She felt him. The sheer presence of him, massive and patient and utterly in control. He could take her now if he wanted. Could close the distance before she got off a single shot, pin her to the jungle floor, end this game whenever he chose.
But he didn't.
He stayed in the shadows. Watching. Taunting. Showing her exactly how much power he held: she could search for him all she wanted, but he would remain hidden. Only when he decided to be found would she find him.
Asshole.
"Show yourself," she said. Her voice came out steadier than she felt, hard and flat and demanding. "I know you're there."
Silence answered her.
A bird called somewhere in the distance, breaking the spell, and the normal sounds began to creep back in. Insects humming. Leaves rustling. The slow drip of water from the canopy above.
But the presence remained. That weight against her senses, that awareness of being watched.
"Coward," she said, louder now. "Is this how the great Kha'Ruun hunts? Hiding in bushes like a scared animal?"
A sound answered her this time, so low she felt it more than heard it. A rumble that vibrated through the humid air and settled into her bones. Not quite a growl. Amusement, maybe.
The presence shifted. Moved. She tracked it with her senses even though she couldn't see it, felt it circling the edge of the clearing, staying just out of sight. Testing her. Measuring her. Seeing how she responded to fear.
She responded by raising her weapon and tracking the movement, pivoting on her heel, keeping herself oriented toward the threat she couldn't see.
"That's right," she breathed. "Come out and play."
Another rumble. Deeper this time. And then, as quickly as it had come, the presence was gone.
The weight lifted from the air. The jungle sounds rushed back to full volume. The prickle at the back of her neck faded to nothing.
He'd left. Retreated into the green without showing himself.
Serafina stood alone in the clearing, weapon still raised, heart still pounding, and laughed.
It came out harsh, almost wild. The sound of a woman who had just challenged a predator that could tear her apart with its bare hands and lived to tell about it. The sound of someone who was starting to enjoy this far more than she should.
She was good at this.
And somewhere in the shadows, he was watching. Waiting to see just how good.
She lowered her weapon, caught her breath, and pushed deeper into the jungle.
The hunt continued.
CHAPTER 20
She made camp that night in a shallow cave, its entrance narrow enough to defend if necessary.
The space was barely large enough for her to stretch out, the stone walls pressing close on either side, the ceiling low enough that she had to duck when she moved. It smelled of damp earth and old leaves and a faint mineral tang, the deep scent of rock that had been here longer than anything with a heartbeat.
It should have felt safe. Protected.
The stone walls pressed close, suffocating rather than sheltering.
Serafina checked the entrance three times, weapon raised, scanning the darkness beyond for any sign of movement. The jungle had gone quiet again, that held-breath silence that meant a predator was nearby. Or maybe she was imagining it. Maybe the silence was just the normal hush of nightfall, and her nerves were so frayed that she was seeing threats in every shadow.
She knew better.
He was out there. She could feel him the same way she'd felt him in the clearing, that weight against her senses, that awareness of being watched. The narrow entrance wouldn't stophim if he decided to come in. Nothing would. He could tear through the rock itself if he wanted, could reach into this little hole and drag her out like a fox pulling a rabbit from its burrow.
