He was unsure of the danger that awaited them. He tightened his hold, feeling the weight of what lay ahead settle heavily on his shoulders. Vaelor pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.
Whatever the Games demanded next, he would meet it.
For her.
Always for her.
Chapter 35
Mara
They covered the fire and made their way out of the ice cave. The sun was bright early that morning. Mara took a moment to appreciate how the rays bounced off the ice plain and trees. It was absolutely beautiful, despite it being such a deadly planet. She will always remember this place.
The ice fields stretched endlessly before them—an ocean of white and blue, glittering beneath the pale light of the three moons. The air was sharp enough to sting her lungs, each breath a cold reminder of how far they still had to go before reaching the Bridge of Souls. Their boots crunched rhythmically over the frost-packed ground, the only sound in a world otherwise swallowed by silence.
A silence that was becoming unbearable.
Vaelor walked beside her, tall and steady, but distant in a way she hadn’t felt since the very beginning of the Games. His expression was unreadable, his gaze fixed ahead, his jaw tight. He had barely spoken since they left the ice cave—since they had shared something intimate, something she had believed meant as much to him as it did to her.
But now… now he was quiet. Too quiet.
Mara’s stomach twisted.
Did he regret it?
Was he pulling away?
Had she misread everything?
She tried to tell herself she was imagining it, that he was simply focused on the trek ahead. But the longer the silence stretched, the more it gnawed at her. She felt torn between wanting to demand answers and wanting to pretend nothing waswrong—just to hold on to the warmth of what they’d shared a little while longer.
Hours passed. The cold deepened. The sky shifted from pale blue to a bruised lavender as the sun dipped lower. And still, Vaelor said nothing.
Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore.
Mara stopped walking.
Her sudden halt made Vaelor take several steps before he realized she was no longer beside him. He turned back, confusion flickering across his features.
“Vaelor,” she said, her voice sharper than she intended, “I can’t take this silent treatment from you. What have I done to piss you off?”
His brows drew together. “I’m not angry with you.”
“Really?” She folded her arms, trying to keep her voice steady. “Because you haven’t said more than three words to me since we left the cave.”
He looked away, his gaze drifting toward the distant mountains as if searching for the right words. The wind tugged at his hair, carrying the faint scent of frost and ozone.
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
Her heart dropped. “What is it?”
He hesitated—just long enough to make her stomach twist again—before meeting her eyes.
“The toxin found in your food packet came from Earth.”
The world seemed to tilt beneath her feet. The distance between them suddenly felt like miles instead of a few steps.
“Son of a bitch,” she whispered, anger rising like fire in her chest. “Blaine’s behind the sabotage?”
