As soon as I did, his power clamped around me. My feet left the ground and he lifted me up next to him. He braced his hands on either side of me, then released the telekinetic hold. I clutched his arm as I found my balance on the narrow wall.

“That wasn’t exactly what I meant,” I said breathlessly, “but I’ll take it. Thank you.”

The wall was only twenty-five centimeters wide, but the top was flat, so moving around wasn’t difficult. Next to me, the shrubs surrounding the property were hip-high but carefully trimmed back, leaving a small gap between them and the wall. Someone crawling along the top of the wall would have plenty of cover to move without being seen from the street.

The street itself was narrower than the one that ran past the main gate. I didn’t see anything that looked like streetlights, so perhaps it was completely dark once the sun set. That would certainly be convenient for someone trying to sneak in.

I reached out to touch the point of one of the shrub’s glossy, deep green leaves. They looked like they would tear up anyone who tried to climb through them.

Torran’s warm fingers closed around mine before I made contact. “Don’t. Vomosulabr are very sharp and the points are coated in an irritant. If it pierces your skin, it won’t kill you, but it will make you wish you had not touched it.”

“Do not touch the spiky shrub,” I relayed to my team. “Not deadly, but unpleasant.”

“I don’t usually go around touching alien plants,” Lexi said drily.

Well, that made one of us, apparently.

Torran still held my hand, his grip gentle and warm. I peeked up at him and found his eyes on my face. “Thank you for the warning,” I said. “I passed it along to my team.”

“You are welcome,” he said. We were close enough that I could see the colorful streaks in his dark eyes. The silver, teal, and copper seemed to shift in intensity, growing brighter before fading.

I stared, mesmerized.

His incredible eyes dropped to my mouth and the heat in his gaze rekindled. I might have doubted that he was flirting earlier, but this look was impossible to misinterpret—Torran wanted me. My breath quickened and I licked my lips. I wanted him, too, no matter how foolish that made me.

Torran groaned low in his chest, and his head dipped toward mine.

I lifted my face. My eyes were nearly closed when I caught a flash of movement in my peripheral vision. I instinctively spun to look and nearly fell off the wall.

Torran steadied me while heat climbed my cheeks. The transport continued down the street, unaware that it had nearly caused me to break my neck. But it was a good reminder that we were highly exposed here, standing on top of the wall.