When Tess and Ayden came downstairs the next morning, Matt was sitting at the bar, smoking a cigarette. “Breakfast?” he asked.

“We can eat on the way,” Tess said. “I wanna get going.”

Just then, a busty redhead in a low-cut top sauntered toward them. She only had eyes for Matt and didn’t even register the others. Grinning, she slid her hand up his back from behind, then around his neck and down until it rested on his chest. Unsurprised by this, he turned his head and gave her a casual smile. The woman leaned over, pressing herself against him, and whispered something in his ear. She pulled back and raised a suggestive brow.

“Been there, done that,” he told her flatly.

The woman’s grin disappeared as she huffed angrily and stormed off. Tess watched her go, then looked back at Matt with a frown. He looked completely indifferent. Deciding it wasn’t her business, she let it go and left with Ayden, leaving Matt to follow.

“We need to send a message to Sera before we leave town,” Tess said as soon as they were all outside.

Matt nodded and flicked the remainder of his cigarette into the street. “There’s a courier this way,” he said, leading them east.

“You do know cigarettes will kill you, right?” Tess asked.

He laughed. “Says who?”

“My parents.”

“Bullshit.”

She just rolled her eyes.

Once the message was sent, they continued to the edge of town to get their horses from the stable. Tess and Ayden both had sturdy chestnut mounts, while Matt’s was black, beautiful, and strong. It was fitting, Tess thought; she couldn’t imagine him riding anything less cool.

__________

“So I was thinking about what you said last night,” Tess told Matt as the three of them rode east across the hot, sandy terrain of the Coral Desert.

Matt glanced over and smiled. “Thinking about me, huh?”

She groaned. “Can you stop being that guy for a minute?”

He chuckled. “No.”

She sighed. “Anyway, you said that I was the first woman to draw blood. Haven’t you ever fought women before?”

“Don’t you think it’s because you’re that good?”

“I am,” she told him, “but you’re not.”

“I think we need a rematch.”

“And give you the chance to touch me?” She sneered slightly. “I don’t think so.”

“You’ll want it soon enough,” he said confidently.

She didn’t know if he meant the touching or the fighting, but she didn’t ask. “Just answer my question,” she demanded.

“No, I’ve never fought a woman. Well...” He smirked, then added, “Not really.”

“Not really?” she repeated. Then, realizing it was just more innuendo, made a disgusted sound. “Never mind, I don’t wanna know.” She pulled back on her horse’s reins a little, slowing down to ride next to Ayden.

After a while they started playing Guess what monster I am? to pass the time. Matt continued to ride slightly ahead and seemed to ignore them.

“Are you greenish at all?” was Tess' tenth question this round.

“No,” Ayden answered.

“Can you speak?”

“Yes.”

“Common language?”

“No.”

“Are you ugly?”

“No.”

“Are you a nymph?”

He laughed. “Nymphs aren’t monsters. Or are you saying your aunt is half-monster?”

She smirked. “Well, some people think she is.”

“Making women jealous doesn’t qualify as a monstrous trait.”

She chuckled. “Okay. Well, are you... bigger than a horse?”

“Yes.”

Just then, she noticed that even though they were nearing the ocean, there weren’t any boats in sight. “How do we get to the island?”

“It’s not that far out and there’s a shallow path we can ride across,” Ayden answered—and, as with all things relating to geography, he was right. Even places he had never been to before, he knew well from studying books and maps.

As they crossed the channel of water, Tess returned to her game questions. “Do you live south of Soran River?”

He considered it for a moment. “Yes.”

“In the jungle?”

“No.”

“Desert?”

“No.”

“Plains?”

“No.”

She frowned at him. “Where else are there monsters down there?”

“Ocean,” Matt offered.

“Yes,” Ayden said grudgingly. “But you’re not playing.”

Matt just shrugged.

Tess grinned. “Oh, I know—water dragon. But that doesn’t count, they’re extinct.”

“No one said it had to be alive,” Ayden said, “and that one was too easy since I just went to the dragon museum last night.”

Matt scoffed.

“What?”

“Obviously easy is too difficult for her since it took her that many tries.”

Tess glared, but Ayden looked smug. “Like you could do better,” he challenged, and Tess smirked. But Matt didn’t play along; he just shrugged again as he pulled out his silver case and lit a cigarette.

She sighed in disappointment, but quickly let it go. “Do another.”

Ayden smiled and thought for a moment. “Okay, got one.”

__________

They continued over the golden sands as they rode north across the desert island, following the coastline. As they traveled, the terrain gradually began to have intermittent patches of vegetation: palms, cactus with pink or yellow flowers, and a few Joshua trees. After a while, rock began to protrude here and there out of the sand, growing more numerous as they approached the rocky cliff at the northern end of the island. The sun was setting, painting the sky in the west pink and cooling down the day considerably when they found a nice sandy clearing, and set up camp for the night.

While Ayden was cleaning up after dinner, Matt commented casually, “You know, I bet you’re horrible at fighting in the desert. Probably not used to sand.”

Tess rolled her eyes. “Not a chance.”

“Yeah... wouldn’t want to hurt your ego,” he taunted lightly.

She glared in response.

“And you’re probably scared to fight me for real. Understandable. Smart too.”

When she stood suddenly, Ayden laughed. “Kick his ass,” he told her.

She gave him a cocky smile. “With pleasure.” She pulled her daggers from her boots and walked several yards away.

Matt shrugged out of his sleeveless jacket and took out his sword. She tried to ignore the small jolt that shot through her stomach at the sight of his lightly tanned, beautiful, and now bare upper body. Why did he affect her like this when every other guy she knew didn’t? Even Sam, who was undoubtedly good-looking, didn’t make her feel like this.

