And that realization unsettled him. This wasn’t what he expected, but he would take the responsibility for her, at least until they reach the final challenge.
Chapter 9
Mara
Mara woke up and took down her tent herself. She was hoping to surprise Vaelor. But he surprised her.
“Are you ready?”
She jumped when he came up behind her. “Where did you come from?”
“I was standing by the fire pit. I’ve been up for a while waiting on you.”
“Oh.” She glanced over and only now noticed that his tent was already taken down.
“Has everyone else already left?”
“Not everyone. The Bestials have been going at it all night. Their partners are still by the fire waiting for them to finish.”
Mara could feel her cheeks getting hot from blushing. The groans of pleasure had also kept her up throughout the night. Her imagination kept picturing Vaelor and her creating those erotic sounds. He would probably be horrified if he knew she fantasized about him.
“Okay. Um. I’m ready to leave.” She quickly put her pack on before he could take it. Mara was determined to carry her own weight.
“Let’s go.”
As they made their way out of the encampment, she noticed that he was being more vigil, like he was on high alert.
“Did something happen?”
“There was someone outside your tent last night. They got scared away, but it was concerning.”
“Maybe someone got confused about the tents. They all look alike to me.”
“They would not have run away scared of being caught if they were simply confused by the tents.”
“Did you recognize who it was?”
“No. But their behavior is suspicious. Make sure you don’t wander off. Stay where I can see you.”
She could appreciate him wanting to keep her safe. It wasn’t personal for him. He can’t win if she doesn’t make it to the end. But at the same time, she didn’t like being ordered or controlled. It didn’t sit well with her. She chose what she could commit to.
“I’ll be careful.”
As they walked through the icy trees, they came out into an open area. Mara was amazed.
“Wow. This is incredible. Have you seen anything like this before?”
The sun hung low but bright, its light catching on the ice that coated the trees, the ground, the distant mountains. Everything glittered, not blinding, but sharp and beautiful, like a field of scattered diamonds. Each step sent a faint crunch through the frozen earth, the sound carrying farther than it should have in the open stillness.
The wind brushed past in cool, steady breaths, not biting but persistent, slipping through clothing and against skin as a quiet reminder of how exposed this world was. The air itself felt startlingly clean—crisp and untouched, filling the lungs with something pure. There was no smog, no residue of industry or life gone wrong. Just cold, honest air.
Above it all, the sky stretched wide in a soft lavender, muted and unreal, as if the planet existed half in dream, half in silence. It was beautiful in a way that made you pause—and dangerous in the way beauty often was. A place that did not care whether you survived it or not.
Vaelor looked around as well. “Yes. My home world is much like this.”
Oh, he was talking about his world. She had to know more. “It’s a cold planet, right?”
“Yes.”
