Chapter 25
Mara
Mara woke feeling achy in all the right places. Vaelor had made love to her several times throughout the night. She was a little tired but didn’t care one bit.
He was gone again but had wrapped her up in the thick fur he had gotten for her. She ran her fingers through the thick velvety fur. It reminded her a little of Vaelor’s skin. Though it was harder and thicker, it still felt smooth, warm and soft. She wanted to touch and explore him all over. Maybe the next time they made love, she would do just that.
At the bottom of the bedding, she found her thinner thermal skin and her biosuit. The pack was not brought inside the tent and she needed to release her waste. It was too embarrassing to do it inside the tent. So, she quickly got dressed and went outside the tent.
Vaelor wasn’t there. For once, she wasn’t worried. She knew he would never leave her for long. So she went to the outcrop of ice trees and relieved herself. Cleaning up after herself, she went back to the campfire and began to take the tent down and pack it up.
She wanted to be useful. Pulling out a food pack from Vaelor’s pack and one from hers, she put them near the fire to heat them up. Her stomach growled. She worked up an appetite after last night’s activities. Vaelor was a fierce lover. He would not stop until he made her come every single time.
No man had ever cared so deeply about her comfort, her needs, her joy. Every past experience felt shallow in comparison, as if she’d been accepting scraps without realizing she deserved more. Vaelor had shown her what it felt like to be truly seen, truly valued.
Ruined,she thought with a helpless, breathless laugh. She was absolutely ruined for anyone else. How could another man ever compare to him?
He was strong—stronger than anyone she’d ever known—but never careless with that strength. He was responsible, steady in a way that made her feel safe without feeling small. He was caring, in quiet, deliberate ways that caught her off guard. Smart enough to challenge her. Brave enough to stand between her and danger without hesitation.
And somehow, impossibly, he looked at her as if she mattered.
Mara brushed a strand of blond hair from her face and let her gaze linger on the fire. The thought of him made her feel something warm in her chest, something she hadn’t expected, something she wasn’t sure she could stop even if she tried.
She was falling for him.
Hard.
Shaking her head as if that would clear her thoughts of him, she pulled the packets from the fire and opened hers. A strange smell filled the air, but she assumed it was because this was a new packet she had not tried before. She began to eat.
Ten minutes later, Vaelor returned and he had more furs with him. He placed them near the fire to dry them. The moment he was close he halted and turned to her.
She smiled. “Hi. I made breakfast.”
He practically leaped in her direction, startling her. She moved back.
“What’s wrong?”
Vaelor grabbed the food packet from her and lifted it to his nose.
“You’re scaring me, Vaelor.”
“Did you eat this?”
“Of course. Your packet is over there,” she pointed to a large boulder with a flat surface.
He picked up his packet and opened it, then sniffed. Vaelor put it back down.
He knelt down in front of her and took her face into his big hands, staring intently into her eyes.
“How much did you eat?” he demanded.
“I just started eating it, maybe less than half. Why?”
“I detected a toxin in the air when I arrived. You’ve been poisoned.”
“Poisoned?”
“Yes. It was in your food packet but not mine.”
