Sounds echoing up the tunnel passage woke Vincent much later in the day. He knew it was their friends coming with helpers to move their things in. Gently, he woke Catherine.
“Come Catherine, we must leave now. Our hosts are coming.”
Swiftly jumping up, she pulled on her boots and straightened the bedding while Vincent gathered their bags and his cloak. While Catherine tugged on her jacket, she took a quick glance around the chamber to make sure they had taken all their personal belongings and left everything neat and tidy; then they ducked out the doorway.
“Shouldn’t we stay and extend our thanks, Vincent?” she whispered.
“We will do that when we return. I wouldn’t want to embarrass them or allow them to think they are pushing us out.”
“Yes,” she agreed, “we’ll have to do something special for them in appreciation.” Looking up with love shining on her face, she leaned into his embrace. ”I will never forget this enchanted place and time with you, Vincent! I will treasure this memory always.”
He bent his head and kissed her for long moments; and only as the sounds of their friends approaching drew very near, did they withdraw further down the tunnel and on their way below.
They strolled along contentedly, their arms holding each other close. Occasionally, they would exchange a thought or story, or stop when their love needed expression in a kiss. Mostly, they enjoyed a companionable silence, connected with bonds of love. After some time, they came to the junction where they were to spend the night. There, they shared another meal over a small campfire that Vincent had already laid waiting to light. Stretched out beside it for the night, Catherine propped herself on one elbow next to him.
“Tell me what you’re thinking, Vincent,” she urged.
“I was thinking of what a treasure this past day has been. In all my life, this time has been the crowning jewel. How fortunate I have been to have found you, Catherine, against all possibility or hope.”
“When I think of how my life could have gone on endlessly vain and empty, as it was before I met you, Vincent, I think how poor it should have been, how meaningless. You have given me everything,” she said earnestly. “You’ve shown me love.”
“We have given each other that gift, and all those whose lives we touch.”
She hugged him with all the strength of her feelings. “I feel we are in a fairy tale and this is the ‘happily ever after’ part.”
“It will be,” he promised, kissing her temple. “I love you, Catherine. Now, try to sleep,” he murmured. Then he felt her relax and soon they both fell asleep by the warm fire.
*****
The next two days were quite an adventure for Catherine with camping out, exploring new places, and spelunking. They passed through caverns, along underground riverbeds, and clambered through fissures. There were fascinating and beautiful rock formations, probably never seen before except by Vincent, and now herself. It was exciting and interesting and she was never afraid of the darkness or of being lost when she was with Vincent; she trusted him implicitly. He took great care with her, not allowing her to tire or exert herself. Each evening, as they lay down to sleep, he would hold her in his arms and kiss her to sleep by the firelight.
About the middle of the second day, she noticed they were traveling an ever-upward path and remarked on it. “Vincent,’ she said pausing to rest on a boulder, “do you know what direction we’re heading in? I’m totally lost underground.”
“We have been traveling more or less south. I believe the hot spring is somewhere under the palisades along the river.”
“Are we near there now? We seem to be climbing upward.”
“Yes, we have passed under the river and are nearing the springs. We should reach there before evening,” he replied. “Are you weary, Catherine? We could rest here for tonight.”
“No, please, let’s go on. I’m having so much fun!” She took hold of both his hands and hugged them to her. “Just to be able to spend every waking moment with you, Vincent, is exciting.”
He laughed quietly. “Catherine, I’m seeing and feeling everything through your eyes, as though for the first time. I feel like a young boy again, full of life and adventure.”
“I always want to share your adventures,” she promised.
Looking down at her, he kissed her forehead. “The rest of our lives together will be an exciting adventure. When I think how close we came to missing it, I treasure every moment we have. And,” he paused, gently squeezing her hands, “every touch, every kiss,” he pressed his mouth to her lips, “and every time we love.” He was kissing her passionately then, more deeply, intimately, until they were flying high above the earth. Only when it became necessary to breathe did they draw apart again.
