Page 46 of Savage Bond

No time to scream.

I act on instinct.

I throw myself forward without hesitation, my body colliding against his like a desperate shield. The world around us blurs as I brace for impact—every muscle tensing against what’s about to come.

A deafening bang fills the air, followed by a burst of white-hot agony tearing through my side. Fire blooms in my flesh—hot and searing—filling every corner of my consciousness with blinding pain that steals my breath away.

The force of the bullet slams into me like a freight train; I feel myself crumple against Kairon’s solid frame as darkness rushes in, swift and merciless.

Everything fades—the chaos around us dulls into a distant echo, replaced by an oppressive silence that wraps around me like fog.

As I slip away from reality, one thought clings to life in my mind: Kairon’s voice—deep and urgent—calling out my name like it meant something profound.

I hope he knows what it means now.

CHAPTER 29

KAIRON

The moment Ava’s body hits the ground, everything fractures.

I hear the shot before I see her fall. The crack of a rifle—sharp and merciless. I barely register it before I feel the blood on my hands, hot and real and wrong.

My instincts kick in, and I move without thinking. The IHC rifleman goes down in seconds—his body crumples like a puppet with severed strings. I don’t remember doing it; my focus narrows to her.

I drop to my knees beside Ava. Her eyes flutter, hazy and unfocused, as if she’s fighting to stay tethered to this world. Each shallow breath tears at me, but it’s the wound that steals my breath away—too close to her heart. Blood seeps through her fingers where she presses against the injury.

“Ava,” I murmur, urgency clawing at my throat.

She blinks, but the light behind her eyes flickers. I can’t let her slip away.

I try to lift her, but panic threads through me when she doesn’t resist this time. Instead, her head falls against my chest like a broken doll. Blood soaks into my side, warm and pooling, and something inside me snaps.

I run.

Through falling stone and scorched metal, I race for the exit, dodging debris that crashes around us like a storm. But as I near the threshold of freedom, a wave of soldiers emerges from the shadows—IHC reinforcements pouring in like ants disturbed from their nest.

They surround me—more than I can fight alone.

“Step back!” one shouts, weapon raised. His face is familiar—a ghost from another life who should have been dead long ago. A reminder of what I've lost.

“Get out of my way!” My voice roars louder than the chaos around us as adrenaline courses through me like fire. But they don’t budge; they only tighten their formation.

Ava stirs slightly in my arms, eyes fluttering open just enough to lock onto mine. “Kairon…”

“Stay with me.” I grip her tighter, desperation flooding every syllable.

I glance around for an escape route—but there’s nowhere left to go. The temple trembles beneath us as if sensing its imminent destruction. Dust fills the air; smoke thickens like fog rolling in from all sides.

I snarl, shielding Ava’s body with my own. The world narrows to her, the heat of her blood soaking through my clothes. I won’t let them take her.

I spring forward, every muscle coiled like a predator. I’m still a Reaper, still a weapon forged in brutality. I fight—strike out at the soldiers surrounding us. My blade finds flesh, and their shouts mix with the chaos around me.

But then it hits—an electric jolt slamming into my spine. Pain ignites through me, paralyzing every limb. I drop hard, vision blurring as the ground rushes up to meet me.

They’re faster than I expect. I hear her voice—soft and frightened—as they rip her from my grasp.

“Kairon…”

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