Mara’s smile was something he could feel.
“You’re still here,” she said in surprise.
“I am. I just couldn’t leave you yet.”
Her beautiful blue eyes sparked at him.
She snuggled against him. “I like waking up in your arms.”
“Then I will make sure you wake up like this for as long as you desire it.”
Their private moment was rudely interrupted when her stomach growled. They both broke out into laughter.
“I think I should put a priority on feeding you first,” he said.
She let him move off the bedding. “I guess I am pretty hungry. The run across the canyon was intense.”
He grunted. “You also did not eat last night.”
“At the time, I didn’t think I could hold anything down.”
“I’ll get you something as soon as I take the tent down.”
He suddenly stood still.
“What is it?’
“Someone is outside our tent. Stay here.”
He opened the flap and exited the tent. Dugan was standing there, perfectly still.
“Do you have the information I need?” Vaelor asked.
“I do.”
He waited for the other male to reveal the results.
“The toxin is Bitterroot Extract. A naturally occurring compound from a wild plant. It causes stomach cramps, nausea, and weakness when ingested in small amounts. Large amounts could cause death.”
“Where does it come from?”
“It has only been recorded growing on one specific planet—Earth.”
Vaelor had never felt rage like this—hot, sharp, and immediate. Something inside him snapped.
Earth.
Blaine.
Mara’s pain.
He stepped toward Dugan, fists clenched, vision narrowing. “He poisoned her,” Vaelor growled. “He used something from her own world to harm her. I will end him.”
Dugan lifted both hands quickly. “Vaelor—stop. Listen to me.”
But Vaelor was already moving, muscles coiled, ready to hunt Blaine down and tear him apart with his bare hands. The image of Mara doubled over, pale and trembling, burned behind his eyes.
Dugan stepped directly into his path.
