I scream out in utter and complete bliss, clutching onto the nearest thing and I end up making more scratches on his shoulder.
“I want to be inside you so fucking bad,” Alex moans against my neck as he grips my hip with one hand and pinches softly on my nipple with his other. He continues feeling me, basking me with kisses and soft nicks until I start to relax and come down from the high he put in my body. He leans back and looks at me with glazed over eyes.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispers and moves in for another kiss.
I catch my breath and lean back, breaking the moment as I hurry to climb off his lap
“You’re leaving me high and dry after that?” He fakes a sexy pout. “Seriously?”
I hold up my finger as I stare down at the Ira iridescent from the energy radiating off me. “It’s for a good reason,” I say. He keeps pouting as I place my hands on the glass ball, grasping onto the emotions he instilled in me by kissing me and making me orgasm. Lust, desire, pure and heavenly elation are mixing inside my bloodstream, along with electricity. There’s so much power inside me and I let it drain out, heating the glass of the Ira.
“Alex hold onto me,” I whisper as the glass begins to glow.
“You’re getting smarter by the second. You know that?” He places a hand on my knee, scooting closer. The contact only amplifies the voltage of my emotions and makes the crystal ball glow brighter. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
I nod as a teal glow bursts throughout the room and the curtains float above us. “Yeah, I’m about as sure as the last time you asked me.”
He cracks a smile, but it’s a nervous one. He’s anxious as hell.
I’m nervous as hell as well, and the feeling only magnifies as more energy pours through me. “Do you have the diamond?”
He pats the pocket of his jeans with his free hand. “Yep, it’s right here.”
“Thank you,” I whisper and then I take a deep breath as light and energy expand, consuming every inch of space existing around us. The curtains singe from the blinding glow and scattered ashes fall over the floor while smoke begins to swarm around us in a whirlwind.
Alex tenses as the heat of the Ira raises our own temperature to the point where we start to sweat. “Are you sure you want to keep going?” he questions.
“Yes,” I reply with confidence and then close my eyes.
The first thing that appears in my mind is a clear picture of the lake. Panicking, I shove the image out of my mind, not wanting to drop us there. I focus on the tunnel I went in during the vision I entered with Nicholas; dirt walls that leak water, damp air, darkness, and Water Fey. The ground begins to vibrate and I feel the world shift apart, open up, and swallow us whole.
***
The tunnel is as dark as I remember. The damp air causes my clothes to cling to my skin while the dirty water seeps from the ceiling to drip down on our heads. If what Nicholas said was true about the Ira, then we’re not in vision form, but we’ll only know if that’s true when we cross paths with someone.
“Do you know which way to go?” Alex asks, wiping some dirty water off his forehead as I tuck the Ira into the side pocket of my denim shorts. “Where we first went in the vision when we arrived?”
I glance left and then right. “No, the only reason I found the cave where the vision took place was because Nicholas was running from a Water Faerie… “I head to my left, inspecting the muddy ground and watery walls, hoping something will spark a memory. “I can’t remember which way we went…I don’t even know if we’re in the same place.”
Alex releases my hand and drags his fingers through his damp hair, leaving it sticking up all over. “Okay, left or right?”
An abrupt scream reverberates from the left side of the tunnel and the vines growing from the ceiling move with the sound.
“Right,” I say quickly and we dash down the right side of the tunnel, leaving the noise behind.
Alex takes my hand again as we hike through the dimly lit tunnel, listening to the horrific screams shooting at us in every direction. His touch brings me a little comfort, though not much. I can’t help thinking how I’ve only been down here for a few minutes and I already feel like leaving while my mom’s been down here for years.
God, how does she feel? How broken is she?
I’m telling myself that I have to be strong, that I can do this, when a white, wispy Water Fey appears in the distance. I tense as its hollow eyes lock in our direction
“Alex,” I hiss, pointing at it as I continue to walk through the mud.
He puts his finger to his lips, shushing me, and we keep moving, one foot in front of the other. As we get closer to it, my heart thumps, upping my adrenaline and amplifying up the sparks. My legs tremble, my knees knocking together, and my breathing becomes erratic and loud.