“If I throw the spear to the side and the beast sees it, it will know we’re going the other way,” Jackson murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
Slowly, he leaned closer to Aina, his breath fanning against her skin as he added, “We need to distract it again.”
Aina froze, feeling his warm presence consuming her. It momentarily stopped her from breathing, her gaze fixated onto his face.
She suddenly remembered Jackson’s low voice, and it sent shivers in her skin, as if that voice was only for her to hear.
‘Focus, Aina,’ she said at the back of her mind, closing her eyes and calming herself down. ‘This isn’t the right time to think about this.’
Aina never let anyone else be this close—physically and emotionally. Even her classmates kept their distance, intimidated by her sharp gaze
