Page 47 of Axis of Fire

I instinctively lifted my hands in surrender.

“Later,” I mouthed.

He seemed satisfied.

I turned off the water, flushed the toilet for effect, and headed for the door.

The moment I opened it—

I walked straight into Airis’s chest.

Only then did I really notice the difference in our height.

I barely reached his shoulders.

“Should I take you back to the healer?” he asked, his chest rising slightly as he spoke.

I stepped back.

“No,” I said, tilting my head up to meet his glowing eyes.

Still strange.

Still unreal.

Like I’d stepped into a story that wasn’t meant for me.

“That happens sometimes when I get nervous,” I brushed it off and tried to move past him—

but he didn’t budge.

Not an inch.

I looked up again, frowning.

“What now?”

“I’m curious what made you nervous.”

Then he stepped closer.

Too close.

His scent—

sharp and intoxicating—

brushed against my face.

His breath followed.

Dangerous proximity.

Not just physically—

but deeper than that.

Especially for someone like me—