William coughed, covering his mouth and nose with his sleeve as the thick dust cloud around them slowly settled. His eyes stung even as his vision cleared, showing him that the barrier surrounding them was still up, holding back the mess of metal and rubble that the building had turned into.
“You can let go now.” Annabel’s voice made him look down, only to realize he had his other arm around her, squeezing her so tightly, her face was pressed against his chest. He had done it without thinking, and now that he stared at the cold brown eyes of the other soul that inhabited Annabel’s body, he realized she probably didn’t need his protection.
He stepped back and she dusted herself off like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. When she looked around with assessing eyes, so did William.
