Page 16 of Surge of Fire

Does he think I’ve just stayed in the nunnery with my legs closed since I saw him last?If I want something to happen with Will, it’ll happen, and no amount of Aydan being irritating is going to stop me. So if he thinks his role this summer is to be a guard to my non-existent virginity, he’s going to have a huge surprise.

I try to shake away my anger because I know it’s important to focus. The path isn’t necessarily dangerous. There’s room for me to walk semi-normally. There’s just a deadly drop to my left. And if I’m the idiot who dies here because I’m pissed at Aydan, I’ll never forgive him, so I stay focused.

“Is it getting warmer?” Granger asks from ahead of me.

“Ah ha!” Dr. Duncan exclaims somewhere ahead of him. “I was wondering who would be the first to notice. Yes, this particular cavern is heated. Not only are there hot springs below, but we believe this mountain is actually a volcano. Although, we have no concerns about it erupting.”

No concerns. Volcano. Okay, man, whatever you say.

He starts to explain it all in a very technical way, and I try my hardest to pay attention. It’s not that I’m expecting this to be on a test, I just want to understand what it is that we’ll be doing here. By the end of his explanation, I feel safer about climbing into what’s essentially a slumbering volcano, but not by much.

It takes us another half an hour to wind down and reach the bottom of the cavern. There, the temperature has crept up until it’s surprisingly hot. My reading says we’d gone from seventy-one on the surface to ninety-six at the bottom. The heat changing this much in this short of time alone is strange and fascinating, but the shaft itself is even stranger. It’s big enough to easily fit everyone from the program in it comfortably, all fifty-six students and faculty included.

But it’s like a fucking alien terrain.

On one side of the shaft, water flows down into hot springs that smell just a little of sulfur, creating a soothing sound as we explore. What’s even more incredible, the cave has crystals on all the walls and the floor. Crystals that glow faintly green. When I touch one, it’s hot. Not uncomfortably so, but touching it reminds me almost of the temperature of a really hot bath.

Dr. Duncan kneels down and shows us one of the crystals. “These are composed of a mineral known as hackmanite. Except these are a variant unlike anything documented by scientists before us. Traditionally, hackmanite glows pink, and they don't retain their glow long when moved to brighter areas. This hackmanite, however, glows green, and is far brighter than we'd expect. Interestingly, it retains its glow long after we remove it from the cave. All our samples so far have retained their glow. So, you can imagine what could be done with an object that glows in the dark indefinitely.”

“Have you determined what in their biochemistry makes them different?” Granger asks.

The doctor smiles. “Fortunately, we’ve discovered several notable differences, which all of you will be able to study in the lab.”

He has us all take small samples of the crystals and then takes us back to the hot springs. We take more samples in test tubes before he gives a slow tour of the cavern. Everything about it is intriguing, including the fact that the ground beneath our feet is hot enough to radiate through our boots.

The professor goes to take some readings, instructing us to explore carefully.

“It’d be fun to go for a swim in the hot springs,” Will says, whispering in my ear.

I smile, leaning down and studying more of the crystals growing from the wall. “Yeah, maybe, but I doubt the professor would see much use in that.”

Will leans against the wall beside me. “We could always come back. Alone.”

I lift a brow.This one is a forward one.“There’s a river closer to campus if we feel like swimming.”

“But this place might be better for skinny dipping.” He grins, and the fact that he’s wearing a headlamp makes it far too obvious when he checks out my body.

Maybe I didn’t come here intending to hook up without a thought, but I’m not against the idea either. Especially if it helps me get my thoughts off of Aydan. Actually, the idea of sleeping with someone else so close to Aydan makes my stomach turn, which is probably reason enough for me to do it.

“Enjoying the class?” Aydan asks dryly. His sudden appearance at my side makes me startle a little.

How long has he been there?

“It’s incredible,” I tell him, trying to pretend I don’t notice the tone of his voice. Doing a little spin, I point around the cavern. “I mean, have you seen anything like this before?”

“No,” Aydan says, his tone still clipped. “Want to go over where Granger is?”

“Sure,” Will and I say together.

Aydan’s face looks dangerous beneath the light of my headlamp. “The invitation was for Sam.”

“Calm down, puppy,” I say, then glance back at Will. “Don’t worry, his bark is worse than his bite.”

I head for Granger, trying not to shake my head. Aydan is the most ridiculous person I’ve ever met. Old memories of us in high school come back to me.Didn’t he pull this crap a lot back then, too?All a guy had to do was look my way, and there was Aydan stepping between us. It’s like he honestly still sees me as some thirteen-year-old girl needing his protection.

If he keeps up this crap, I’m going to “accidentally” step on his foot a few dozen times. Let’s see if he remembers to treat me like a grown ass adult when he’s limping around.Bastard.

Granger’s light swings to me. “Have you noticed that the floor is significantly hotter than the walls?”

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