Unfaithful (18 page)

“Looks like you made the right choice, then,” he murmured, turning slowly to follow me. His eyes rested on mine. “Never let fear or insecurity make decisions for you.” Something in his tone suggested he was talking about an entirely different subject. Darting toward me, he abruptly pulled me toward him, his hand against my back so I couldn’t escape, and spoke softly, a fraction of an inch from my mouth, enunciating every word.
“Always follow your instinct.”

“That can be risky sometimes, don’t you think?” I murmured, letting him hold me up in the water. I realized my voice had dropped to a low whisper, driven by the sensations the contact with his body was causing. It was a dangerous game. I stared at his mouth as it drew closer almost imperceptibly.

I swallowed, so spellbound I couldn’t move, and he pressed his lips to mine.

“Risk is part of the game,” he whispered. “You need to be willing to run risks or you’ll never be able to say you’re in command of your choices. Fear will take control of them instead. Never let it stop you.” For a long moment his eyes lingered on my mouth and then he looked me in the eye again. “Never let your fear stand between you”—he brushed his lips against mine and I felt a world of emotion—“and what you want.” His gaze was a mix of sweetness and naughtiness.

“I see you know exactly what I want.” The words trembled in my throat. “You’re pretty convincing.”

Evan brushed his cheek against mine, claiming permission for what I’d denied him so long: a slow, sensual, incredibly tender kiss. I parted my lips and let his soft tongue gently touch mine as his full lips, wet from the water, enveloped my mouth.

My head spun. I loved him. I loved him with every fiber of my being. I could feel it even there, in that corner of heaven where my soul was more exposed than anywhere on earth. It didn’t matter where I was—to me, Evan was the only world that existed.

“Why you—” I opened my mouth to protest, but then decided to bop Evan on the head instead. He laughed. We’d explored the lakebed, touched the diamonds lodged in the rocks and chased the shafts of light they emanated. We’d had splash fights. At first I’d only defended myself from Evan’s attacks, but then a real battle had broken out. Now Evan had swum down in search of something. While I was waiting for him to return, listening to the stillness all around me, he suddenly popped up in front of me, giving me a start.

“Find what you were looking for?”

“I made sure everything was all right. Let’s go.”

“Where?”

Evan smiled. “To the most beautiful place you’ll ever see.”

“
This
is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen!”

He held out his hand, his eyes alight with enthusiasm. “I’m going to change your mind.”

“Why do I have the funny feeling I should say no?” I asked, recognizing the impish tone he used when teasing me.

Evan threw his head back and laughed. “I wasn’t sure about showing it to you, but after that leap you took a little while ago I decided you might be brave enough,” he said to provoke me, raising his eyebrow.

“Brave enough for
what
?”

“To cross the rocks beneath the waterfall. There’s an underwater tunnel connecting the river to a little—”

My eyes opened wide. “What?! Forget it. I’m claustrophobic!”

Evan took my hand, a smile on his face, ignoring my concerns. I knew why: he could tell how much I longed to see the place.

 “It’s the only way to get there. It’s not so narrow. It’ll be worth it. Besides, I’ll be there with you.”

It was a good thing Peter and I had grown up playing in and around the lake. “Okay. But only if you stay close.”

Evan ducked under the water, my hand still clasped in his, and pulled me down with him.
“Of course I’ll stay close to you. You’ll need air,”
he told me with his mind.

I came to an abrupt halt, releasing air from my lungs as I made sounds of protest. Evan grinned. He’d waited until we were underwater, when it was too late for me to turn back, to mention that detail.

“Don’t waste your breath,”
he warned me telepathically.
“You need to ration it. Let out little puffs through your nose once in a while. That will make it last longer. I’ll give you more when you need it. I’ll be your personal air supply.”

Even though I could only hear his voice in my mind, I could still perceive his mocking tone.
How long do you plan to keep me underwater?
I wanted to ask, but couldn’t. Evan laughed again at the funny expression I must have had on my face.

He motioned for me to follow him, diving so deep that the light above us disappeared and darkness swallowed us up. Before I had the chance to feel afraid, though, Evan’s hand began to emit a soft glow. The sphere of light illuminated the way for us like a beacon. Suddenly I stopped, afraid I would run out of air.

Evan sensed what I was feeling and was instantly by my side.
“I’ll give you some air,”
he told me with his mind. Stroking my neck, he sank his fingers into my hair and pulled me to him.
“When I exhale, take a deep breath and hold it in tight.”

I nodded. He put his lips to mine and blew. When he thought he’d given me enough air, he turned to move away, but I pulled him back against me, pointing to my mouth and putting my hands around my neck as if I were suffocating.

“You want more.”
He guessed what I was doing and smiled.
“All right, if it’ll make you happy.”
He came closer and this time kissed me passionately before giving me more air.
“How’s that?”
Evan looked at me through the darkness illuminated only by the sphere of light and I smiled. Sensing my anxiety, he grabbed my hand and led me through the tunnel in the rocks. The walls seemed to be moving, as if they wanted to close in around me and crush me. I stifled the thought and closed my eyes. Having a panic attack without being able to breathe was something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. But then Evan stroked my palm, making me feel safe.

“Hang in a little longer, babe. We’re almost there.”

I screwed up my courage as a glow in the distance lit up the darkness and the rocky passageway gradually widened. Fascinated, I admired the walls in the new light. They were studded with crystals, fused with multicolored rock and strange, glittering stalagmites.

A moment later we left the tunnel and emerged into a small lagoon. Even though we were still underwater it felt like I could breathe again. When we finally resurfaced, I couldn’t believe my senses. I took a deep breath and quivered with pleasure. The water was hot. I dunked my head, smiling at the pleasurable warmth.

