He wants her.
That tightened something else inside Vaelor—something darker, more dangerous. Not anger. Not yet.
Resolve.
Mara hadn’t chosen anyone. She owed him nothing. Vaelor knew that.
Still, as the cold wind whipped across the space and the cheers faded into noise, he understood one thing with startling clarity.
Whatever he was becoming to her—whatever this fragile, growing bond was—he would not surrender it easily.
And that knowledge, more than the Games themselves, felt like the most dangerous thing of all.
Chapter 17
Mara
The second challenge was completed. Now they were walking to their next campsite. Mara adjusted her biosuit temperature a couple more times. It would increase temperature for a while, then she would adjust it again. Something wasn’t right but she couldn’t pin it on anyone. It wasn’t like she left her suit unattended. She never took the damn thing off. She wasn’t the only one to notice.
“Is your biosuit not holding the temperature properly?” Vaelor asked.
“No, it’s not.”
“Let me see your controls.”
She gave him her left arm so he could check for himself. He pushed the button to show the controls. When he increased the temperature, she shrugged.
“It goes up for a little while, then drops. I would say in about an hour, I will need to readjust it.”
“Is it fully charged?” he asked.
She pointed at the battery status. It was marked as fully charged and explained how it works. “It’s solar powered and charges during the day with the sunlight.”
“I haven’t had to adjust my suit at all. Not once.”
“Maybe it’s a human thing. Not a lot of humans take part in the games and they may not have perfected the suit for our biometrics properly.”
“I’ve not seen the human male adjust his suit yet.”
“I can ask him about it later tonight.”
“Don’t tell him you are losing control of your suit. Tell no one.”
“I’m sure Blaine has nothing to do with this.”
“We still don’t know who shredded your tent. Trust no one.”
They were silent the rest of the way to the campsite. Her thoughts were a whirlwind. No one talked about the two players who fell into the ocean. If they had lived, wouldn’t the Game Master tell them?
It reminded her that life was short and precious, not to be taken for granted. This was the first time she questioned whether she should have joined the games or not. If she died, her father would be devastated. And he didn’t even know where she really was.
Guilt riddled her. Made her lose focus. She stumbled. Vaelor was nearby and caught her arm, holding her up.
“Thanks,” she whispered.
“Are you okay?” The concern on his face was clear to see.
“The day is catching up to me,” she admitted.
