Page 46 of Stars in Aura

A single massive golden bolt roared skyward.

The enemy vessel detonated.

A blinding explosion ripped through the sky, shattering the behemoth into a cascade of burning debris.

The force sent shockwaves crashing through the jungle, setting the treetops ablaze.

Ki’Remi had seconds to react, with the wreckage falling straight for them.

He surged forward, tackling Issa to the ground.

His metanoid shield snapped to life just as a rain of molten steel and shattered plating slammed down.

The impact was deafening.

The energy barrier held, the rubble bouncing off in a shower of sparks and twisted metal. Smoke and flame choked the air.

Beneath him, Issa exhaled.

He realized his full weight was bracing over her, their bodies locked together.

Her chest rose and fell against him, her breath fanning his collar.

Smoke and her unique scent filled his lungs.

Ki’Remi clenched his jaw hard. His pulse pounded from the fight, from the rush, fromher.

The wreckage settled.

The jungle crackled with distant fires.

She lifted her head, meeting his gaze.

‘You care to explain -.’

His voice was a lethal snarl.

She interjected with a huff, pushing him off her with a shake of her head.

‘We have bigger problems, Sable,’ she murmured, brushing dirt from her cheek. ‘Let’s first secure the crew.’

Ki’Remi seethed as he rose off her and let her roll away from him.

For now.

ISSA

Issa strode through the dense underbrush, her pulse still unsteady from what she’d just revealed.

Too soon. Too damn premature.

Fokk, fokk, fokk!

She thought she had more time to finish her mission, to keep her celestial nature buried beneath the layers of humanity crafted with meticulous care.

However, now her secret was in the open, and Ki’Remi was the first soul in all Pegasi to bear witness to it.

Worse was that the Sacra High Ssigis, dispatched by Ssigisard, the death-wielding god of war, had found her.

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