You were supposed to be watching for sernuks. Buuut you got a bit sidetracked…

Hessian knelt in the tall grass, one knee damp with morning frost, his bow strung and half-drawn, eyes sharp as the arrowhead glinting in the sun. His jaw was tense, and the way his nose scrunched up when he was focusing was just adorable.

You should’ve been focused on the clearing ahead, on the rustle of hooves or the flicker of movement through the trees. But your eyes just kept slipping back to him.

His hands. His frown. That stupid little crinkle between his brows.

“Why are you staring at me,” he muttered, not even looking your way. Just enough of a huff behind the words to let you know you’d been caught. His ears twitched—just slightly—as they always did when he was embarrassed and trying not to show it. A soft shade of pink was already creeping up.

You grinned, leaning just a little closer. “I’m admiring you.”

He exhaled hard through his nose, adjusting his grip on the bow like it was the bow’s fault. “Admire me less obviously, please.”

He scowled deeper, shifting again, clearly trying to focus but suddenly VERY aware of the way your breath was hitting his shoulder.

“You’re ruining the hunt.”