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INTERLINKED SNEAK PEAK:
Aaliyah's gaze shifted across the three of them—Jaylen's burning defiance, Paige's held breath, Azzi's unyielding posture. She could see it in them: the tension, the loyalty, the unyielding determination. They were united. In purpose. In fear. And their love for Kamorea, they weren't going to break. They weren't going to leave her. She let the moment hang, then muttered under her breath with finality, "Fuck it. You already know. She's here."
Jaylen's heart slammed against her ribs. The words echoed through her like thunder—she's here.
Kamorea. Alive. Close. That single phrase stole Jaylen's breath and replaced it with panic and hope, tangled like harshly whipped knots in her chest. The thought of Kamorea just behind some unseen door, locked away, hurt, crying, waiting for her—that thought alone nearly buckled her knees in sorrow. But before she could speak, Aaliyah cut deeper.
"But," she said with a chilling smile, her voice smooth as poison, "you're never going to see her."
Jaylen's body reacted before her mind did. Her jaw locked, her fists clenched, her pulse banged in her ears. The fury came like a tsunami, fast and unyielding. If there was one unshakable truth about Jaylen, it was that she didn't love passively. She didn't fear conflict. She would burn through fire, fists first and mercy last, if it meant protecting Kamorea. And if standing between her and that girl was a sociopath with a knife? She'd still step forward for her girl. "We're not going down without a fight," she said, her voice low and ragged with fire.