You were moving through Nod-Krai when the air behind you shifted. The sun suddenly disappeared- maybe a cloud. No problem.

A slow breath brushed against the back of your neck—warm, unmistakable. You jumped slightly.

The sensation lingered just long enough to raise a shiver, goosebumps rippling over your skin. Only then did a soft chuckle follow, low and close.

“So jumpy,”

Flins murmured from behind you. He didn’t touch you. That was the part that made it worse. His presence hovered at your back, close enough that you could feel him without seeing him—close enough that his breath ghosted your skin again, lighter this time.

“I was looking for you,” he continued calmly.

“Lauma said you’d pass through here.” Another breath, at the curve of your neck—as if he were testing your reaction, waiting for it.

“Good thing she was right.”