Cold wind rushed past, making her hair dance and spin, as Cruxan maneuvered the hovercraft to wherever he was taking her. He still wouldn’t tell her.
Though it was dark, she could clearly make out his dulled claws, which had been sharp and pointed that afternoon.
“When you were dressing,” he murmured into her ear. She was positioned in front of him, pressed to the control panel of the hovercraft, with Cruxan directly behind her, keeping her safely enclosed in the circle of his arms as he piloted it.
“But why?”
“I do not want to harm you accidentally when I touch you,” he told her. “Luxirians…we have stronger skin. But I feared I could cut yours very easily if I was not careful.”
“Oh.”
That made her suppress a smile, her stomach fluttering with that knowledge.
It was…sweet. It was something she hadn’t expected him to do for her and it wasn’t even something she’d worried about when it came to them. But Cruxanhadthought about it,hadworried about it.
God, I’m in trouble, she thought for the millionth time that day.
How had a beautiful Luxirian femalenotsnapped him up by then? How was henotbeing chased by hordes of females, desperate for his attention?
She thought back to a conversation they’d once had and thought that maybe hewasbeing chased. He’d told her that there had been many females in his past, yet she remembered him saying he’d never been in love before. It had raised red flags for her at the time, making her a little jealous, making her think that he was nothing but a playboy…and perhaps he was, or at least, had been. The only thing that had made her pause was that he’d been so damnhonestabout it.
“We are almost there,” he murmured to her.
She couldn’t help but wonder where in the world he was taking her and why they’d had to wait until night.
But shortly, she sensed Cruxan slowing the hovercraft and when a little oasis came into view, hidden by the tall trees ofKroratax, she knew thatthiswas what he wanted to show her.
It was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.
Circling above it, Cruxan let her look her fill.
“It is a hot spring,” he told her. “There are many in this region and I just happened upon this place many rotations ago.”
Crystal’s eyes were wide as she took it in. From above, she could see the hot spring wasn’t that large. It wasn’t the size of a lake by any means, but it stretched wide, the black water still as steam rose from its surface. Tall, teal blue trees protected and shielded the hot spring, making it seem private and hidden.
“We are going down, right?” she asked, eager to see it up close.
His chuckle met her ears. “Tev, of course. We are goingin.”
His words didn’t really settle into her mind until he’d landed them a short distance from the hot spring. When Cruxan helped her off the hovercraft, her bare feet sank into black sand, similar in color to the sand that billowed out from the Golden City, but this sand was so fine and soft that it felt like silk beneath her feet.
Her lips were parted as she took it in. It was one of the most beautiful things she’d seen on Luxiria…with the exception of thetevvaxbloom, but she wouldn’t think about that right then.
Moonlight was the only source of light, but it was more than enough. The silver light pierced the steam, giving it a glimmering sheen, and reflected off the black, inky water. The towering trees around them were as large as sequoias, ancient guardians that shifted and rustled in the slight, chilling breeze.
It felt magical. It felt lovely.
“What do you think?” Cruxan murmured, coming to stand beside her, his arm brushing her side.
“I think it’s beautiful,” she told him, giving him a smile. “I should have brought my tablet so I could paint it.”
“Tomorrow night,” he promised her. “We will come back,tev?”
“Okay,” she whispered, suppressing her grin. She looked at the water and it was then that his words from earlier entered her mind. “Wait, what do you mean we’re goingin?”
“You think we came all this way just to look at it?” he teased.
“Oh my God,” she breathed, but amusement rose up in her, tangling with her nerves and anticipation. “You brought me here so I would get naked with you,” she accused.
