She'd blown it, her one chance and she'd screwed it up monumentally. The surge of adrenaline that had served her seeped from her like the sand from an hourglass into the stone floor underneath his weight, muscles relaxing against her will from sheer exhaustion. With the tenseness she'd held gone, she was shaking underneath. It was the smallest of movements, but with the close contact he'd feel every last nuance.

"It's not the same when it's not a surprise," she managed huskily in response through her exhaustion, that spark of defiance still clinging on by a thread. But it was Daniel's eyes that looked at her, the fear more than evident in them. She didn't want to look back at him, she'd failed him. Vala doubted she'd be given the chance again. She barely registered the talons on her neck as they scored their subtle reminder, if she was bleeding she probably wouldn't have registered it.