Mine.
CHAPTER 15
AYLA
It’s the stillness that wakes me.
That thick, unnatural hush. The kind that doesn’t belong in the jungle, not even before dawn. No wind. No birds. No buzz of insects. Just silence. Wrong silence.
My skin prickles before my eyes even open.
Kallus lies beside me, heavy arm draped over my waist, breath deep and even. Still asleep. Still mine.
But I can’t shake it.
Thatfeeling.
I lift my head slowly, careful not to wake him. The furs are warm. His scent clings to my skin. My thighs are still sore from the night before—in the best way. I should feel safe here, wrapped in him.
Instead, dread pools in my gut like spoiled wine.
I slip from the bed and pad to the balcony, bare feet silent against the floor. The air smells… off. Heavy. Tinted with ozone and copper. I grip the railing and scan the trees.
The jungle’s alive with color—but not motion.
Nothing moves.
No swaying branches. No morning birds darting between the canopy. Just stillness. And watching. I don’tseeanything, but every instinct screams.
We’re not alone.
My pulse kicks up. I turn?—
A shriek rips across the sky.
Not natural.
Mechanical.
A sonic boom echoes over the valley. I spin, eyes wide as clouds split apart—and somethinginvisiblepunches through the sky. It doesn’t shimmer like a ship. It justisn’t there—until it is. Metal blossoms into view like it’s being born midair.
Drop pods.
I know the tech. IHC elite stealth entry systems. The ones they only use for high-value targets. They’re here for something important.
Or someone.
My breath catches.
“KALLUS!”
He’s already on his feet. Weapons locker open. Growling like a beast as he straps on his gear.
“Inside!” he snaps.
Another pod hits just beyond the tree line—then another. The whole jungle shakes. Screams echo from below.
The stronghold’s under attack.
