Into The Dragon's World - Brittany White Page 0,12
quite the understatement. The stairs leading down to the sub-cellar of Paradigm looked to have been built before the time of nails. The whole thing felt like it was going to collapse beneath their weight.
“Are you sure this is safe?”
Brady looked back at her and winked. “Nope.”
So, here I am, Casey thought as she carefully navigated another step. Being led into the dark underbelly of a nightclub by a man I barely know. Good judgment was not one of her better traits.
When Brady offered to show her the Arch, she’d eagerly agreed. Of course, seeing an interdimensional portal was part of the reason, but it was mostly because she wanted to spend more time with Brady. She was touched that he apparently trusted her enough to share this secret with her.
She tried to pay attention to the steps, but she couldn’t stop looking at him. He might have been replaced by a pod person, but this version was more than acceptable. At the top of the stairs, he had taken off the flannel shirt to clear a path for them through the spiderwebs and dust. His white t-shirt accentuated every muscle in his back and clung to his chest like a second skin. Every nerve ending in her body seemed to zing with awareness when he took her hand to lead her to the sub-cellar, which made her wonder how she would react if he ever really touched her. She just knew that she could not be held responsible for her actions.
“Here we go.” Brady opened a heavy wooden door and they stepped into the sub-cellar. The walls were literally carved out of stone. It was cave-like and dank. Casey shivered from the chilliness of the room and Brady immediately draped his flannel shirt over her shoulders.
The room looked like a set out of a horror movie, empty except for a huge stone arch that stood in the middle of the floor. It didn’t seem particularly magical or special. There wasn’t a whirling portal on the other side of it. In fact, it looked spectacularly unspectacular.
“So, this is it?” Casey stepped toward the Arch, lightly touching the stones. “Wow. It’s an arch, alright.”
“You don’t sound impressed.”
Casey looked back to Brady and smiled. “I guess I was expecting something a little bit more…showy. You know, flashing lights and spiraling tunnels.”
Brady said nothing as he stepped to the Arch and flattened his hand against one of the stones. A sharp blue light seemed to seep through the cracks in the stones. The air inside the doorway of the Arch shimmered and took on a faint glow.
“This more like it?” Brady grinned.
Nodding, Casey took another step closer to the Arch. She thought she could hear music of some kind. The sound was so faint that she had to strain to hear it. The music was beautiful and calming, like nothing she had ever heard before. She looked at Brady in amazement.
“You can hear the music,” he said, still smiling. “That’s the sound of the space between my dimension and yours.”
“This is amazing…” she breathed as she walked around the Arch. “And it’s been here forever?”
“I believe so.” Brady lowered his hand from the stones, and it became an ordinary arch again.
“What happens if a human goes through?”
“I don’t know.” Brady shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “They turn into a boneless blob on the other side? No human has ever crossed over to our world.”
“Hmmm…” Casey strolled up to Brady, standing so close her breasts brushed his chest. His eyes widened slightly in surprise. Casey felt as if she were watching herself from afar, but she couldn’t stop herself if she tried. She felt as if something outside of her body was possessing her. All she knew was that right now, at that very moment, this was something she had to do.
She flattened her palms against the firm plane of his chest. His skin felt hot through the cotton of his shirt. Her gaze stayed on his as she allowed her hands to roam up to his shoulders, then the nape of his neck. She could feel him shiver as her fingers tangled in his hair.
Without a word, she raised up on tiptoe and lightly kissed his lips. That was all she’d intended to do. A quick kiss of thanks and then it would be out of her system and she wouldn’t keep staring at his mouth every time he spoke.
Instead, she felt his arms come up around her,