Serpent in Shackles

Chapter Thirty Two

I sprung out of bed that morning and dressed as quickly as possible before packing an extra set of clothes in a bag, like Caeden had told me to. Apparently we were going on a day trip to celebrate the holiday.

We rode for over an hour through the forests and meadows, up the side of a mountain. Despite the constant chatter on our trip, everytime I asked where we were headed, they all told me it was a surprise.

The profusely bright sunlight kissed my face. The gentle breeze pushed the hair out of my face. And I used every second to revel in the view around me, because I knew it would be the last time I'd see a world so bright and beautiful.

An enormous group of monsters crowded around something in the distance.

Caeden pulled our horse to stop leaving a fair distance for us to walk. The others did the same. A path of flattened dirt had been made from the thousands of footsteps passing through the area that morning.

Somehow, the group of monsters sensed us approaching behind them. Nodding, they parted, making a pathway for us to walk through. Caeden strode right to the edge, summoning me with him. And that's when I finally saw the reason why all of the monsters were there.

A crystal clear waterfall poured out of the edge of the cliff, into the huge body of water waiting at the bottom. A layer of steam settled above the water and a rainbow swept across the warm liquid far off in the distance. The water shone a million different colours, reflecting off the rainbow above.

I peered over the edge off the cliff and all I managed to say was, "wow."

Heart racing, I turned back to the crowd looming behind me. The monsters were... smiling at me.

Caeden's fingers tightened around the base of his shirt before hauling it over his shoulders. Then, he unzipped his pants and slipped them off too. Behind him, I could see the rest of the team removing their clothes as well.

Clearly Caeden must have noticed the look of confusion and concern on my face because he said, "take your clothes off, Princess."

"In front of everyone?"

"Would you prefer it if it was only the two of us?"

"Instead of a thousand watching eyes? Probably." I turned back to the significant drop, calculating the distance in my mind.

"Some find being watched a turn on," Caeden muttered, stepping up behind me. "Take the outer layer off, leave the rest on."

I hesitated for a second before finally removing my outer layer of clothes, leaving me in nothing but undergarments. I wasn't naked, but I certainly felt like I was. "Now what?"

"Now we jump."

Jump? "Excuse me?"

Naia leaped onto Danver's back, fingers digging into the bare chest. His hands settled under her thighs as she wrapped her legs around his torso.

"Ready?" he muttered, staring out over the edge.

"Let's go!" she shouted.

Danver's chest rose against the hands pressed into it, taking in a large breath, before he pushed off from the dirt. He sprinted down the path, right to the edge of the cliff and jumped. Their screams floated up through the air as they plummeted into the sparking water.

Mia and Vincent jumped shortly after them.

Naia shouted up to me, "come on! The water is so warm."

Jump, jump, jump the monsters around us chanted.