Chapter Twenty
***Savanah***
The feeling of the air as it crossed over Savanah’s skin was pure exhilaration if ever she had felt it, but with Kyllian in his Naga form, and her feet dangling miles above the ground, she couldn’t help but feel a little fear as they soared through the skies. She slid her hands down to her belly and gently placed them there. With all that had been going on, Savanah hadn’t found the chance to tell him, but her worries for the growing babe were definitely apparent and she knew that she needed to keep herself calm; there were others to think about, not just herself, but admitting how she had become pregnant was something that brought Savanah an incredible amount of humiliation. In the back of her mind, she knew that being honest with Kyllian wasn’t an option and her conscience had been pushing her to confess. Kyllian suddenly began to descend from the air, just over an open and beautiful clear waterfall that ran into a small circular pool with water as blue as the bluest sapphire.
“Wow, what is this place?” Savanah asked as Kyllian slowly landed on the rock face edge of the waterfall. She slid off him and stood up, her eyes spanning out across the landscape as she appreciated the raw and natural beauty of it all. Kyllian suddenly shifted his form back to the handsome redhead Savanah was used to seeing him as.
“So, what do you think?” he asked her, looking out around the chosen oasis he decided to bring her to. Savanah smiled and looked down into the water.
“This place is epic. I mean, it’s absolutely incredible,” she murmured. There were towering evergreens all around, and the sun seemed to shimmer off the water as she looked down at it, like liquid silver dancing in the light. Savanah didn’t know what else to say to describe it. Kyllian smiled and nodded as he walked closer to her, wrapping his arms around her and nipping at her neck playfully as he stood next to her.
“That was why I wanted to bring you here. I thought the serenity of it all might be good for you,” he said with a smile. Savanah leaned into him, placing her head on his shoulder and sighing softly as her eyes came to close for a moment. She inhaled the scent of Kyllian, as if trying to brand the memory in every way into the recesses of her mind, where she could access it forever, and cherish the moment for the rest of her life.
“You are amazing, Kyllian,” Savanah murmured, feeling a sense of tranquility she hadn’t felt in ages.
“It’s places like this that have kept me sane. I just wanted to share with you my little slice of paradise,” he said. “How did you like flying with me?” he asked suddenly. Savanah half-smiled and gave a shrug.
“Honestly, it was a little scary, but really cool to see everything from so high,” she stated, matter-of-factly.
“Yeah, try being the one doing the navigating with a girl on your back,” he winked at her and stuck out his tongue.
“I could never imagine something like that. I don’t even know if I could handle being what you are,” Savanah commented.
“You get used to it, and you will get used to my crazy flying antics before much longer, I promise,” he said, making a joke of his own flight skill, which was honestly pretty good.
“I didn’t think you drove, er, um, flew that badly. It wasn’t that,” Savanah said.
“So, want to go swimming with me?” Kyllian asked her, pulling his shirt off and revealing his bared chest in one quick tug. Savanah’s eyes widened, and she looked down at the water in hesitation.
“Um, from right here? It’s kind of high up, isn’t it?” she asked. Carrying the baby meant she couldn’t be acting like a total fool and somehow Savanah felt that leaping off the cliff’s side might not be the best idea. Kyllian looked back at her and perked a brow.
“Come on, it’s not that bad,” he said, “I promise, I do it all the time,” he urged. Savanah felt that familiar wave of nervousness as it began to settle in her belly.
“Are there other ways to get to the water?” she asked, looking back at him. Kyllian paused to scratch beneath his chin in thought.
“Actually, yes, there’s a small trail off the side of the wood line. It’s just over there,” he pointed toward the forest just a few feet from the cliff’s side. Savanah sighed a breath of relief.
“Okay, then I will swim, but I am not jumping off the cliff to dive in,” she said sternly. Kyllian chuckled and gave a nod.
“A woman who takes her own path. I like it,” he stated. Savanah smiled, and Kyllian gave a wave as he began to walk toward the forest line. “Follow me. I’ll show you the way,” he encouraged. Savanah followed him, and within a few seconds, they walked into the shade of the trees. Kyllian turned around suddenly, and pulled her into him, kissing her deeply as he held her in place. Savanah’s eyes fluttered closed, and she relished the kiss with equal passion, slipping her tongue over his until he finally pulled free of her.
“You sure know how to lay on the romance,” Savanah said breathlessly, her cheeks slightly red and flushed from the intensity of the kiss.
Kyllian smiled and gave her another wink. “Anything to see those rosy cheeks light up,” he chuckled, slipping his hand over her cheek and brushing a stray hair from her face.
Savanah’s cheeks only burned more from his words, and she looked back up at him as a feeling of contentment rushed over her. As she looked up at him, Savanah realized there was no need to fear telling him anything because of his incredible ability to chase all her nervousness away, “So, watch your step here. This path is really rocky and steep and a little hard to navigate. That’s why I usually just jump off the cliff,” he added.
“Okay,” Savanah said as Kyllian held his hand out and she slid her palm into his. She followed him down the descending trail that seemed to wind about the cliff’s edge with varying evergreen shrubs and brush jutting out from the tree line every so often.
Finally, Kyllian crossed out onto an open grassy embankment, and Savanah gasped as she noticed how much more beautiful the water was from a closer position. “I cannot believe how bright and blue this water is,” she muttered.
Kyllian smiled. There were few places that equaled the beauty of this oasis, especially on their man-made planet.
“I wonder how it came about, to be honest,” Kyllian said, recalling the day he had first spotted it when flying overhead, “but then I decided it doesn’t really matter. It’s somewhere to think in peace, and that’s a rarity, as you are aware,” he muttered.
Savanah nodded, pulling her clothes off and dropping them to the grass as she crossed over to the water. She gently dipped a toe in and looked back at him.
“Now, we already opted to take the kiddy route down the cliff. You have to swim with me,” he said, looking at her with an accusing expression. Savanah chuckled.
