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Elian edged a little closer into Rael's personal space, entranced. He wanted to see what would happen — if he could get the proud alpha warrior to lose control.
If he could ruffle that confident facade…
Rael didn't move away. "Careful, human," he rumbled. "You won't like the consequences if you push me."
"Oh?" Despite the adrenaline that spiked through him, Elian managed to keep his voice light. "What are you going to do?"
He was half-joking, half-teasing — but there was a dangerous glint in Rael's eyes, something that sent a shiver of anticipation down Elian's spine.
For one wild moment, he wanted to see what would happen if he did push Rael too far. He wanted to see that iron control crack, to see the proud alpha warrior lose his cool.
Desire and challenge warred in his veins, a heady cocktail that made his heart race. He edged even closer, right up into Rael's personal space, until their thighs were pressed together.
Rael's breath caught.
The moment hung between them, thick with heat and possibility. The crackling campfire, the distant hum of alien insects, the dark of the night — it all blurred away, leaving just the two of them.
Elian's heart hammered in his chest. He'd dared to tease a powerful alpha warrior, to question his self-control, to insinuate that he couldn't handle the heat between them.
Now he wanted to see what would happen next.
Rael turned to face him, his emerald eyes burning.
Elian's heart raced as he watched Rael war with himself, as he saw the proud alpha's control start to slip. Desire burned in those eyes, mingling with frustration, with a hunger for something that the alien warrior clearly wasn't supposed to want.
And then Rael growled, low and dangerous. In one swift movement, he had Elian's arms pinned behind his back, and then he tied them firmly together with a length of rope.
"Hey!" Despite the adrenaline that still spiked through him, Elian put on his best indignant glare. "Let me go! This is unfair!"
Rael ignored him, finishing off the knots. "You're a maddening creature," he growled.
He tied Elian's bonds to a sturdy tree branch, and then he stepped away, putting distance between them. "Tonight, you're sleeping there."
"W-where are you sleeping?"
Rael simply gestured to the other side of the campfire, where the bedrolls were placed.
"You're really making me sleep over here?" Despite the heat of the moment, despite the adrenaline that still coursed through him, Elian couldn't help the incredulity in his voice. "What am I going to do, seduce you in my sleep?"
Rael's expression was utterly deadpan. "If anyone can manage it, I'm sure it's you."
He settled down for the night, wrapping himself in his bedroll and turning his back on Elian.
Tied up by himself, far away from the heat of the alpha warrior, Elian couldn't help a grin from spreading across his face. Half of him felt victorious, giddy at the proof that he'd managed to get under Rael's skin. The other half of him burned with the memory of desire, frustrated at the lack of closure.
He'd won something — but he'd lost something, too. Tied up in the cool night air, the crackle of the campfire the only sound in his ears, both feelings warred within him, keeping his heart racing just as much as any moment of desire.
He was in the middle of a dangerous game — and he wasn't quite sure of the rules.
Chapter eight
Elian's heart hammered in his chest. Today, he was to be handed over to a Borraq outpost, his fate sealed.
But in this moment, that wasn't the most immediate danger he faced.
Rael had stripped him down to the waist, and now sat behind him, working a thick, sweet-smelling salve into Elian's bare skin. The stuff was cold against Elian's overheated flesh, sending shivers down his spine. Despite the unease of the situation, he couldn't help the little gasps that escaped him as Rael's strong fingers rubbed the salve into his body.
"Is this really necessary?" Elian squirmed, half from the strange feeling of the salve, half from the even stranger feeling of Rael's hands on his body.
