“They weren’t mates.”
“No, but they connected.”
He snorted. “They… connected quite a few times—loudly.”
She hit his chest lightly. Not hard enough to hurt him.
“They weren’t mates, but she cared about him. His loss hurts her. Talking to her about it not only helped her, it helped me.”
“How?”
“She reminded me that life is too short to waste it.”
“You know that already.”
“Yes, but Gora’s take on it is that you should go after what you want at full speed and not let anyone stop you.”
“What is it that you want?” he asked.
She reached up and touched his face. Her fingertips were light and warm. It surprised him at first but then he leaned forward to get more contact with her.
“I want to kiss you again,” she whispered.
“I want that too,” he admitted.
He held still as she moved toward him. It was hard to do since every impulse in him wanted him to pounce. But that could scare her away. This needed to be her choice.
Her soft lips touched him gently. Exploring and learning everything about him. He only touched her waist to steady her. When her teeth nibbled his bottom lip, he growled with need.
He lifted one hand to her face, thumb brushing her cheek, and drew her closer as he kissed her back—deeper now, surer. Heat flared between them, sharp and intoxicating, the world narrowing to the feel of her lips and the quiet rush of her breath.
When he finally pulled away, his forehead rested against hers, both of them breathing harder than before.
“We should rest,” he said, though every part of him argued otherwise.
Mara smiled, eyes bright, and nodded. “Tomorrow’s going to be hard.”
“Yes,” he agreed softly.
And as they settled down in bed, the memory of her kiss stayed with him—warming him in a way the fire never could and keeping him awake long after her breathing evened in sleep.
This female was becoming someone he suspected he would not be able to walk away from at all.
Chapter 19
Mara
She woke up to find that Vaelor, once again, had left her alone in the tent. He was right, his body heat kept her warm. His scent seemed to soak into her body, easing and comforting her. Sometime during the night, he had pulled her against him. At first, she thought to pull away, but couldn’t find the strength. Besides, she had never felt more protected than in his arms.
Voices of the other players outside the tent came to her, making her get up. She left the bedding to roll up later. Mara wanted to check on Vaelor.
The camp was full of activity. All the players were there, even the Slurchan and Rasilian. That was a surprise. Gora nodded a greeting to her as she approached the fire. She still hadn’t seen Vaelor yet. One of the GSG technicians was standing around.
“Why is everyone still here?” she asked, sitting down next to the other female. “And why is there a technician here?”
Gora pointed at the technician. “The little guy says that the next challenge will be tonight. He’s here to make sure everyone remains close until it is time.”
“At night? That seems risky,” Mara commented.
