Page 56 of Stealing Mercury
“Yes. I know.” All three of them would go back and risk their lives for Hera. She hated it. The thought of losing them put a painful ache in the vicinity of her heart. “Was it after they decided to send you to the hunt that Mercury vowed to help you?”
“No. That was when Hera first came to live with us. They—” Carn’s head lifted, alert and listening. “Mercury is back.”
She saw him then, breaking out of the woods that wrapped around the base of the slope.
She got carefully to her feet and met him halfway. He lifted her in his arms and pressed his face to her neck. As he set her on her feet and took her hand, he waved to Carn with the other.
“Feeling better,courra?”
“Much.” It felt so good to have her palm pressed to his. She couldn’t remember why she’d been keeping her distance.
“Come,” said Mercury. “I have something to show you.”
***
Samantha heard the rumble long before they reached their destination. He led her along a winding path that meandered through boulders and trees the likes of which she’d never seen. Bright green moss topped chalk-white boulders. Pink strings of color swirled through the stone like silk ribbons frozen in a timeless dance. Small, tightly packed vines covered the path, releasing a sharp herbal scent each time she stepped on the small, but hearty, plants.
“Careful here,” Mercury warned, lifting aside a thick strand of flowers that dropped down from one of the many trees blanketing the area.
The flowers grew on wandering vines that seemed to live in harmony with the foliage it wove through. Each time a breeze shook the trees, the flower vines were dragged across the ground making a rustling noise, but it was quickly overshadowed by the insistent roar.
When the source of the noise came into view it was still some distance away. “A waterfall,” she breathed in awe. “I’ve seen them on vids, but I’ve never actually seen one in person.”
“A first for us both, then. I’m glad I could share this with you.”
Mercury pulled her further from the trees and toward the river.
“I can almost feel the water swirling in the air,” she said. Three channels of foamy white water rushed over a cliff face and spilled into the river below with varying force.
“The center channel is too deep to stand,” he warned.
Samantha accepted the warning with a nod. “Even if I knew how to swim, that water is moving too fast to be safe.”
“Yes. It’s safer along the sides.”
She’d been so preoccupied with the power of the spilling water she hadn’t taken in the odd formations in the rock along the edge of the river. “The water must have carved the gullies.”
The shallow channels and dips worn into the white rock funneled water into the center of the river, but not before making an elaborate network of clear pools.
“Some further up on this side are warm. They seem perfect for bathing.” Mercury pushed loose strands of her hair out of her face and brushed his knuckles along her jaw.
A shiver of pleasure raced down her neck at his touch. His hands were rough, but the texture only added to the sensation. The memory of their last bath sent heat rushing to her cheeks and across her chest.
Meeting his gaze, she looked into the piercing silver, searching for some hint of what he was thinking. She knew he wanted her, at least in the moment. She knew lust was a factor, but it couldn’t be the only one. There was tenderness there, too. She only wished she knew if he would look at her the same after they got off the planet and she introduced him to a world where females weren’t rare and she was just another ordinary woman.
Enjoy the moment, Sammie.The moment might be all she had with this incredible man. He was accustomed to living without luxuries, but he’d found her a warm bath in an uninhabited wilderness. It was no small thing to her way of thinking. “Show me the way.”
He led her along the edges of the network of pools, steadying her footing as they went. “It’s slippery,” he explained.
“Must be algae,” she muttered, still feeling awed by the riot of color and texture and sound.
As they grew closer to the cliff and the thundering fall of water, she saw the warmer pools he mentioned. Steam hung over the water like a miniature cloud. The heated pools sat along the base of the cliff, but far enough to the side to be out from under the fall.
One of their packs and several strands of flowers sat beside the pool where they stopped. Mercury crouched down to dig through the pack. He came up with cleanser. “I have clothes for you to wear after your bath.”
She couldn’t help the flush of color that came at the thought of how good the steamy water would feel against her skin. “This is going to feel so good.”
Mercury made a noncommittal “mmm,” as he pressed the cleanser into her palm, then tugged at one of her boots. She let him pull them free, one at a time, then watched as he slipped off his flex boots and laid them beside hers.
