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“What’s going on?”
“She –”
“I don’t have my belt. I can’t believe it. How did this happen? I double-checked everything like forty times at least.”
“I have a spare, but mine doesn’t fit her.” Iara looks at me. “Do you have a spare?”
“Of course.” I dig in my bag and pull it out. The Kiphian doesn’t reach for it. “Go on, take it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”No.I have no idea why I’m offering to help a competitor, and I ignore the voice that says I’m just doing it to look good in front of Iara. “Just try to get it back to me, okay?”
I don’t think I will need it. But that’s why you have a spare. You never think you will need it until you do.
“I will. I’m not sure how, though.”
“Just keep an eye out for him.” Iara looks at me. “Or me. I can get it back to him for you.”
“I really appreciate this.”
I shrug. “No one should be eliminated the first day, especially not for a… simple mistake.” I change course at the last second, realizing I almost said stupid.
“Thank you. I’m Ethisia, by the way.” She holds out her hand, but I shake my head.
“I have to go.”
Iara follows me. “You could have shook her hand,” she says with a huff.
“I don’t do that.”
“Um, okay.”
I see her staring at me out of my peripheral vision.What do humans know about fated mates?I wonder. Does she feel anything like what I do when we’re near each other?
“Weird, don’t you think?” Iara asks.
“What?”
We’ve reached my favorite spot to climb along this face. I take my pack out and pull out my harness. The belt is securely attached.
“Weird that her belts, both of them, disappeared. I mean, don’t you always check your gear after a climb and make sure it hasn’t been damaged?”
“Of course.”
“So, it’s weird.”
“Maybe she’s a beginner.”
“She’s not. We hung out a bit before the race. She’s got a ton of experience. I was worried about her being a likely contender to beat me.”
I stop what I’m doing and look up at her. “What if you weren’t the only one?”
“The only one what?”
“The only one worried about her. I mean, how do two belts just walk out of someone’s pack? Especially…” I hold my harness up and jiggle it hard. The belt doesn’t budge. “If it’s secured in place.”
“You think somebody…?”
