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When she heard a quiet knock on her back wall several days later, she smiled.

She cracked open her door, checking for Paladins sentries before she stepped outside. The moons lit the village with deep blue light, bright enough for her to see by. She rounded the tiny building and found Nero waiting for her by the back wall.

“I need something else,” he explained shortly. “Can you help?”

“I will do my best.”

“There’s a young girl with us, about the age of that girl who lives at the inn. She needs warmer boots for the winter, and we’re finding it hard to locate something small enough for her.”

Zara had not pictured any children in his group. “This is not a normal raiding party,” she commented.

“No,” he said, leaning one shoulder against the wall. “They chased all the Varai from Valtos, remember? That includes the children, as well.”

She was so curious about his group and wanted to ask questions: what they were like, how many there were, where they lived. But maybe it was too soon to ask. She folded her arms. “How will you pay me?”

Nero tilted his head to roll his eyes a little, pressing his lips together. “I don’t know. What will you demand this time?” he asked, sounding tired, but Zara could tell he was playacting. She suppressed a smile.

“Another kiss,” she suggested. “A better one, this time.”

He looked genuinely offended. “The last one wasn’t good enough?”

It had been fantastic. But she looked down, examining her nails. “It would be nice for a girl. I am a woman.”

“I didn’t know you had such a hunger.”

“I do not.Youmake me hungry.”

His expression froze, their play paused as he stared at her in surprise. Zara felt her face heating, but she held his gaze.

He recovered, stepping closer to her. He leaned in and brushed his lips lightly against hers.

Frustratingly, he only teased, refusing to touch her too long or to open his mouth. He’d backed her against the wall again, but she felt no creeping panic this time. He was still moving too slowly, too lightly.

Her hands found his and laced their fingers. Following her lead, he lifted her hands, pressing them against the wall beside her head, forcing her to arch her back and press her chest against him. A rush of heat went through her, pulsing through her core.

Unable to passively wait any longer, she chased him, tipping her head to capture his mouth with hers. His word choice was apt. She was hungry.

The movement seemed to activate something in Nero. His hands tightened on hers, holding her still as his mouth attempted to devour hers. She lost herself in his lips and his tongue, and she began to lose track of the world around them, no longer certain where they were or how much time had passed.

How long had it been since she’d pursued someone, rather than being the one pursued? Had it even happened before? She’d kissed other men, but she’d never felt this urgent drive to take them before, nor had she ever had the confidence to do so.

She was startled when she heard a soft moan come from his throat. The sound seemed to shake both of them from their trance, and Nero abruptly took a step back, letting go of her.

Her entire body was buzzing. She flattened her hands against the wall behind her to steady herself. Nero pushed his hair behind his ears, a little breathless.

“Satisfied?” he asked.

She nodded jerkily. But she wasn’t satisfied. Not really. She wanted more.

She cleared her throat. “Just boots?”

He looked at her blankly, as if he’d forgotten about his request. He nodded, then took something from his pocket and pressed it into her hand. It was a coin.

“I have money,” she protested. “The innkeeper pays me for my work.”

“I did not come to you to ask you to buy us things. We are not beggars.”

“No, only thieves,” she said, smirking.