“Mind if I join you?”

Amber’s voice broke through his thoughts, startling him from the nodding doze that he had become used to over the past month. Their fear of a return from the slavers of New Rome meant that one of them kept watch each night, keeping an eye out for any ships coming up the river, or dark figures emerging from the tree line.

Cade nodded and scooted aside, and Amber collapsed beside him. It was cool at the top of the mountain, and though he had yet to bathe away the grime of the hunt, it was a welcome relief from the hot work below.

“How’s the fire?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Yoshi’s keeping an eye on it.”

Her fingers intertwined with his, an unconscious affection that still set his heart aflame. He clasped it back, and the two stared out across the valley. It was beautiful this time of night. The twin moons of red and white cast a warm glow across the expanse of trees, tinged with the first rays of the sun blushing the horizon.

“It’s nice up here,” she said. “Romantic.”

She lay her head on his shoulder, and he smiled. The food they had gathered today had lifted a great weight from those shoulders.

“Who knew you could still be romantic while covered in dinosaur guts?” he said.

She kicked him gently, but he heard her snort. “Way to ruin the moment.”

Their romance, hardly begun before his battle with the alpha, had been interrupted by his long recovery. But it was Amber who had sat by his bed as he had tossed and turned from the pain. Amber who had tended to his legs, and bathed his forehead as it blazed hot with fever.

Despite it all, Cade had recovered well, though he was left with a few scars. Thankfully, there was no permanent damage.

“We don’t need to keep watch tonight,” Amber said, shifting closer.

Even now, Cade couldn’t tell if it was the cold or affection. But he smiled nonetheless.

“Oh yeah?” he asked. “How do you figure that?”

“Look at the pit.”

Cade squinted through the red light of the moons, his eyes following the reflection of the river. At first, he could see only shadows. But as his eyes adjusted, he could see the shifting shapes, a darker black against the gloom. And as the breeze changed, he could almost hear the snarls and snap of teeth as the predators of the jungle fought over the carcass.

“You think any slavers are gonna come for us with every predator in the vicinity hanging around?”

Cade pressed his lips to her forehead. “I think it’s worth the risk if I get to spend the evening with you.”

Amber chuckled. “That was just the right amount of cheesy. What did you have planned for me?”

“Dinner and a movie?” he asked.

“Classic,” she mumbled, lifting her head and stretching. “Can you get hold of some Terminator movies for me? You said they made a few more.”