She'd been so caught up in training, fighting for her life, and having her world turned upside down that she'd completely forgotten basic human needs.
He set the tray across her lap with careful precision, and her eyes widened at the spread before her. Fresh fruit that looked nothing like Earth varieties, their colors more vibrant and their scents more complex. Some kind of grain that resembled quinoa but had a golden sheen. Eggs that were definitely not from chickens, their shells a pale blue and their yolks a rich orange. Bread that smelled like heaven and butter that looked like it had been churned that morning.
"This looks incredible," she breathed, already reaching for the strange fruit. The first bite exploded across her taste buds—sweet like mango but with an underlying tartness that made her mouth water for more.
Raikar settled on the bed beside her, close enough that she felt his body heat. His blue eyes tracked her every movement asshe dove into the meal with single-minded focus, and she caught the slight upturn of his lips.
He's enjoying watching me eat.
The thought made her chest tighten unexpectedly. Ben had always criticized her appetite. But Raikar watched her demolish his carefully prepared breakfast with what looked suspiciously like pride.
"Better?" he asked when she finally slowed down enough to breathe.
"Much." She wiped her mouth with the cloth napkin, suddenly aware of how ravenous she'd appeared. "Thank you. This is... really thoughtful."
Something flickered in his expression—surprise, maybe, like he wasn't used to being thanked for acts of care.
How many people in his life have actually appreciated him as a person rather than just a title?
"I was going to tell you last night," she said, setting down her fork and meeting his gaze directly. "Before I accidentally fell asleep on you. I want to do the Trial of Shadow."
She felt his immediate spike of relief through their bond, quickly followed by a wave of concern so intense it made her stomach clench.
"Are you sure?" His voice was carefully controlled, but she could see the tension in the set of his shoulders. "I need to be completely honest with you about what we're facing."
Here it comes. The part where he tries to protect me.
"It's potentially lethal, Jade." His blue eyes bored into hers with a piercing intensity. "My great-grandparents were the only ones to ever successfully complete it, and that was partially because they'd completed their bond before entering the trial. We haven't."
She raised an eyebrow. "So we're going in at a disadvantage. I've faced worse odds."
"Have you faced a week alone in the deep jungle?" His voice sharpened with alpha authority. "Finding your own shelter, your own food, your own water while dealing with elements that want to kill you? Wild panthers, venomous snakes, insects that can drop a grown shifter?"
Every rational part of her brain was screaming that she should back down, should tell him this was insane and demand passage back to Earth. The smart play would be to cut her losses and return to her safe, predictable life in Wyoming.
But a deeper part of her—the part that had always craved challenge, that had driven her to join the military and push herself in martial arts, that had been slowly suffocating in her small-town existence—practically purred with anticipation.
"I want to do it," she said firmly.
His relief, worry, and fierce determination crashed through their bond in waves, and she saw all three emotions flicker across his face in rapid succession.
"Alright then." He stood up slowly. "You need to finish eating because we'll be training all day. Combat techniques, survival mechanisms, everything we might encounter out there."
"I'm ready for it." She reached for another piece of that incredible bread. "I can handle anything you throw at me today. And I've got my own survival skills to show you—military training, mountain living. I'm not exactly helpless."
Something blazed in his eyes at her words—hunger, admiration, and something deeper. It made her skin flush with heat.
"Oh, by the way," he said, pausing in the doorway. "Brenn stopped by earlier with your belongings. Finish up here, get dressed, and meet me at my private training grounds behind the estate."
He left without another word, and Jade felt a strange exhilaration replace all the fear and doubt from yesterday. TheTrial of Shadow was dangerous—potentially deadly. She might not survive it.
But the thought of pushing myself to the absolute limits with him... It's the challenge of a lifetime.
Maybe everything in her life had been preparing her for this moment. The years of martial arts training, the military discipline, the mountain survival skills, even the heartbreak and loss that had taught her to rely on herself.
This is what I've been building toward.
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