Catherine placed an unsteady hand on his chest, laughing. “I told you it was exciting to be with you…mmm…maybe we could camp here?” she teased.
He pulled her firmly closer and half-growled beneath his breath. “You are testing my endurance, my wife,” but lowered his head and kissed her thoroughly again. “Now you will have to wait until we arrive at the spring.” Then he scooped her up in his arms and carried her high against his chest through the wide passageway.
She was content to let him carry her this way, close against his heart. He was so strong and tireless; she felt so secure, so at home in his arms. She inhaled the masculine smell of him and studied close at hand his beloved face. Without missing a step, Vincent stole a quick kiss. She forgot how attuned he was to every nuance of her feelings; especially where they concerned him.
Later, they found the air growing warmer and the passage came to a sudden end. Vincent slowly eased Catherine onto her feet within the circle of his arms.
She smiled up at him, returning a warm embrace. “You are wonderful!” she said feeling his muscles meaningfully. “I love you, Vincent.”
He caressed her cheek with his thumb. “As I love you, Catherine, and very soon I will explain how much.”
“Where are we?” she asked glancing at the solid rock walls surrounding them. “It seems to be a dead end.”
“I thought that as well, when I first came here,” he explained. “Can you smell the springs?”
She sniffed the air. “I can’t tell where it’s coming from,” she replied puzzled.
“Look behind this rock pillar,” he said pointing to their left. Sure enough, there was a fissure in the wall; a crawl space just large enough for Vincent to squeeze through followed closely by Catherine. It opened into a huge, open area, a cavern perhaps. She could feel the immensity of it, as she stood upright again; and she could hear water gurgling, feel the humidity in the air. They took off their coats, adding them to their lightened packs.
Vincent guided her by torchlight down a cleft in the wall to a plateau above the springs. They were very close; but Vincent began unpacking the camping gear and lighting a fire for the night. By the firelight, she could now see the pools, but when she rose to go explore, Vincent took her hand.
“Catherine, it’s late. We should eat and get a good night’s rest after a long day of hiking.”
Reluctantly, she turned her back on the springs, and was rewarded when he pulled her down onto his lap and kissed her until they were both breathless.
They ate that night’s ration of food, and soon the warmth of the air and fire, as well as the exertions of the day, made Catherine feel lethargic. Lying back against his chest, she asked him about the cavern.
“You must wait for the morning, Catherine. This is my next surprise.”
She sat up and turned on him. “You mean you planned to arrive here at a certain time so I couldn’t see it?”
“Yes,” he admitted sheepishly.
“I’m terrible with surprises!” she expostulated. “As a girl, I would always try to ‘sneak a peek’. I couldn’t seem to wait for the right time.”
“Then…I must try to keep you entertained,” he said pulling her off balance on top of him. She squealed with laughter as he rolled over and pinned her beneath him. “There will be no peeking tonight,” he said firmly and began to tease her face and neck with kisses. His velvety muzzle tickled…arousing her.
“I promise…if I peek…” she panted, “I’ll only peek at you.” She clung to him, her arms barely meeting across his broad back.
He silenced her with consuming kisses and she responded with a growing passion equal to his own; caressing and clinging to each other until the light of their love was burning brightly within, and burst as they joined in a blinding release.
*****
When Catherine opened her eyes the next morning, it was not to the cavern’s darkness or the firelight’s glow. A golden glow suffused the cavern from an opening above. It was difficult to see very far in the misty air vapor. For the moment, she was content to lie in Vincent’s arms, limbs exposed to the warm air, entangled from the night’s lovemaking.
Her gaze roved over the unique, feline features of his dear face, inches from her own. She loved his deep-set, piercing blue eyes, now closed in sleep; his broad, flat nose rising to join his wide forehead in a smoothly arched brow; his silky, tawny mane of hair; his golden, velvety skin over high cheekbones; his muzzled upper lip and that mouth, which could ignite such passion in her! She suddenly realized he was awake and eyeing her in return.
