Selara's back hit the cold stone wall hard enough to knock the breath from her lungs.
Not from an enemy strike
from Draven.
His hand was braced beside her head, his body a solid wall of heat and muscle, shielding her as a blast of dark energy tore through the clearing and shattered the ground where she had been standing a second earlier. Stone exploded outward. The air screamed. Ash and sparks rained down around them.
For a heartbeat, the world narrowed to the space between their bodies.
His chest rose fast against hers. His breath was hot against her cheek. One of his hands was still gripping her wrist, tight, protective, almost desperate.
"You're hurt," he said, voice rough.
"I'm fine," she shot back, though her pulse was racing too fast to be believable.
