Chapter 14

Heavens, she was beautiful, in a way most of his peers were but with an untouchable quality that appealed to him all the more. Before he could dissect it, a crack snatched his attention. Then the branch snapped.

“Oh—”

“I got you,” he repeated, arm shooting up and grabbing another branch on the way down. Pain raced down his shoulder, but he ignored it as his shield wrapped around them like a bubble, then reached up to other branches. Slowly, he cajoled it up until they were floating to the top of the trees. “I guess the best solution is multiple branches supporting our weight.”

“Right.”

Her voice so close to his ear had him registering that she was flat on the bubble with him on top of her. He gulped at the closeness, then bit back a groan when she wriggled to get away. When Mabel locked her legs with his, she stiffened.

“Don’t move too much. I’m still…steadying the shield.”

“Okay.”

There was no need to tell her that he was steadying his hormones, too, before he made a fool of himself.