Ovelia's POV
The fireball roared toward us, its searing heat making the air shimmer. My muscles locked, my breath trapped in my chest as the orange glow illuminated Ace's horrified expression. Time slowed - this was how I would die, burned alive in some nameless forest.
"Ovelia!" Lady Firera's voice cracked through my mind like a whip.
Then the world lurched. Ace's arms crushed around me, his claws pricking through my clothes as he yanked me sideways. The fireball exploded where we'd stood moments before, the concussion slamming into my back like a physical blow. Heat seared my skin even as Ace shielded me with his body, the scent of singed fur stinging my nose.
"Damn it all!" Ace snarled as he set me down, his hands trembling against my shoulders. The flames' reflection danced in his silver eyes - not just anger, but raw fear. For me. His claws retracted carefully, leaving tiny pinpricks in my sleeves but not my skin.
