Blood Moon (Silver Moon, #3) - By Rebecca A. Rogers Page 0,48

from below ground-level becomes even more radiant. A spiral, stone staircase winds downward around the edges. I peer over the rim of the hole, noticing the blue crystal at the very bottom, encased on a small platform.

“I’ll go,” I say. “In case something happens, you’d be more adept to getting me out of there than I would with you.”

Ben nods in agreement. “Be careful.” As I descend the staircase, he says, “Candra?” I look up at him. “I love you.”

Smiling, I reply, “Love you, too.”

I use my hand against the wall to guide my descent, as there isn’t a railing. Reaching the last step, I notice the small room before me has nothing in it except the crystal. Why do I feel like Indiana Jones when he snatched a stone, only to trigger a trap? I really hope that’s not the case here.

“I’m going for it!” I call up to Ben.

“And I’ll be standing right here when you come up those stairs,” he reassures, though my stomach is in too many knots to accept his encouragement.

Stretching my arm out, I hesitate, my fingers within mere inches. The blue-coloring inside the crystal swirls, forming ancient text and patterns. I’m completely transfixed by its beauty.

“What’s wrong, babe?” Ben shouts.

My mind absorbs his words, but doesn’t actually process a response; it’s busy at the moment. Why does Lavenia want this crystal? What power does it hold? What if this is just another trap corresponding with the witches’ master plan?

“Talk to me, Candra,” Ben says, raising his voice.

I snap out it and grab the crystal before I second-guess my actions. A second passes and nothing significant occurs, so I hold it up, allowing Ben to see. We both laugh, relieved . . . until white smoke seeps through small holes in the wall and the entire chamber rattles.

Oh, no.

“Candra!” Ben yells, but the trembling walls and shattering stones cause his voice to become almost impossible to hear.

I bolt for the steps, taking two—sometimes three—at a time. Halfway up, a portion of the stone wall collapses, falls on top of the staircase, and sends it to the room below. My heart races faster than ever. I’ll have to leap if I’m going to make it. Backing up a few steps, ready to jump, the stone beneath my feet begins to crumble. I nearly lose my footing.

“Candra!” Ben’s upper body leans over the side of the chamber’s mouth, in preparation of hauling me over the edge should I make it that far. “Use your powers, damn it!”

I rapidly close my eyes and think back to the moment before I seized the crystal, but something strange happens: the air surrounding me arcs, then returns to normal. Great. An invisible force field is preventing me from using my powers.

It won’t work, Ben. Magic can’t be used here.

Then, fucking jump! Those stairs aren’t going to last another fifteen seconds. C’mon, baby.

He extends his hand, urging me to press on. In a final attempt, I soar over the open space and latch on to what’s left of the staircase. My palms burn where the skin has ripped open, the gravel texture scraping me like sandpaper. I manage to use all of my upper body strength to pull myself onto the steps. Without hesitation, I kick my legs into action, sprinting as fast as I can. On the last loop, Ben snatches me and tugs both of us backward. We collapse on the cobblestones just as the remainder of the entryway to the chamber caves in on itself, puffs of gray ash exploding from below and lingering in the air.

Ben throws himself on top of me, one arm circling around the back of my neck, the other gliding up and down my side. His lips are firm against mine, unrelenting, and that’s when I realize how petrified he was. Using his free arm, he stops rubbing my side and, instead, slides it behind my back, pulling my body closer to his.

He ceases kissing me so he can say, “Don’t scare me like that again. My heart can’t take much more.”

I embrace him in a warm hug, and his head rests against my neck. “It’ll all be over soon, then we can be free,” I murmur.

“We need to get back. By the time we clear the forest and return to Fiona’s, she’ll be closing up shop. I think she worries too much, and we don’t need to give her another reason to be suspicious.” He rises up on one elbow, staring down