Out Of The Woods

Eight

It was late at night, the moon hanging high in the sky. The twinkling of the stars and soft glow of the moonlight illuminated the grotto from a small hole in the cave's overhang.

The cave's entrance was hidden away behind a rushing waterfall. It was long since forgotten by the inhabitants of the island. Making it the perfect spot for a certain young prince to sneak away to.

The water was frigid outside the grotto, making it near impossible to swim in without going completely numb.

There was a little crawl space that could be reached by climbing along the rocky side of the waterfall. The crawl space was near impossible to spot for someone who wasn't deliberately looking for it.

The rocks were wet and covered in a slippery moss, making it dangerous to climb if you didn't know where to place your feet.

And once you've made it past the crawl space, you drop down into the water of the grotto.

Unlike the rushing falls in front of the grotto, the water inside was warm, almost hot. It was the perfect temperature to swim in.

The water was surrounded by a flat stone surface. Which was a good place to dry off after swimming.

There was a deep end to the giant expanse of water. It seemingly went on forever. If you were to drown in it, no one would be able to recover the body unless it resurfaced. Which made it even more risky to visit the grotto.

There was also a shallow end where the water reached the waist of an average sized person. The shallow end was a much preferred spot to swim in rather than taking your chances with the deep end. The only useful part about the deep water was a safe place to land after jumping down from the crawl space.

The only noise that could be heard in the grotto was the distant rushing of the falls from outside, and an echoing splash as two men jump from the crawl space opening and into the water below.

Levi laughs as he breaks the surface, smoothing his bright reddish-orange hair from his face. His deep green eyes blinking away the water, clearing his slightly blurred vision. He kicks his legs continuously to keep himself afloat.

"Goddess, I love doing that," he exclaims, turning his body to face his mate. Only for his heart to stutter when he finds that he is nowhere to be seen.

"Ren?!"

He instantly fears the worst. Picturing his mate hitting his head on a rock or inhaling too much water.

Levi screams as he feels a sudden sharp tug on his legs. Panicking as he kicks at whatever touched him, swimming away from the large shadowy mass underwater.

Levi groans him frustration, glaring angrily at his mate, who swims to the surface, laughing at Levi's pointed gaze.

"You fucking scared me," Levi growls, shoving at his mate's muscled chest. "I thought you got hurt! You could have died! I thought I was going to die as well!"

"Oh, I apologize. I didn't mean to scare you, honey," Ren tugs Levi close, their legs bumping against each other as they move to stay afloat.

"Just... don't do it again," Levi murmurs, pressing his lips against Ren's.

Levi sighs, calming down now that his mate was in his arms. His nerves were still buzzing with adrenaline though, as he'd been absolutely terrified thinking that his mate had gotten hurt or worse.

Ren felt guilty now. He wouldn't have scared Levi if he knew it would send him into a panic. Ren inhales his mate's calming scent, relishing in his presence.