled Callie back.
“Did you see it?” I whispered, shifting my head to the side to find the glimmer again. “There’s something back there.”
With more caution, and staying quiet now, we shuffled forward. The cave widened considerably, and I reached out for Maya’s hand so that the four of us were linked—she was already holding Emma’s.
Warmth and energy filled me, and with that came a sense of calm. “Just in case we’re about to die,” Emma said, slight amusement in her tone. “I just want to say that I love you all. I’m grateful that we met.”
“Love you all too,” Maya added.
Callie sniffled. “Yes, same for me.”
Overwhelmed, I choked out, “Meeting you guys and Xander is the best thing that has happened to me.”
It hit me very poignantly then that a true friendship wasn’t always about the length of time you’d known another person. Sometimes it was the people who came into your life in the right moment and stayed for the tough stuff. We were new friends in some ways, but our souls had known each other for our entire lives.
Our bond thrumming between us, we took a step forward, and another, the far wall closing in on us. It was the end of the line. The last part of this cave. A round space opened up from the tunnel we’d been in, and I noted how different the rock in this round section looked. It was smooth and refined, almost manmade.
As the four of us stepped over the threshold into the circle, we all stumbled. It was only the combined grip we had on each other that kept me on my feet.
“Holy fuck,” Callie exclaimed. “The power….”
She sounded as breathless as I felt. My chest heaved up and down as I tried to suck air in. It felt like the energy in here was so thick the oxygen couldn’t fit.
“We need to find the stone.” I coughed, hunching forward.
All of us sucked in whatever air was left in the room, filling our lungs. With determination, we stepped forward.
“We can do it,” Maya chanted over and over.
I joined her, and then so did Callie and Emma. Our voices got louder and louder as we pushed through the power. It was only at the last second, when one of us put on the brakes, that we managed to stop before hitting the back wall. I didn’t think. I lifted both of my hands that were joined to my friends and slammed the bottom of our palms against the wall. The others followed; a ringing, like the ding of a bell, sounded around the cave.
Then the room fell silent.
The energy died away.
The rock before us slid across, like it was an automatic door, and light burst in from this new entrance. When my eyes finally adjusted, I was able to clearly see the stone rising from the floor.
“He literally buried it right at the equator,” I said, shaking my head. The stone would have been almost impossible to find had Laous not pushed us into this situation.
The four of us stumbled forward, crossing closer to the stone. It was huge, about the size of a loaf of bread in width, and two loaves in length. The color was next to impossible to determine, sort of opaque and opal, with shifting galaxies of stars inside it.
“We should pick it up together,” I suggested, hoping like hell the energy wasn’t going to rip us apart.
Callie cleared her throat, and I jerked in surprise when she removed her hand from mine in one quick tug.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, stepping back as she let out a flare of strong heat.
