JASMINE'S POV
Aiden caught me.
One arm beneath my thighs, the other behind my back.
Like it was nothing.
Like I was nothing but air to him.
My breath caught in my throat. His scent overwhelmed me—pine and smoke and something darker, something that tugged at my ribs and burned all the way down. His pulse thudded where my cheek pressed to his collarbone, steady and deep.
It was both comforting and intense at the same time.
We didn't move. Didn't speak.
His heartbeat was loud enough for me to feel it.
His gaze locked with mine, slow and searching. Not just to check if I was okay, but to see if I was still me. Still Jasmine. Still fighting.
And the worst part?
The fall wasn't what had knocked the breath out of me.
He was.
His lips parted slightly, like he was about to say something, but Lyra beat him to it.
"Please, please let him say 'I'll pin you harder than gravity.' I'm begging you."
I scowled silently. "Shut. Up."
