Just before they hit the ground, Ivory moved in his mind with a sharp command. Shift.
He landed on his feet, crouching low instinctively on a small outcropping nearly at the very base of the mountain. Ivory did another slow, careful scan of the area and Razvan followed suit.
«This place is sacred. I was directed here by Mother Earth, to this place of immense power. There are magic metals here, and gems for any occasion. The soil is rich and has never been used by any other than me.»
He bowed low, a gesture of respect. «Thank you for bringing me.»
«You are my lifemate.» Ivory said it casually, but inside her stomach knotted.
This was her favorite place, just as his garden had been his. She wanted him to feel the same way about it as she did, to love the spectacular cave, the feel of the soil, to see the beauty of the gems and realize the richness of the metals. Most of all she wanted him to realize the honor they both had been given by their earth mother. No one had ever walked inside the cave before her, and no one would find it after her.
Ivory couldn't believe how nervous she was as she floated just above the stones covering the entrance. She wanted to leave no tracks, and disturbing the snow would do so. She made certain she took a detailed picture in her mind so everything could be arranged exactly as it was before they moved the twin stones opening into the long narrow tunnel that led to the caves beneath the ground.
Razvan realized what she was doing and immediately followed suit. He had a photographic memory. If she wanted the area pristine, he would make certain it was left that way when they were gone.
Ivory floated the two small rocks away to reveal a crawl space low to the ground. They both shifted into vapor and poured into the narrow opening. Ivory wove safeguards to hide the entrance while they were inside and then proceeded along the curving tube, following its direction down into the warmth of the earth. The crawl space was no wider than a small man's shoulders, but in their present form, they traveled fast.
The tunnel began to widen and the ceiling became high enough for them to stand, but Ivory, conscious of disturbing the natural balance of the ecosystem, remained as vapor until she got down into the cave itself. The cave was quite large and wide, terraced with many levels.
She left off her shoes when she shifted to her natural form, letting her feet sink into the rich soil just to absorb the feeling.
«Hurry, Razvan, like this. It is so wonderful-like heaven.»
She flashed a quick smile his way, but Razvan could tell it was a bit tentative. That always moved him. His confident warrior always became a little nervous when she was having fun or being a woman. He stayed just inches from the soil with his bare feet. «I do not know about this, Ivory. I have been in heaven, you know.»
She looked up with a small frown, realized his meaning from the look in his eyes and then she blushed. He loved that-the sweep of color moving up her neck and creeping under the porcelain of her skin when he teased her.
«Put your feet in the soil,» she said, shaking her head at him.
He floated to just in front of her, keeping his feet hovering above the enticing richness of the dark loam. His body bumped against hers. «I cannot quite settle. I am new at this you know.»
«You are always up to something when you give me your little-boy smile.» The one that melted her entire body and left her weak and breathless and ready to do anything he wanted right there on the spot. In a kind of desperation, she gripped his arms and yanked him down. His body slid along the length of hers, sending a shiver of excitement spiraling through her.
Razvan's bare feet sank into the rich soil nearly up to his ankles. His fingers curled around her arms as they stood with only a breath between them. «Ivory!» Excitement shook him. «This is such a find.»
Pleased, she shrugged. «It is not really my find. I was given the location by the earth when I was deep beneath the layers and fighting for my life. I crawled here. Inch by inch.»
She swallowed the dark memories of those difficult days and leaned into him, unconsciously seeking the shelter of his heart. She hadn't realized until that moment how much she already relied on him. It both frightened and elated her that Razvan had become so important to her so quickly.
«I would crawl as far as I could when there was no moon to burn my skin,» she explained. «In the first attempts to rise for a few hours and start the trek, even the smallest light hurt my skin. The pack would guard me and then I would sink beneath the soil and recover until I could manage to gather the courage and endurance to go farther.»
His arm swept around her and he brushed kisses over the top of her head. She wasn't asking for sympathy, she simply was giving him the facts. Everything he was rebelled at the images of her crawling on her hands and knees, dragging herself over the rough terrain on her belly, using elbows and knees to propel herself forward. He hadn't been there to aid her and the thought of her enduring such agony without him to help her left him sick.
He traced the thin white lines segmenting her body, the one around her throat, the one over her upper arms and down the swell of her breast. He tipped up her chin, using two fingers, waiting until her lashes lifted and he was looking into her eyes. «I love you.»
Her womb clenched. Her heart stilled. She could see it in his eyes. Feel the emotion surrounding her, swamping her, lifting her up. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. He shook her with his love. His slow smile made her tremble and she veiled her eyes again as his mouth descended to take possession of hers. The earth trembled beneath their feet.
Ivory tangled her fingers with his as he lifted his head. «I want to show you something. This place is a treasure trove of gems, but more importantly, metals.»
Razvan looked up at the terraced walls with the veins of silver and gold. Along the walls and scattered throughout the dark soil, he could see evidence of sparkling gems.
«Iron. Not from ore, but from a meteorite. It is in its purest form, straight from the skies, Razvan. The protection properties are tremendous. And lead is here as well. I have been experimenting with lead to aid in lengthening the endurance of my coating with protection spells. I can make our weapons of natural metals that do well with magic so we can easily transport them. The coating is essential when we fight vampires.»
«Amazing,» Razvan agreed. «This place is beyond important, Ivory.»
«It was entrusted to me and I have to keep it safe.»
«I agree.» He crouched down even as he was looking around at the various properties she pointed out to him. Scooping up a handful of soil, he let it slide through his fingers. «This soil is not contaminated.»
«Why would it be?» Ivory said. «Xavier has no idea it exists. No one does.»
«The microbes are in the ground, Ivory. They do not stay in one place. They spread. That is what he sent them out to do, spread to far lands and contaminate. That, coupled with the fact that they are nearly impossible to destroy, is why Xavier used them. You can bet he sent his microbes across the sea to every continent. Xavier is a very thorough man.»
«How do you know they are not here?»
«I lived in the ice caves in the middle of the experiments for more centuries than I care to remember. I feel them.»
«Like Natalya said Lara does.» She spun around to look at him. «But she is still mage; they believe she feels them because she is mage.»
He shook his head. «No, she can hide her presence from them because she is mage. That is why they cannot convert her. She is the only one who can at this point.»