Page 46 of Valka

He led her through an opening in the far corner and they squeezed through.

“Oh, my gosh! Where does this go?” she asked.

He shook his head, but otherwise refused to answer.

Only a few minutes later he ducked down to fit himself through an opening about half the size of himself, pulling Bettina behind him.

Bettina laughed as she simply walked through it, not needing to duck at all. He looked back at her and laughed with her.

The moment they stepped into the smaller cave her mouth opened and she gasped in delight.

“Do you swim?” he asked.

“Some. Definitely enough for this!” she said, looking at the two small pools of what was obviously warm, steamy water. “Are they safe?” she asked.

“Yes. My people have bathed in them for many, many years. There are others outside behind the cliffs our cave sits in. These are ours, though. Only for us.”

“Are they secret?”

“I think so. No one has ever spoken of them, or asked about them at all. I don’t think any people of my age are aware they arehere. Perhaps some who came before were, but not those who are here now.”

“Can I get in?” she asked.

“Yes.” He dropped her hand and dropped his breech cloth off, then walked over to the larger of the two pools and slipped in, groaning as the warm water surrounded his body, immediately relaxing his body.

Bettina followed, dropping her shift on the ground beside his breech cloth, then lowering herself into the water carefully, from the side of the pool.

“Stay near me and I will make sure that you don’t go under.”

“Okay,” she said. “Is there anything in the water that can hurt us?” she asked as she unsuccessfully hid her bliss at being in a hot, steamy mineral bath.

“No.”

“Oh, my God!” she finally said, giving in to the sensation of pure relaxation. “You’re right, we can never leave our cave.”

Katva laughed. “Do you see? There are many advantages to being my mate.”

“Katva, I already know that I’ve made the right choice. You don’t have to convince me.”

“You are not angry that I tricked you?”

“I was. But I’m not now. I think it’s funny, now. Then, not so much.”

He rested his back against the side of the pool, his arms stretched out across it as well. He allowed his feet to float to up off the floor as he watched Bettina dunk herself under the water and scrub at her hair before surfacing again, her pale skin slightly pink from the warmth of the water. “It won’t take long and we’ll both be clean.” Katva said.

“I’m pretty sure I’ll still be soaking here after I’m clean. Where I’m from long, hot baths are a luxury.”

“You may bathe in them whenever you like, just don’t tell that they are here. I don’t want others to want to use them. They can use those on the other side of the cliffs.”

“Oh, no! This is our bathroom. You don’t let people come to your house just to use your bathroom.”

“Agreed,” Katva said.

She leaned against the side of the pool behind her like he was doing on his side of the pool. Her gaze took in the muscles and movements of his body as he leisurely floated in the thermal pool. She watched as he allowed his lower body to float almost to the top several times, then once again, as his hips broke the surface of the water before he forced his lower body back under water, his legs kicking gently in the water to keep his lower half swaying back and forth.

“Katva?”

“Mmhmm,” he answered, his head tilted back, his eyes closed, thoroughly enjoying the experience.