Behind Those Eyes | Aonung (Enemies to Lovers)

22. escape

"Guys, this way!" Tasun whispered, looking around cautiously. "Hurry! Their leader is coming for you!"

"Thank you, Tasun," Katiya murmured breathlessly, stumbling forward with Aonung's help, grimacing every second.

Tasun's eyes widened when he saw her.

"Kati..." He gasped, reaching a hand out to her.

"She'll be fine," Aonung muttered, slapping Tasun's hand away.

Although confused and shocked by his friend's aggressive behavior, Tasun didn't question anything.

"Hey, thanks for everything. See you next time on that date, even if I wasn't the first girl at your family dinner," Katiya uttered playfully.

Tasun's brows furrowed in confusion, and he motioned them to move quickly, glancing over his shoulder in fear before he had a chance to respond to her.

"Run!" He shouted, his eyes landing on the leader hot on their tail with a gun.

"Shit," Aonung cursed. "Can you run?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a minor burn," Katiya nodded, tightening her grip on her bow.

Aonung eyed her up and down subtly, his brows furrowed in uncertainty. He knew it wasn't a minor burn based on the scale of the mark and her breathlessness.

"Come on," he said, nudging his head as the two ran into the jungle.

The bioluminescent grass glowed with every step they took. Katiya glanced back and observed Tasun pull a tree branch back and smack the Recom Na'vi leader with it, buying them time.

They ran further into the jungle, brushing past trees and bushes. Suddenly, feeling short of breath, Katiya doubled over as a painful sensation surged through her chest.

Aonung caught her by the arm and held her steady as he wrapped one arm around her waist.

"Come on, just a bit further. My skimwing's on the other side waiting for us," he said, glancing down at her.

Katiya coughed and tried to stand up, her vision flitting, prompting Aonung to tighten his grip on her waist.

When she didn't respond, he sighed and lifted her up as if she was weightless, and walked her a few steps further.

Coming back to her senses, Katiya's eyes flickered in shock and she pushed her way out of his arms.

"What the fuck, Kati?" He hissed, gently lowering her down to the sand as they reached the other side.

His brows furrowed in frustration as he looked at her, clicking for his skimwing. She looked like she was about to pass out at any moment. As she clung to her chest, beads of cold sweat dripped from her forehead.

She was slowly feeling the effects of the burn she received.

Aonung grasped her forearm and pulled her forward. He could feel her shoulder shaking from the pain and knew he had to act fast.

As the creature emerged from the water, they mounted it. Aonung held Katiya steady in front of him by her waist as he connected his queue with the skimwing's, and they advanced into the distance, drawing further from the island.

He glanced back at the flames engulfing Ta'unui and clenched his jaw in rage.

Even though Aonung could see the Sky People retreating in the distance, he still felt uneasiness. There's no doubt they'll be roaming the sea for Katiya's family.

While she struggled to maintain her composure, he stared at her, still breathing heavily. She refused to let others see her in pain and was stubborn about it.