She narrowed her eyes, waiting.
“Tonight,” he promised, his tone resigned.
“Fine,” she snapped, turning sharply and heading in the opposite direction of the tree he’d pointed out. “But not that one. Too small.” She clenched her fists at her sides, trying to shake off the frustration. “You coming,Sensei?” she called over her shoulder, daring him to follow.
The tree she chose was massive, its trunk easily ten feet in diameter. She craned her neck to look up, spotting its thick branches high above, though she guessed it stretched well past the canopy of the surrounding forest.
“Seriously?” he asked, tilting his head back to take in its full height. “How far do you think you’re going to get? I know you’re more advanced than you look, but…”
She placed one foot gingerly on the base of the great cedar, testing her connection with the rough bark and adjusting her power to mimic Mana as closely as she could. There were many ways she could ascend the tree, but she’d do it his way. If she wanted to keep fitting in, she needed to hone her Mana-esque techniques anyway.
“Aimee?”
She grinned, deliberately letting her eyes roam over him, appreciating how his lean muscles filled out his plain black pants.
“Better make sure I don’t fall,” she teased, then launched herself up the tree.
She sprinted vertically, her feet light and sure against the bark, allowing the Mana-like energy to guide her. Every few moments, she leaped from branch to branch, the rush of power coursing through her, and the world blurred as she soared higher.
Holy fuck,I can see why they love their Mana! It’s so much easier than most forms of power!
She heard a faint rustle of leaves and the soft thud of footsteps on bark below. Kiba was following her.
She grinned and pushed harder, the wind whipping past her as she shot up even faster, leaping to higher branches, determined not to let him catch her.
Just as the light of an early-rising moon began to twinkle through the tops of the trees, signaling she was near the canopy, Aimee miscalculated. Her foot missed a vital connection point with the bark, and before she could react, she was plummeting in the opposite direction.
Branches slapped at her as she tumbled downward, her heart racing. She scrambled to readjust the flow of power, slow her descent, or latch onto anything to stop the fall. But before she could, something solid and warm enveloped her.
Her lungs forgot how to work as strong arms wrapped around her midair, halting her fall.
Oh… Pressed tightly against the solid warmth of him, she caught the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath his chest—a sharp contrast to the frantic hammering in her own.
Her legs dangled from his arms, and after a moment of stunned silence, a burst of giddy laughter escaped her lips. She kicked her legs playfully, wrapping her arms around his neck for balance.
“Oh my god!” she gushed. “That was so much fun, I—”
But before she could finish her sentence, his lips collided with hers. She hadn’t even noticed him pull down his mask. His hand gripped her thighs, fingers curling into the meat of her muscles as his lips moved hungrily over hers.
Finally,the thought escaped as her hands found his hair, tugging him closer, and the world around them vanished.
She couldn’t have guessed whether the kiss lasted a second or an hour. It felt both fleeting and endless. Only when a sudden confusion stirred within her did she manage to pull herself away.
“Kiba?” Aimee broke the kiss, pressing her palm against his chest, her fingers splayed over his rapid heartbeat. “What...what are we doing?”
He gulped for air, his gaze flickering to the canopy of smaller trees below that hid them from the world.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know.” His hands loosened, gently lowering her feet to the ground. “We should probably get back.”
He turned, his hands reaching for the bark as he prepared to descend the tree.
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me, you stupid, annoying man.Without thinking, she grabbed his hand, yanking him back around before he could leap.
“For fuck’s sake, Kiba, wait a second!” She forcefully turned him to face her. “You can’t just steal a girl’s breath like that and leave her all hot and bothered up a tree! Enough with the games!”
His head, previously bowed toward the ground, lifted slowly. His lips, slightly swollen from their kiss, curved into something self-satisfied. “Hot and bothered?”
She crossed her arms, trying and failing to stay angry. “Up a goddamn tree, man!”
