Book Five: Chapter 33

“Where the hell did she get that?” Mike asked, his voice tense, eyes scanning Quetzalli from head to toe. He bent slightly, concern etched across his face, and then looked down at her. “Are you okay? You didn’t get hit, did you?” His hands hovered instinctively near her shoulders, though he quickly realized they had been planted along her ribs during their tumble.

Quetzalli’s cheeks flushed crimson from the cold, her breath misting in the air as she grinned up at him. She shifted slightly, suddenly aware of how close he was, and how the flattened curve of her chest now pressed against his wrists. She didn’t move away, though; instead, she leaned up and pressed a small, teasing kiss to the tip of his nose.

The shock made Mike bite down on the tip of his tongue, a muffled gasp escaping him. “My hero,” she whispered, her eyes twinkling with warmth.

All around th