Staring wide-eyed, I opened and closed my mouth. “It’s a myth.”
In the Desert Lands, grottos were their version of an oasis, the fable of finding paradise in the middle of the desolate sands. In this world, it was said that they existed below the plains, but no one had ever found one to prove this tale. When we were young, Reece had told me of his plans to find one of these gifts that the ancients had supposedly left, even though none had ever achieved this task.
I should have known that if anyone could discover a grotto, it would be Reece.
“I can’t believe you actually found one,” I said, shaking my head as excitement pushed through my shock. “We spent so many moons making plans for what we’d do with all the treasures.”
He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine, a completely impromptu kiss, and it rocked me in a way that was unexpected. Pulling away, breathless, I asked, “How did you find it?”
Reece shrugged, his eyes still focused on my mouth. "I've had a lot of time on my hands, not to mention the sort of determination that’s gotten me through rough days."
That sobered me up somewhat. I hadn’t been with him for the rough days—no doubt I’d caused more than a few of them. “I should have been here when you found it,” I whispered, drawing his gaze up to meet mine. “I missed that moment.”
The tilt of his lips was barely visible, but he didn’t look unhappy. “You’re here this moon, and we can finally fulfil our plans.”
Plans…“Who knew those plans would one day include naked body parts and multiple orgasms," I joked, needing a break from the heavier emotions.
"I knew," he said, with a low laugh that stirred power deep in my chest. "This has been destined for a long time, and since I've never brought anyone to this spot for fear it would be stolen or corrupted, it looks like all my boyhood dreams are about to come to fruition."
A sense of relief filtered through me at the knowledge that no one else had ever come to the grotto with him. This was still a chance to experience it all with him. A first for both of us.
Before I could say anything else, he released my hand, moving closer to the dune. He spent several minutes searching the grounds closely. “It shifts every moon," he explained, brushing away some sands. "And I haven't been out here for a long time, but it’s usually…"
He trailed off as he leaned down further, dusting off another layer. Even in the dark moonlight, I could see what looked like crystals embedded in the red sands. "You won't believe the color of the sand below," he said as he looked up, our gazes meeting. “It's unmatched anywhere on the surface."
I found myself crouching closer, and as I did, I felt his power moving deeper and deeper into the land. "What exactly are you doing?" I asked.
"Seeking permission to enter from the sand below."
I pressed my hand to the ground near his and almost gasped at the undercurrent of power. The Desert Lands always had a flowing well of energy that could be tapped into, but this was something… bigger. As I moved my hands a few yards to the right, all I felt was the normal Rohami power.
"The doorway is contained within a very small sliver of sand," Reece explained.
“Hence why they’re near impossible to find.”
He nodded, before lowering his head again and continuing to ask permission. In minutes, the sands started to shift and move below our feet, followed by a distinct rumble. Reece jumped up and all but dragged me back a few dozen feet. "I’ve only found this one,” he said as we both watched the sands drop away from the land until what looked a lot like a doorway into the ground formed, “but I believe more exist.”
All the lands here were equally powerful, and it made sense that Rohami wouldn’t be the only one to benefit from a grotto. The rumbling eased as the sands completely split the earth where Reece’s hand had been pressed mere seconds ago. The gap continued to widen until eventually the deserts were once again peaceful, except for this new opening with twinkling lights highlighting a path under the sands.
I was about to see a grotto with Reece, and for a beat I wondered how this was my life.
35
If Reece hadn't been confidently strolling into a gianthole in the land,I would have been more cautious in my approach, but trusting his experience with this grotto, I followed, naked and quietly anticipating what I might see in this place of myth and legend.
As we descended many steps, leading even deeper than I expected, the lights highlighted the red sands. I couldn’t see what lay below from this angle, but I noticed that as we moved into the grotto, the reds were changing tone, growing lighter until…
"Silver," I breathed. "The sands are pure silver."
"Yep," Reece’s deep voice filtered up from where he was a few steps lower. He turned back to me, and I noted that his skin looked darker under the silver. His eyes bluer and more intense too. "These sands hold properties unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Not just in this world, but all of them. It’s true power, original power, but it can never be removed from the grotto."
"You tried to remove it?" Of course he’d tried to remove it.
He nodded, that cocky smile reappearing. "Yeah, you know how I like to best whatever challenges come my way. I’ve tried to take this power out in so many ways I lost count. It didn’t matter, though, because by the time I reached the surface, not a speck of silver remained with me.”
“You’re lucky the grotto continues to allow you entrance,” I said drily, shaking my head.
His laugh echoed through this stairwell. “I think it enjoyed my attempts. A familiar game we play.”
