There’s nowhere else to go.
The space is too tight.
Her body presses fully against mine the second I step in behind her.
Chest to chest.
No room between us.
Her breath brushes warm against my throat.
My hand stays locked around her waist automatically.
“Stay still,” I murmur near her ear.
“I’m trying.”
The words come thinner than normal.
Too fast.
I can feel her breathing against me.
Quick.
Uneven.
Outside the crack in the rocks, boots scrape against stone.
Closer.
My entire body tightens instantly.
A shadow passes across the narrow opening.
One of them.
Right there.
Olivia’s fingers fist tightly in the front of my shirt.
Not for balance.
Fear.
Pain.
Maybe both.
I shift instinctively, angling my body fully in front of hers to block as much of her as possible.
She notices immediately.
“You don’t have to—”
“Yeah,” I whisper. “I do.”
The scout pauses outside.
