The battle hormones were burning in his veins, mixing deliciously with the desire.

Xaven watched Eleya prepare for their duel. They had both agreed to not wearing armors, playing the game for first blood. At some point, the captain wanted a real duel as well. He didn't think Eleya would mind it at all, despite it coming with the threat of real wounds.

She was a Brion, from toe to tip, and Xaven couldn't have been more excited to spend his life by her side.

The High Senator was adjusting the belt of her training gear. It was a dark green skin-tight outfit, a short dress with deep slits on either side. Eleya wore tight black pants underneath, looking every bit the warrior she was. Her boots were low and obviously fit her perfectly. The long dark hair was tied up in a tight bun now, all distractions taken out of the way.

Xaven loved it.

Some females in the Brion armies felt that the rough golden armors didn't allow for much femininity. So they found ways to compensate. Wearing their long hair loosely was one method, training in clothes that were uncomfortable in favor of practicality was another.

Eleya did none of that. She was naturally beautiful, exuding an aura of grace and power like a warrior goddess. Xaven appreciated the fact that she didn't even consider putting on a show for him.

She'd come to win and that made her sexier to him than if she'd fought stark naked.

Well, perhaps not then.

The mental image jumped before his mind's eye so fast Xaven knew he couldn't live long without touching her the way he wanted to. Every bit of his mind, body and soul called out for her, for the true union.

"What's my prize?" Eleya asked, coming closer to him and resting her spear against the floor.

She didn't look concerned at all. Xaven wondered if that was a bad sign.

"What would you like?" he asked. "Anything that's in my power to give is yours."

"Exactly," Eleya replied. "You are very free with your heart, your possessions and your position. I want something else."

"I am your gerion," the captain noted, his deep voice carrying the edge of burning lust. "I dare you to find something I wouldn't want to give to you."

"Done," Eleya said, smiling softly. "If I win, you stop all this blackmail nonsense. Our bond will progress naturally, moving to the next step when we're ready and not a moment sooner. I will not start scheduling fate because you want to fuck me."

Xaven groaned. Just hearing that word from Eleya's pretty pink lips, spoken with a passion burning in her sharp eyes... it made him harder than he could ever remember being. The High Senator's eyes dropped to the bulge in his pants, smirking victoriously before she raised her eyes to him again.

She was a she-wolf. Xaven bared his teeth in a snarl when he realized he'd walked right into a trap.

"You think that's fair?" he asked. "Accepted, by the way."

"Fair?" Eleya asked, taking three steps back and letting the tall spear twirl in her hands. "We are Brions, Captain."

The valor squares on Eleya's neck were pulsing red hot light, bathing the arena in its glow. Xaven had never seen anything like that. Eleya used the shadows created by her own crystals to move in the shadows, circling him. She was controlling the light in the room, making use of every weapon she had.

The truth of just how much time he'd wasted in General Castalen's service hit, hard. Clearly, Eleya's removal from the Brion armies had been a crime. Just like she'd been telling them all for years.

"Come, then," Eleya called to him, her soft voice suddenly heavy with desire, tempting like the divine spirits. "Come show me how much you want me. How badly you want to claim my lips, to make me howl your name," she mocked.

Xaven charged with a roar. Every word out of Eleya's mouth was a weapon, hitting right at his weak spots without missing a single blow. The female was using his desire for her against him. A Brion warrior was able to fight through incredible wounds and blinding conditions, but if there was one thing still to be mastered, it was dueling with a hard-on.

Desire had a way of corrupting battle. It ensnared the mind completely, making the warrior deaf and dull compared to his true skills.

Eleya laughed, sweetly and brightly. The laughter echoed in the room, magnified and distorted by the valor squares. His gesha really was using every bit of herself in the duel.

It worked, too. Xaven's blind charge was so foolhardy Eleya had no trouble sidestepping him. The shadows she created and the distracting sound of her laughter resulted in momentary confusion. It was so miniscule that it barely existed for a regular person, but they were Brions and Eleya was one of the best.

Xaven had to take a heavy blow against the arm, blocking the shaft of her spear with his shoulder. The weight of the strike was so punishing it vibrated through his muscles. With savage glee beating in his heart, Xaven twisted and turned out of the way as Eleya came after him, not letting him catch a breath for a second.

