Read Online Crystal (Silver Hills #2) by Jacqueline Gardner - Free Book Online Page B

leave either.
    As Zircon leaned closer, I could feel the warmth of his body radiating through his clothes.  The wave of heat felt soothing but it also made my heart dash as fast as a race- horse at the Kentucky Der by .   His smooth hand gently caressed the side of my cheek.  I took in his comforting scent as he eyed every feature of my face like I was a painting he'd never lay eyes on again.
    I could feel my blood pumping at ten times its normal rate.  Zircon moved his face close to mine.  I could hear his chest heaving and feel his racing pulse beneath his skin.  My body tingled as I closed my eyes and imagined a world where things were different - a world where boys weren't idiots and I wasn't too shy to say what I wanted.  And just as I thought what it might've been like to truly take Dotti's place and marry her husband-to-be, a pair of moist, soft lips lightly kissed me.  I k issed him back and let his fingers feel every follicle of my blond locks.  His hand slowly moved to my waist.  He wrapped his solid arm around me and pulled me closer.  For the first time in years, Brett was far from my mind.
     

 
     
    Chapter Ten
    The Slip
     
    "Come on," Zircon whispered as he felt the edge of the pink headstone.  The ground lightly shook as a narrow staircase dropped down underneath the swirly fire.  He squeezed my hand and gestured towards the stairs.  My jaw dropped.  I was expecting an uncomfortable di g followed by the creepy unveiling of a rotting corpse.
    "Are you sure?" I asked, partly hoping that Zircon might change his mind so I'd be forced to stay with him a little longer.   He didn't.  He carefully lowered himself onto each step until the two of us were undergroun d - under the rows of occupied graves .
    The hall was dark and the sound of falling pebbles echoed on both sides of us.  I couldn't see what was around me.  I held tight to Zircon's hand, keeping my head down as a wave of anxiety made my limbs feel numb.  I did my best to control my heavy breathing as Zircon stopped at a short, rounded door.  He gulped as he pushed it open.
    "I've only been here once before," he whispered.  "Right after she died."  He opened the low, wooden door and ducked his head as he stepped inside.
    The room was small and quiet with a large rectangular coffin at the center.  The wood looked old and cracked, but the side had been carved with pictures of flowers.   Zircon's hand shook a little as he touched the dusty wood.  He ran his fingers over the top of the coffin and gently pressed the center of a curious flower with rectangular petals.  My heart jumped when a thin flap of wood popped open on its own.
    "It should be here," Zircon said quietly.  He reached into hidden compartment and pulled out a velvet bag that was tied shut.  "Here."  He handed the bag to me.
    "You want me to open it?" I asked.  He nodded, staring down at the heavy coffin.  His fingers ran over more of the carved wood.  I opened the velvet bag and cautiously reached inside.  My fingers touched the edges of a smooth circle - the transport stone.  I pulled it out and marveled at the shiny dark stone with a hint of green around the edges.  It had been made into a ring - not silver.  The base of the ring wasn't shiny at all like Grandma Nettie's.
    "That's an exact replica of the ring that Dotti has," Zircon mumbled.   His bronzy hair didn't gleam as much as he hung his head.  A stern look crossed his face.
    "I wish I didn't have to take it with me," I replied as I slipped the ring onto my finger.  A sudden burst of adrenaline surged through my veins like I'd just plugged myself into a power circuit.   I reached into my pocket and pulled out my pocket knife.  "For you."  I pushed the handle towards him as promised.  His eyes slightly widened as he grasped the picture of the bald eagle on the handle.
    "I do not need this to remember you by," he responded in a low voice.  "The memory of your pure, white eyes will never leave