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In any case, I don’t intend to leave her side again and make her prove it.
22
IARA
I’m covered in warm furs, and I’m looking up at the man I’m very much coming to realize I love. It’s the second time he’s had to stop his own mission to help me on this course.
“You probably think I’m an idiot,” I mutter. My lungs still feel heavy and bitter.
He smiles, petting me and kissing me on the head. “No, you’re not the idiot between us. But I’m here now, and I’ll never leave your side again.” He takes both of my hands in one of his big calloused ones.
He covers me in kisses, his love, his penance. I surrender myself to him, allowing him to pamper and treat me.
He tucks me back in and returns to his work, single-handedly finishing building the camp. I watch him work, and I suddenly feel so safe as he gets to work chopping up enough firewood for us to rest comfortably for as long as we need. He’s a hulking mass of a man, but I’m starting to see a whole new side of him, a side I’m not even sure he understands.
Ice cracks as he drills a hole and sets up a trap. Within ten minutes, he pulls up a small basket filled with what looks like eels with claws? I rub the sleep out of my eyes, and he comfortsme as the luxurious and fragrant broth tantalizes. Our little campsite feels like home, and suddenly the trial doesn’t matter.
I hate depending on him so much, but with him, I feel complete. I feel greater than myself. I don’t think any other human would have been able to do what I just did.And maybe that’s okay? Maybe I don’t have to do everything on my own?
“How are you doing?” he asks, checking on me again as he tends to the camp and the soup.
“I think I’m okay.”
“Can you tell me what happened?”
In my mind I try to recount. For a moment, I don’t want to tell him and look away. “I-I don’t know, I made mistakes . . .”
“What do you mean by mistakes? You could have been seriously harmed. Why didn’t you just use your comm?” he scolds, his deep voice resonating. “Sometimes, I swear, little human. Do you not care for your own life?”
For a moment, he looks angry at me, like my father when I snuck out to hunt and almost got mauled by a bear. But I eventually got better. And I will be better for him.
“I didn’t want to quit the challenge and let Renxel beat me. I mean, if I thought I was dying, I would have. But I still thought I had a chance to make it and find my way in the morning when I could regain my sense of direction.”
“Renxel,” he growls, magma scorching in his eyes. “What did he do to you?”
I try to recall exactly what happened, but everything is foggy. "We were traveling together and he actually seemed like a decent guy." I say slowly. "Then we shared a meal before bed. I thought it was just a nice gesture, but I shouldn’t have trusted it. I’m pretty sure he slipped Valerian into my portion, at least, and then I passed out. When I woke up, my navigator was missing, so I had to use a map."
Rylan looks beyond enraged, scanning the treeline for any sign of Renxel in a nearby tent. He returns to me, offering comfort with gentle kisses even as his eyes continue surveying our surroundings.
"I thought this was the end, just like Father warned…"
Rylan's expression hardens as he pulls me into his lap, cradling me protectively. "You're the strongest, bravest human I know," he assures between kisses. "But Renxel's behavior, if true, is unacceptable. Hewillpay."
I cling to him, drawing strength from him. My rock. My everything. Together we will address this, but for now, I need rest and care. Rylan seems to sense this, holding me close as exhaustion takes me.Questions will come later. For now, I feel safe and secure in his arms.
“I know. If it wasn’t for you…” His look of pure love and adoration is the last thing I see before my eyes close, exhausted by my trials. “Just promise me you won’t do anything too rash.”
"You need to eat, my love," he murmurs. He brings a steaming spoonful to my lips, and I lose myself in the explosion of flavor. Each bite of tender meat and savory broth is bliss itself.
“Mine,” he growls into my ear, kissing my head and holding me close. Through body language alone, I can tell the man has changed since I last saw him. And maybe I changed, too.
“Yours . . .” I whisper into his warm protective arm.
I know I can fend for myself but having him behind me just makes me stronger. I fall asleep in his arms, his warmth enveloping me. I could lay here with him forever. Maybe, just maybe, he could be what I’ve been looking for my entire life, unwilling to actually admit it to myself.The only one worthy.
And together, we make a great team. I even dare to let myself dream of a life adventuring right by his side. Slapping some sense into him when he thinks another trial is a good idea. But it’s a good life I see in my mind's eye, untarnished and pure.
I have always been a wild child, anyway. My aunt used to call me Hurricane Iara because of the way I rough-housed with the boys and always stood as tall as them.