Perhaps the difference was knowing that, unlike Sam and the others, Matt wanted her. He was the first person to ever show that sort of interest.

“Can I put a shield spell on you, Tess?” Ayden called.

Matt came to stand in front of her, and she didn’t take her eyes off him as she called back, “No, I’m fine.”

“Please?” he pressed.

“I don’t need a shield, Ayd.”

“Looks like your friend doesn’t have much confidence in your fighting ability,” Matt said, loud enough for Ayden to hear. “Don’t worry,” he added with mock sweetness, glancing at him, “I won’t hurt her... much.”

“The only one I’d worry about is you... if I cared,” Ayden retorted.

Matt ignored him. “Ready?” he asked Tess.

“Always.”

“Come on.” His voice was husky and quiet now, so only she could hear him. “Touch me,” he invited with a twitch of his arched brow.

“I should warn you,” she told him, “I’ve been fighting for as long as I can remember.”

“So have I.”

“And I was taught by the best.”

“So you think.”

“So I know.”

“We’ll see.”

They stared at each other for awhile, each daring the other to make the first move. Finally, Tess' impatience got the best of her and she took a swing, which he predictably blocked. Her next few attacks were slow and reserved, as were his—both testing the water.

Then abruptly, at the same moment, they let loose and the real fight began. Strength was on Matt’s side, but Tess was fast. Both were agile and skilled, fierce and aggressive.

He drew blood after a while, but only by grazing her upper arm, just enough to make little red beads appear. A minute later, she knocked the sword from his hand and slashed at him. He jumped back, and the tip of her blade just barely missed his chest.

He dodged two more swings, then kicked her hand, causing one of her daggers to fly several feet away. He landed a kick in her stomach, throwing her backwards. She flipped up to her feet and then darted for her weapon, which lay near a small wiry shrub. He took the opportunity to retrieve his sword.

They grinned as they turned back to each other and continued, both loving the thrill of a fight. They kept going until the sun set and the light from the campfire began to outweigh the light in the sky. But they were matched in stamina and both too stubborn to give up.

“I think it’s a tie,” Ayden finally called.

“You want to call it a tie?” Matt asked between strikes.

“What, are you tired?” Tess retorted.

“It takes a long time to wear me out,” he said, and swung at her again.

She blocked with one dagger. There was the sound of metal grinding against metal as their weapons slid down a few inches and then lingered in place. “No longer than me.”

He tried to backhand her, but she caught his wrist. He twisted his hand so he could grab her arm and pull her against him. “Oh”—his smoldering gaze lowered to her mouth—“I could wear you out,” he purred.

Her eyes tightened as she understood his meaning. “You’ll never get the chance.”

“Yes, I will,” he said, grinning wolfishly. “I always get what I want. And I enjoy a challenge.”

Flustered again, she shoved him off and went to sit beside Ayden. She watched Matt walk closer, his muscles glistening with sweat in the firelight. She swallowed and looked away.

Ayden took her hand, and she calmed down a bit at his familiar, comforting touch. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she felt the tingling of his healing spell, and the sting from the small cut on her arm faded.

She opened her eyes and smiled her thanks, then sighed as she got up and stripped down to her tank top and underwear. “I’m going for a swim,” she announced, then ran for the ocean and dived in, leaving the men to sit in silence and do their best to ignore each other.

The water felt good on her feverish skin, but ten minutes later, she was regretting her decision as she got out and started shivering in the cold night air. Ayden handed her a towel when she got to him. Since she would have to walk too far away from them to get any privacy, she decided to let her thin tank top and underwear dry on her instead of changing.

Once she was finished with the towel, Ayden wrapped a blanket around her and guided her to sit beside the fire. He sat behind her and pulled the tie out of the end of her braid, then ran his fingers through her hair until it hung loose so it could dry. When he finally pulled her into his arms to hold her, she leaned her head against him and closed her eyes. Between his body heat, the blanket, and the fire, she was quickly warm again.

They sat in silence for a while until Ayden suddenly shifted uncomfortably. Matt and Tess glanced over to see the cause and found a three-inch long grasshopper sitting nearby. Matt smirked and moved quickly to catch the insect, then offered it to Ayden who stiffened and turned his face into Tess' damp hair.

“Knock it off,” Tess told Matt, frowning at him while rubbing Ayden’s arm soothingly.

“What?” Matt asked innocently. “Just wondering if he’s hungry.”

“Just throw it over there,” she ordered, not amused.

Ayden looked back, but kept his gaze away from the insect. “Kill it,” he demanded quietly.

Matt shrugged. “Okay.” He popped the grasshopper into his mouth and started chewing.

“That’s disgusting,” Tess said, while Ayden looked like he was going to be sick.

Matt swallowed and chuckled, then went back to smoking his cigarette in silence.

“Let’s go to sleep,” Tess said. When Ayden hesitated, she turned a little in his arms so she could look at him. “I don’t see any more,” she told him, quietly enough so that Matt wouldn’t hear. “Why don’t I sleep with you tonight? It’s cold, and I can also protect you from the nasty little things.” She smiled, only partly teasing him.

He smiled back sincerely. “Thanks.”

She got up to put some clothes on over her slightly damp underclothes while he combined their blankets. When she spotted another grasshopper, she killed it quickly, and then glanced back to make sure Ayden hadn’t seen it. Only Matt noticed, and he rolled his eyes. She gave him a serious look that told him to leave it alone. He shrugged casually, not seeming to care anymore.

She returned to Ayden, crawled under the blankets behind him, and pulled him into her arms. He took her hand, gently lacing his fingers with hers, and held it against his chest.

Tess looked at Matt once more before closing her eyes. He flicked the remainder of his cigarette into the fire, only to light another. He watched them with a slight frown that almost looked confused. She wondered why for a moment, but then decided she didn’t care and went to sleep.