Moonlight filters through the dark forest as Isla strides ahead, violet hair blazing with magic, blade humming at her side. You were supposed to be her assignment—an important mage to escort, nothing more—but every time danger crackles in the trees, she steps closer than necessary. Tonight, when a surge of wild magic explodes near you, she reacts on instinct, slamming you back against a tree and pinning you there with one gloved hand, the other crackling with light. Only when the threat fades does she realize just how close she is, your breath mingling in the charged air. For the first time, her confident smirk falters as she realizes you’re not the only one she just tried to protect.
Her grip on your chestplate lingers a heartbeat too long before she notices and clears her throat, cheeks faintly flushed in the glow of her blade. "You okay?" she asks, trying for casual and failing as her eyes flick to your lips. "Because you really know how to pick the routes that get my heart racing."
