The thought brought a surge of pride that had everything to do with witnessing her adapt to challenges that would have broken most people.
She'd killed dozens of snakes with her knife, moving with lethal precision toward danger, and it had made his panther rumble with approval. And when he'd brought down jungle birds and small game with his bow, she'd field-dressed them with military efficiency, her hands steady and sure. They'd eaten quite well over the past four days—fish from the streams, the game they'd hunted, even some edible plants she'd identified with surprising accuracy.
But the weather had been their greatest enemy, not hunger or thirst. Four days of intermittent storms that had forced them to take shelter when they should have been making miles. But today, the sky stretched clear and blue above them, and Jade was determined to make up for lost time.
"Tell me about your childhood." The request slipped out of his mouth over the sound of their footsteps on the jungle floor.
In four days of intense survival conditions, she'd shared tactical information, survival techniques, even her thoughts on their strategy. But nothing personal. Nothing that revealed the woman beneath the warrior's facade.
She was quiet for several steps, her gaze focused on the path ahead.
"My birth mother was seventeen when she had me." Her voice carried a matter-of-fact tone that didn't quite mask the old pain underneath. "Too young to raise a child, so I went into the foster system."
After days of careful emotional distance, she was finally allowing him glimpses of the person she kept hidden beneath layers of discipline and control.
"Ten years in the system," she continued, her stride never faltering. "Six different homes. Some were adequate. Others… weren't."
The careful way she said 'weren't' told him everything he needed to know about what she wasn't saying. His jaw tightened with the effort of keeping his expression neutral when what he really wanted to do was hunt down every person who'd ever failed to protect her.
"My adoptive parents took me in when I was ten. Thomas and Margaret Moreno—they were in their fifties, had been trying to have children for decades." Her voice softened slightly. "They gave me stability, love, everything a kid should have. But the damage was already done."
She paused to navigate around a cluster of thorny vines, her movements precise and controlled. "I was angry. Rebellious doesn't even begin to cover it. I got into fights constantly, acted out in every way possible. I had all this rage and trauma inside me, and I didn't know how to deal with it."
"What changed?" His question came out rougher than he'd intended, his voice thick with the emotions he was fighting to contain.
"My adoptive father suggested the Army when I turned eighteen." A ghost of a smile flickered across her lips. "Said I needed discipline and structure more than I needed coddling. He was right. The military gave me focus and purpose. Turned all that destructive energy into something useful."
They crested a small hill, the jungle spreading out below them in waves of purple and green. Raikar used the moment to study her profile, noting the way she held herself—straight-backed and strong, but with a vulnerability in her eyes that she probably thought she was hiding.
"I'm sorry you suffered." The words came from somewhere deep in his chest. "But I'm grateful to your adoptive parents and the military for helping shape you into the magnificent woman you became."
She stopped walking entirely, turning to face him with an expression of such surprise that it made his heart clench. As if she'd expected judgment, condemnation, anything but acceptance and admiration.
"You're not... appalled? By how rebellious I was, how much trouble I caused?"
She's waiting for me to reject her.
This incredible, fierce, competent woman expected him to find her lacking because of childhood trauma that wasn't even her fault.
"Jade." He stepped closer, letting his voice carry all the certainty he possessed. "You survived ten years in a system that failed you, overcame trauma that would have broken most people, and turned yourself into one of the strongest individuals I've ever met. The only thing I feel is admiration for your strength and fury at anyone who ever made you feel like you were less than extraordinary."
Her dark eyes searched his face as if looking for deception, for the inevitable rejection she'd clearly learned to expect. When she found only truth, something shifted in her—a crack in the armor she kept wrapped around her heart.
"Most people hear about my past and decide I'm too much to handle," she said quietly.
"Most people are fools." The response came without hesitation, carrying the ring of absolute conviction. "Their loss is my gain."
The sound of running water reached them through the trees, and Raikar gestured toward the source. "Stream ahead. We should stop to refill our canteens and rest for a few minutes."
She nodded, but he could feel her emotions through the partial bond—surprise, gratitude, and beneath it all, a cautious hope that made his chest tight with protective tenderness.
She's been waiting her whole life for someone to stay.The thought crystallized with perfect clarity as they made their way toward the water.And I'm going to make sure she never has to wait again.
The cool water of the stream was a welcome relief against their heated skin, and Raikar found himself studying Jade's profile as she tilted her head back to drink from her canteen. Four days of relentless jungle conditions had only sharpened her beauty—her dark hair escaped its ponytail in wild strands that caught the filtered sunlight, and her lean muscles moved with the fluid grace that never failed to make his panther growl with satisfaction.
They'd claimed a large boulder beside the rushing water for their brief respite, and Raikar had allowed himself the luxury of simply watching her. The way she scanned their surroundings even while resting, the controlled efficiency of her movements as she refilled her canteen—everything about her spoke of a warrior honed to perfection.
She's beyond extraordinary.