Laughing softly, she said, “I can’t hide anything from you.”
“Not when you have those feelings, Catherine.” He drew her closer and kissed her. “Even in sleep, I can hear your heart calling me. Good morning, my love, my wife.”
“Mmm…just what I need to start my morning…better than coffee.” She stretched her body deliciously against his, and threw her arms around him. “I love you so much, Vincent. It hardly seems possible how much more I love you with each passing day.”
“I can feel how beautiful it is; there are no words to describe it…I can only show you the depth of my love for you, how it feels.”
“Then show me again, please, Vincent,” she begged wantonly.
He smiled tenderly down at her, “Again and again through all the years…I love you, Catherine…you’ve given me so much happiness, that I feel it can’t be true.”
“It is true, my love.”
Then once again, they were lost in their love for each other, growing more confident, more giving with each new discovery of the greatness of their love.
When their need for each other was satisfied, they found they were both hungry for something more substantial than love. The light had become stronger, the air clearer, by this time; and Catherine looked around her in delight as they ate a cold breakfast. They were on a rock shelf a step or two above the pebbly floor of the pool. Around the outer edges of the cave, and on the walls, ferns and plants were growing all the way up to the opening near the ceiling. Here and there rivulets of fresh ground water trickled down the walls to join the underground hot springs. At one point, a steady stream of water cascaded from about twelve feet above the floor.
“Vincent…it’s perfect,” she whispered. “It’s absolutely breathtaking! Just look at this place, it’s…like a beautiful dream!” she exclaimed in awe.
She leaped to her feet, throwing her head back and her arms wide, as if to embrace the beauty. Totally unselfconscious, with her naked pink and white complexion silhouetted against the background of light, cascading water, and shadowed greenery and browns of the cavern walls…to Vincent she looked like Eve just after Creation. He gasped at the stunning picture she made. This moment would be engraved in his memory forever. Then she began to sway, as if to some inner piece of music, her eyes for the moment closed. Her hands sketched graceful movements in the air, and she started to dance and pirouette. He was mesmerized! She was like a wood nymph placing a spell on him with her dance. She was twirling, swaying, leaping; he felt her dancing out her love for him, for the beauty of this place; for the joy of the moment, free, and wild, and beautiful and safe.
He rose, compelled to join her in this youthful dance of freedom and joy in the sunlight. He held out his hands for her, and she came gliding to him through the halo of light; her arms reaching out to his embrace; her eyes and heart pouring out her love for him.
“A beautiful dream…” he murmured. The moment was too wonderful, too magical to bear; and he lifted her into his arms and waded into the pool until the water was chest high. She floated in his arms, barely brushing against him. “Are you real?” he asked bemusedly.
She reached up and just touched his mouth in a fairy’s kiss. Then with a lilting laugh, she darted from between his arms, diving around behind him underwater. Turning to follow, he found she was gone! Before he could believe his eyes, he felt her swirl past behind him again. Laughing at him, she struck out across the pool, and he dived into the warm mineral water after her. Of course, she was no match against the power in his long arms, but she evaded his grasp for as long as she could, twisting and turning like a mermaid, keeping just out of reach. Finally, he caught her in his arms, and stood up under the chill cascading water; claiming a victor’s kiss.
Catherine clung to him for warmth, shaking from the icy water. Laughing, she said, “Vincent, this place has made me believe in fairy tales again. Have you decided if I am real?”
“I believe you are as real as I know I am,” he replied, but kissed her once again to make sure.
They climbed out onto the rock shelf and stretched out, drying and warming themselves by basking in the sunlight.
“Vincent, if I died right now, it would be enough,” she sighed lazily.
“I have been wondering if I will awaken from this wonderful dream.”
“It’s a living dream such as I could never imagine,” she said fervently, rolling over to examine his features minutely.
He returned her scrutiny, adding softly, “Nor could I even dream.”
“But we are here, Vincent, together in the daylight. And if we never have another moment like this again, we will always have this one, and no one can take away this magical day from us.”