“You never told me there were hot springs in heaven,” I said. Something occurred to me and my eyes shot open wide. “There isn’t a volcano around here, is there?”

Evan laughed. “Nope, no volcano.”

“Then why is the water so hot?”

“That’s exactly what I want to show you. Come with me.”

We swam to shore. The delightful little lagoon was ringed by waterfalls and slabs of pink limestone. The water was so clear I could see the rocky floor, composed almost entirely of diamonds except for some strange, spherical, red stones that glowed softly.

 “Come on,” Evan said, coaxing me out of the water. I followed him, laughing in excitement like a little girl. Onshore, I turned in a circle, fascinated by everything there was to see. The lagoon was a pearly shell set amid an expanse of gorgeous ruby-red flowers that extended in all directions like a mantle. No. They weren’t flowers. They were strange stemless mushrooms that swayed gently, the same ones I’d seen underwater.

“Save a little enthusiasm for later,” Evan said, grinning. I closed my mouth, only realizing just now that I’d been gaping. He guided me through giant rock archways hung with red vines into what appeared to be a forest. For a moment it felt like we were back in the woods in Lake Placid, but then something up in a tree sparkled, bringing me back to reality—or better said, back to the dream.

Evan had stopped and was looking at me, waiting to see my reaction. We were in the center of a circle of trees. I was left speechless. This had to be the surprise he had mentioned before we crossed from one world into the other.

“Like it?” he asked, his eyes as excited as a child’s.

Ruby-colored mushrooms grew upward in a spiral around each tree trunk, forming an artificial stairway. From time to time they glowed, pulsing with their own light. Then a melody broke the silence, a gentle
oooh
. . .
oooh
followed by a breath of warm air.

The sudden change in temperature made me shiver. “What was that?” I asked.

“It was them, the moon maidens.”

“I thought they were mushrooms.”

Evan laughed. “No. They’re spirits of fire and air. They’re heavenly creatures.”

“Oh! Sorry,” I murmured to them, embarrassed, and in reply they glowed one after the other.

“Moon maidens.” I stepped over and touched one. It moved, let out a melodious sound and sent a puff of warm air onto my face. Meanwhile, Evan had leaned down to pick some flowers. “What are you doing?” I asked, watching as flowers grew back in the spot where he’d picked them.

“Watch.” He opened his palm, showing me the little red blossoms, and stood there, listening.

“What—”

He rested his finger on my lips and the air filled with the melodious sound again:
Oooh
. . .
oooh
. . .

A current of warm air wafted the flowers from Evan’s open palm and the petals scattered, whirling higher and higher overhead until they disappeared. For a moment I had the impression the sky above us rippled, drawing the petals into it.

“How beautiful,” I whispered. “So
they’re
what’s doing it. It was them in the lagoon, too. That’s why the water was so warm. It’s the mushrooms emitting the heat!”

“Moon maidens,” he said, correcting me.

“Oh, right. It’s such a funny name. Why are they called that?”

“Because they emit minute pink and silver particles that sparkle, just like the ones given off by the moon.”

I turned to look at the huge moon. It dominated the sky, lighting up the air with its colors.

“They say God was so entranced by the moon that she offered Him the gift of her handmaidens, celestial creatures that populated her, on the condition that He allow her to watch over them. That’s why the moon is so much bigger here than she is from earth. But that’s just a legend.” Evan took my hand and led me to the center of the circle of trees. “I’ve got an idea.” He walked away and came back with a moon maiden that pulsed in his hands with soft light.

“Evan—”

He stood behind me and let me be the one to hold it as he swept my hair behind my ear and I shivered at the touch of his breath.

“Make a wish,” he whispered.

I closed my eyes as the echo of his words reached my heart. Together we held up the moon maiden, waiting for the fascinating creatures to make the sound that announced the puff of warm air. When we heard it, we let it go. The maiden lit up, floated into the air and disappeared, carrying my wish with it.

“That was incredible,” I exclaimed softly.

Behind me, Evan moved his lips to my ear. “Now it’s our turn,” he murmured.

I frowned and he slowly raised my arms. “Ready?” He grabbed me around the waist and before I knew it our feet were a handspan above the ground. Another breath and the maidens sent forth their melody, blowing one after the other, as we rose higher, twirling in a circle. The long chains of maidens in the trees and their puffs of warm air created a vortex that pushed us ever higher until we were twenty feet above the ground.

I looked up, hoping to discover how the flowers had disappeared. Overhead, above the perfect ring of trees, there was a layer of water instead of sky. When I reached up to touch it, its surface rippled.

“It’s a wishing well,” Evan murmured behind me.

“Seriously?” I asked, excited.

Evan laughed. “No, but it might be for us.”

All of a sudden the current of warm air keeping us aloft ceased and we plummeted to the ground. I landed in Evan’s arms. He stared at me for a long moment before setting me down.

“And he continued to gaze at her, enchanted,” he whispered. “Of all the creatures in heaven, she was the most extraordinary.”

“Only because he was looking at her through his heart,” I said.

“It was his eyes that looked at her and not his heart. He no longer had a heart, because she’d taken it from him as a keepsake, making him her prisoner.”

“And you will continue to be my prisoner,” I murmured, biting his lip, “because I have no intention of letting you go.” I rubbed my nose against his and gazed at him intently. He could read inside me, but I didn’t need to probe his soul to know how excited he was to be showing me all these wonders.

“Let’s go,” he said. “I can’t wait for you to see some of the other places.”