Chapter 58: Smell
Kaya
"You smell more of tree resin and warm spice when you’re calm," I explain as I start all over again. "It’s sweet. But your scent becomes colder, more earthy when tension bolts through your muscles. I can still smell it––it’s like taking a morning stroll in the winter woods."
Then, I notice another change, though now, I don’t think it’s tension. The moment I uttered that last sentence, the air around him shifted into sweetness again, but when I looked into his eyes again, I felt a slight tingle deep inside my chest.
"It’s like reading an old book by the fire with a fresh scent of the pine forest seeping through the open window," I mumble quietly, more to myself than for him to hear.
Magnus says nothing, his expression carved from stone, but I see the flicker of something behind his eyes—a slow burn that mirrors the heat crawling up my neck.
And Goddess help me, every time I fill my lungs with that scent, I lose track of what I’m supposed to be doing because all I can think about is how damn good he smells.
I lunge again. My hand reaches for his chest, but he twists his body just slightly. I don’t even feel the movement until I’m spinning past him and landing on my side with a soft grunt.
"What did you notice that time?" he asks, turning toward me slowly, his hand outstretched to offer me some help.
I grab it and push myself to my feet, brushing dirt off my palms. "I think you breathed in. Not much. But your ribs expanded, and your chest shifted left. Just enough to dodge."
His lips curve, only slightly. "Good. Again."
I grit my teeth, stepping back into position. My heart pounds with more than just exertion. It’s the way he watches me, as if I’m something to be studied, unraveled. And that’s what I’m supposed to be doing right now.
This time, I change my tactics. My sneakers off my feet, I toss them to the side, hoping to add more stealth into my movements. Then, I circle him slowly again, my bare feet silent on the packed earth. The moon is high above us, casting pale silver across the ring. He doesn’t move.