She leaned over and kissed him deeply, gratefully, with all her being. “Thank you, Vincent, for this surprise. It is one of the most perfect gifts I have ever received, besides your love.”
“You are my inspiration and my life, Catherine. I only wish I had the ability to capture on canvas the picture you made just now. how you felt…how you make me feel…beautiful, and loved, and young as when the world began.”
“You are beautiful, Vincent,” she affirmed. “Just look at you! You are magnificent, like some golden god of love! And your spirit is so giving and loving and gentle. You are everything any woman could ever want! I can’t help but love who you are”
“Your love has made me whole and complete. I have never felt so accepted and loved…never felt worthy of it. The gift you have given me is…priceless,” he choked on his feelings.
Laying her hand on his face, with her heart in her eyes, she said sincerely, “I’m glad, my love. I wanted to touch your life and heal some of the hurts, to lead you out of your darkness.”
“There is no more darkness when I am with you, Catherine,” he said and kissed her hand.
Suddenly, he froze. An icy feeling of danger gripped his heart and consciousness.
Catherine whispered urgently, “What’s wrong, Vincent?”
His surreptitious glance around the cavern revealed nothing, his perceptive eyes even penetrating the gloom. “I don’t know,” he shook himself, but the feeling persisted.
“Get dressed, Catherine,” he insisted quietly.
She tried to act casually as she went to her bag and pulled on some jeans and a baggy pullover shirt with shaking hands. Vincent was doing the same, trying inconspicuously to scent the air in all directions, while trying to hear any sounds or movements other than their own.
“What is it, Vincent? What did you feel?” she hissed, not looking at him directly as she pulled on her boots.
“I don’t know, a sense of being watched. I
hadn’t noticed it before,” he answered soto voice as he pulled on his own
boots. He briefly touched her arm in reassurance. “Pack everything,”
he directed.
While she was doing that, she looked furtively
around the cavern. How could they be in danger here? Vincent,
feeling her fear, was wondering the same thing. How could he not
have noticed? He was aware of a presence now, no, more than one,
hiding, watching. He couldn’t tell where they were or if their intent
spelled danger. He sensed more like surprised curiosity. He
felt exposed and confused. He couldn’t leave here and lead them back
to the tunnels; but even supposing they could get Above, he knew of no
safe place in the daylight, so far from home. He forced himself to
take a leisurely look around as if preparing to leave, and then drew Catherine
away from the circle of light, his arm casually around her waist.
They headed toward the protective shadows around the edges of the cavern.
Her eyes mirrored the worry, the panic in her heart, and her fear for his safety. He gave her a small smile, but shook his head slightly, no questions.
“Please, don’t leave,” a soft, female voice called from one side.
Vincent felt Catherine cringe; then whirling about, she stepped out in front of him with a courage he admired, and demanded in a voice which tried not to shake, “Who’s there? Come out where we can see you.”
“We won’t hurt you. Don’t be afraid,” a deeper voice said, probably male.
“Who are you? What do you want?” Catherine said fiercely. “Show yourselves.”
From another direction, closer by, another husky, male voice answered. “We are like your mate, and only want to meet you. Nothing else.”
Catherine cast a desperate look over her shoulder at Vincent. Bewildered, he stepped forward by her side. “Then come!” he invited, but stood ready, as always, to fight to protect her, if need be.
Cautiously, from several directions, tall, clothed figures approached. As they drew nearer, it became apparent that they were indeed like Vincent, with feline features, and clawed, hairy hands. Catherine and Vincent’s faces were comic in disbelief. Catherine rubbed her eyes and Vincent shook his head to clear his vision. To see a whole tribe of people like Vincent was quite a shock!
Her taught nerves were strained to the breaking point. Catherine swayed, and immediately his arm was around her for support.
“I’m all right,” she assured him, forcing herself to breathe deeply. She had better remember to breathe if she was going to be of any help to him at all in this situation.