There was no time to adjust his grip or hit back. She kept the pressure on him perfectly, advancing with each step.

Trying to avoid getting his blood drawn was quickly becoming his only priority. There was no counter-striking as Eleya redoubled her efforts.

Only his natural skills saved him. The ones Xaven had had since he'd been a young boy. Instincts that sometimes failed others never let him down. Now they were helping him fend off his gesha.

"You are so damn hot, I'm really considering throwing this thing," he growled at her.

Eleya's eyes were bright and wide, so much more alive than when she was her usual politician self. With the spear in her hands, she seemed to come alive and be the person she truly was again.

"Don't you dare," she shot back. "I will know and I will not accept it. Do not insult me."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Xaven said, finally catching one of Eleya's blows, locking them together.

She held firm, but the vicious streak had been broken. Xaven considered his options. Eleya was so damn quick it was hard to believe after years out of active duty. She was definitely quicker than him, and more agile. Like that, matched against each other, however, strength came into play and she couldn't match him there.

Eleya knew that too. She quickly broke the deadlock and moved away, beckoning him closer again.

Xaven wasn't falling for that, but they couldn't stay in opposite corners of the arena forever. He focused. The prize Eleya had promised him was too good to let it slip through his fingers. There was no way he'd lose that duel.

With that knowledge, Xaven surged forward. He could see the flash of surprise in Eleya's eyes as he now forced her into the defensive position. His gesha was still fast as lightning, striking back every chance she got. The blade of her long spear came so perilously close to the captain a few times that he could feel the sharpness in the air.

It was a pure miracle he wasn't bleeding yet, but the gods seemed to be on his side.

"You're bluffing, you know," he told Eleya, who was now breathing heavily just as he was.

The flushed look was good on her.

"I'm not," Eleya said firmly. "That is not how you win."

"Not with the fight," Xaven said, keeping her well in his sights as he approached with each step and strike. "With the bets. I have seen the way you look at me and right now, with the battle hormones beating in your blood, I can see everything. Valor squares don't lie. Your heartbeat neither.

"You want me as badly as I want you."

Eleya was a fraction of a second too late with taking control of her expression. The look that flashed before Xaven's eyes wasn't the one he'd been expecting. His first guess would have been that he was wrong and the benefit would have been pissing Eleya off. And if he was right, he fully anticipated Eleya getting mad at being discovered like that.

The emotion he saw in a glimpse was clear. Eleya was impressed, even if she didn't admit it to herself.

Xaven rushed in. The spear in his hands cut and parried, slicing through the air until he was close enough to knock the shaft against Eleya's leg. She cried out, stumbling back. The second of being off balance cost her the duel. Xaven's spear whirred through the air, cutting the slightest trail of blood on her forearm and stopping there.

He didn't want to hurt her any more than he had to in order to win her.

Eleya looked at the red with a deep disdain, lowering her spear.

"That was good," she admitted seriously, eyes still on the wound. "We should repeat this one day. It's been a while since someone gave me a real fight. Much less won one –"

She didn't finish her thought.

Xaven dropped his spear on the ground and pulled Eleya into his embrace. He could hear the weapon falling from his gesha's grip as she accepted her defeat.

The captain kissed her. Deeply, passionately, like he had never felt the soft lips of a female against his before.

Eleya couldn't hold back a quick, soft moan when Xaven pushed his tongue into her mouth, relishing the taste of her. She was perfect in his arms, fitting there like she was crafted for his body. Xaven deepened the kiss, thinking of how well they were going to fit together when they finally made their bond real. His hands wandered all over her divine form, groping her ass. He nipped at her lips, loving the way Eleya responded with the same, wild and untamed like a wild creature. She writhed against him, pulling at his black shirt, running her hands over his muscled chest.

"Win me," Eleya whispered to him, her voice shaking a little from the desire. "If you can."

Xaven didn't let her tell that to him twice. He lifted her into his arms and carried her all the way back to her quarters, never even noticing the palace around them or missing the weapon he hadn't parted with since he received it.

All that mattered to him was Eleya.

The bet had been for a kiss, but they both knew there was no stopping once they had gotten the first taste of blood.