"Oh no!"

"Well, you don't need to react like that about it! I've gotten the opinion that you're quite receptive to being my mate in this underground world that we've ended up in. The time to be fruitful and multiply and have dominion is soon upon us honey."

"Would you just shut up and look!" I said in exasperation.

I heard him come closer and his head blocked my view of what lay ahead around the corner a moment later.

"Oh boy! Things just got a lot weirder in this little paradise of inner turmoil!"

I peered around his shoulder and asked, "What is it?"

"Beats me honey, but it sure ain't pirate loot!"

Together we stepped forward and entered into the little cavern alcove that now lay before us. On a central pedestal that was the only apparent architecture in the room there hung a scroll in mid air. The scroll was unrolled as if by unseen hands and it glowed with a fierce brilliance.

The writing upon the scroll shifted in a myriad of highlighting colors that was eye-catchingly beautiful. It was the most ethereally beautiful piece of advanced technology I'd ever seen. No iPad, smart phone, etc. could ever compare with this item of antiquity before us.

I reached a hand out toward the shimmering colors that highlighted repetitiously upon the scroll to see if the scroll was reactive to my touch as I sensed that it would be.

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Colt's hand closed over my wrist halting my forward progress.

"Hold on baby girl. I know it's pretty, but let's look this over a little better first before we take a bite out of the proverbial apple."

He was right. I pulled my hand back feeling embarrassed for my thoughtlessness of action.

Colt drew close and chucked my chin up with a finger and then kissed me hotly for a moment to my surprise. He let me go then and moved away and I blinked in consternation as I tried to refocus on the graveness of the situation.

"What was that for?" I asked a little dazed.

"Just cuzz I wanted to." Was his simple reply before he further startled me by smacking my rear on his way by me.

I would never have tolerated such possessive behavior from a man before and I couldn't help but feel shocked at how little I felt affronted at the liberties that Colt was forever taking of my person.

I turned to see him against the wall of the other side of the alcove from where we had come in. He was running his hand over it and as I looked more closely I could see that there were holes in the wall.