The ridge overlooked hell dressed in chainlink and razor wire. Akira pressed her belly to cold granite, every sense extended toward the militarized border below. The late morning sun caught on silver-threaded fencing, each glint a promise of agony for any Otherkind foolish enough to touch it. The air itself tasted wrong—ozone and chemicals, the bitter tang of weapons designed to burn through supernatural flesh.
"f**k me sideways," Elena whispered, brown eyes tracking the patrol patterns. "Those aren't just Mark VIIs. See the blue indicators? They've upgraded to spectrals. Those bastards can detect our energy signatures through solid rock."
Liam shifted beside Akira, close enough that his body heat soaked through her damp clothes. Close enough that his scent—dark earth and frustrated arou
