Page 88 of Taken By the Convicts
“It’s called verluz. It’s found in the caverns with underground pools or reservoirs. It’s not found in the mines where the serilium is.”
“I can’t wait to run some tests.”
“I guess this is a working date?”
“I’m sorry,” she said, placing the patch of verluz on a stalagmite. The moss resumed glowing. “Look at that! It’s glowing again. I wonder if there’s a mineral in the stone that it needs to glow. I’ll have to take some rock samples too.”
Jayce’s hand slid over hers as he retrieved his knife. That simple touch felt so nice. “It’s perfect down here.”
“I wasn’t sure you’d like it, given how dark it is, almost like the bunker.”
“But it’s spacious, not confining.” She ran her hand over another patch of verluz that turned dark as she touched it and lit as she lifted her hand again. “Fascinating. It’s not the loss of contact with the stone, but something in my body chemistry that interferes with the luminescence.”
Jayce wore an amused expression. It looked so becoming on him.
“I’m sorry. I’m doing it again. Getting distracted.”
“Take your time. There’s no rush. No one comes down here.”
“That’s good.” She offered him her hand, but he sidled next to her instead, placing his hand on her lower back as they continued walking.
“I have one question for you,” Jayce said. “Well, several, but one that’s pressing.”
“Go ahead.”
“When I asked you out on a date, did I fail to make it clear that I wanted to date you and you alone?”
She glanced back at Reece and Zev trailing them. “Maybe Reece misunderstood.”
“There’s nothing wrong with the man’s hearing or brain. He understood all too well,” Jayce said.
She bounced up on her toes and kissed Jayce, right in front of Reece and Zev. Jayce quickly looked at the men behind them, as if to gauge their reaction. “Shall I tell them to leave?” she asked.
“Yes.”
The moment she saw the expression on Reece’s face, the insecurity there, Melina raced back and threw her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet, pressing their bodies together. She could feel it in his arms. He didn’t want to let go.
“I’ll be fine with Jayce,” she said to him. After a lengthy kiss, Reece set her down, lifted her hand to his mouth, and kissed the leather ring. Then he signed thirty and pointed behind them.
“We’ll stay thirty feet back,” Zev said. “He’s concerned about your safety.”
“I won’t hurt her,” Jayce said, his face tense.
“Both of you,” Zev amended. “I should have phrased that better. Hawke’s been scouring the surface. It’s only a matter of time before he sends men below.”
Jayce eased. That’s when she realized how hard this was for all of them, not just Reece. These were men who hadn’t bonded to one another any more than they had to her. They were still so new as a unit. Only Reece and she were bound to one another. Jayce likely felt as threatened by Reece as Reece felt threatened by Jayce. And there stood her Zev, always in the background, maintaining his distance.
“Forty feet,” Jayce bargained, as only Jayce could. “And stay where wecan’tsee you.”
Jayce led her down a steep grade. Steam billowed out of a crack in the ground. She reached toward it until Jayce snatched her hand away.
“Those steam vents can reach two hundred degrees.”
“That was stupid of me. I should have known. What about the yellow steam over there? Is it poisonous?”
“The heat from the fissures often melts some native ores, turning them gaseous. As long as we don’t encounter a large pocket of orange gas, cloracide, we’ll be fine.” She must have frowned because he added, “The volcano is live, but not active.”
Jayce led her to a chamber with a glistening pool. Steam rose from the water, feeding the verluz that grew in droves on the walls and ceiling. The green light bounced off the water, showing crystal clear water. She could even see stalagmites in the water.
