Mingxi moved to a flat patch of earth in the clearing, beckoning her to join him, and then said, “Your magic answered fear last night. We need it to answer intention instead.”
Poppy crossed her arms. “That sounds easier than it is.”
“Most worthwhile things are.”
He stepped behind her—close but not touching. She felt the warmth of him at her back, the coiled discipline in his breathing.
“Foxborn channel qi through movement forms,” he said. “You’ll adapt one of ours.”
“Movement forms? Like martial arts?”
His lips curved slightly. “Think of it like… dancing,” he said. “But older. And with teeth.”
Poppy blinked. “Teeth?”
“Sometimes literally,” he murmured. “But not today.” He positioned his hands near her elbows firmly, guiding. “Stand naturally. Feet shoulder-width.”
She obeyed.
“Lift your arms. Slowly.”
She raised them. He breathed beside her—steady, unhurried—and she matched him without thinking.
“Again. Breathe.”
Her breath synced with his—soft at first and then steadier, deeper.
“Let your magic rise,” he whispered.
A warm pulse shimmered under her skin.
“Now guide it.”
He stepped close—so close his chest brushed her back as he reached forward, hands cupping the air around hers. Together, their hands traced a slow arc. A soft thread of silver unfurled between her palms.
Poppy gasped. “I did that?”
“You did,” he said softly.
His breath brushed her cheek. His hands still framed hers, their bodies aligned in quiet, electric closeness. When her pulse fluttered, he stepped back abruptly and with visible restraint.
“That’s enough for now.”
Poppy turned toward him just as she remembered he was still shirtless. She dropped her eyes for a moment, then shot them back up, and finally dropped them again in mortified betrayal.
Mingxi raised one brow, amused. “Are you well?”
“No,” she blurted and then flailed. “Yes. Perfectly. Fine.”
She was absolutely not fine.
He reached for his shirt, but she caught his wrist gently. “You still haven’t let me treat your injuries.”
His expression softened—quiet, warm. “And you’re still worried.”
“Yes,” she whispered.
A breath, long and silent, passed between them, and then he nodded slowly and said, “As you wish.”
