“Wake up. Come quick.”She paused, the voice familiar. Then she gasped when it registered who was speaking. Yu alternated between shaking her shoulder and frantically flying around.“Yu? You can talk now?”“Witch. Help.”“Witch helped you?” she deduced, still incredulous. “With Mabel magic, I presume, since no one can learn a new language that fast.”“Witch. Help.”It clicked when her gaze finally fell behind her and found the spot empty. Brian whirled back to face Yu, then looked around. She froze when she heard something flit in her ears…music, but why would there be music in the cave?“Yu, where’s Mabel ?”The pixie understood and pointed repeatedly to their right, where the bank of water was located. It was dark just like the rest of the cave, but Yu’s expression had her crawling toward it. When she did, the music became clearer and transformed into a woman humming a melody, her voice like magic and temptation rolled into one. Just as it faded, a warning crawled down her spine. Yu

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.

“Okay.”There was no need to tell her that he was steadying his hormones, too, before he made a fool of himself. But he also strengthened his shield, thickening it.“How does that work?” she asked. “Me and Yu getting in while it blocks others?”“Intention. You and Yu have no intention to kill me. The moment you do, the shield will kick you out.”“Oh.” She made an envious sound. “I wish I had the same shield.”“You have your magic, which is far cooler,” he pointed out. She wrinkled her nose, a cute gesture that drew him nearer before he remembered himself. “This will protect us for the night. Unless you want us to rest on separate branches.”He watched her consider it, a brief moment as she looked down at the thinner branches covering them below, then the night sky filling up with stars above. Slowly, she shook her head, her expression somber.“That’s not a good idea.”“It isn’t?”“Sirens and pixies can’t seem to stay away from you, so I’m taking it upon myself to be your repugnant shi

It prevents us from moving the cage around.” She watched awareness sink into his face as he peered down at the boiling water near the cage’s floor. Already, she could feel the heat of it on her feet and had to tiptoe. “Or kicking it open.”For the first time, Mabel didn’t have a comeback to that. But he scrutinized the door and swung from the cage ceiling, kicking it a few times to no avail. When that didn’t work, he body slammed it until she glimpsed flickers of pain in his features.“Stop,” she called out, then pulled his shoulder when he didn’t listen. “Stop.”“I have to get us out.”A hiss came from his lips, riddled with pain. This time, she inserted herself as a shield and caught the magic as he abruptly stopped charging—another confirmation that he wouldn’t hurt her. But the momentum flattened them on the bars and he growled.“I hurt you. Em, I’m hurting you.”She shook her head. Quietly, she climbed up when her feet couldn’t take the heat from the floor and waited until he did

The pixie zipped through the commotion below, face lighting up at the sight of Mabel. Yu heaved the bag in his hands higher, then paused to turn back to the wrestling giants below. When Wilson pushed his head out again, Yu pulled open the bag—and out came a glittery explosion of powder that hit the giant right in the face.“Rescue you,” Yu announced proudly just as Wilson toppled to the ground. Now it wasn’t just Mabel’s shouts they heard but others as a stampede of stomping feet climbed the stairs.“It’s open.”The two men whipped their heads to gape at the portal shimmering before Brian, essentially located over the long drop. The roof shook again, harder than ever as Mabel was pushed aside and more giant hands came out to capture them.“Jump,” Mabel said.“You first,” Brian returned.“Me first!” Yu exclaimed, already flying into the portal and winking out of sight.Green eyes widened, noticing the pixie for the first time. She broke into a grin. He took her hand.“Jump together?”B