CHAPTER 108: DELULU AIYANA (1)

Nova ducked under a tangle of vines, gasping for air as the humid jungle wrapped around her like a wet, suffocating blanket. Sweat poured down her spine, soaking the back of her halter top and gluing stray curls to her forehead. Every breath came with a wheeze, and her legs—her poor legs—felt like waterlogged driftwood.

They’d been training for a while, and Nova might have grown somewhat stronger, and felt much healthier, she was still classified as fragile and weak. Especially to Aiyana’s standards.

Nova huffed and brushed some of the strands from her forehead.

Her hair had grown a little wild over the weeks, but surprisingly, or not-so-surprisingly it was in much better condition than if she was using modern shampoos and conditioners, and showering under hard water back in her own world. Right now, her hair ran down to her shoulders, the wavy length pulled back into a ponytail Atia despised and stated he would teach her all the ways she could style it.

Not Aiyana... Atia.

Ahead, Aiyana didn’t even look winded.

"Keep up," she called over her shoulder, grinning wide like the Cheshire cat in that mad crazy cartoon, Alice in Wonderland.

"This is your idea of a girly day?" Nova huffed, stumbling over a root. "I thought we were going to braid hair or... I don’t know, pick flowers."

Although she knew Aiyana didn’t give off that impression, far from it, Nova did wonder if there might be a littttttle chance Aiyana might have that side to her. She acted like a damn boss queen all the time with little to no effort, or maybe it was just Atia that made her look so untouchable.

The way he joked, pushed and hovered around her, it gave Aiyana a perfect setup to drop those dry, savage one-liners that only made her seem cooler.

Aiyana laughed, wild and unbothered. She was a blur of sun-browned limbs and dark hair as she darted through the underbrush, leaping over fallen branches and slashing away hanging leaves with her knife.

"I’m not one of your city friends," Aiyana replied. "This is us bonding."

"By killing me with cardio?!"

"Exactly." Aiyana winked over her shoulder at her.

Nova groaned, her body caving into her body’s needs screaming needs to stop, her hands dropped to her knees as she panted. They’d been running for what felt like hours along a barely-there trail Aiyana swore she knew by heart.

As she caught her breath, she paid attention to the jungle around her, aware of the dangers that could be lurking around every tree and crevice of every rock. The sky above was split by the high canopy, streaks of gold piercing through the green haze. Birds shrieked overhead and insects buzzed. Honestly, it wasn’t a bad place to run, in nature like this.

With a lot more effort than she anticipated, Nova straightened and tried not to scowl at Aiyana as she spun around and jogged back, her natural expression too real for her to be showing off. It was just the agility and stamina of this feline.

"Come on. You survived the Vohraki’s crab trap. A little jog won’t kill you."

Ugh the crab trap. It wasn’t even intentional. Nova thought she might be able to catch some crabs, you know be useful and all that, but it ended in disaster. She’d ended up trapped under water while the damned monkeys laughed and hopped around, believing she was messing with them.

Once Nova finally managed to break free and resurface, Yoa arrived and chased them off. When she demanded to know whose blood stained his chest, he didn’t answer. He only said he hadn’t killed them—not like they almost killed her. Their lives were only spared because of their idiocy.

Nova gritted her teeth. "I’m starting to think it might."

But she forced her legs to move. Pride was a powerful motivator, especially around Aiyana, who treated every challenge like a personal test of strength and spirit. Her idea of encouragement was not sugar-sweet words but hard-earned grit.

When they finally broke through the thicket, Nova nearly collapsed.

Before them stretched the wide, glittering expanse of the Soluma River, its current slow, shining like a blue serpent through the trees. Reeds stood tall along the banks, hissing softly as the wind kissed them.

Nova fell to her knees by the water, cupping handfuls to splash on her face, the back of her neck and along her arms. It wasn’t only the exertion but the humidity of this place. It could sometimes be a little too stifling, especially when trying to keep up with a jaguar shifter that just didn’t seem to ever get tired.

Aiyana would be one of those ’it’ girls in the gym. Or an annoying classmate in school that was just perfect at everything. It could be annoying, if she wasn’t so humble.

Aiyana knelt beside her, scooping up a palmful to drink. "See? Worth it."

Nova groaned in reply.

They lingered by the bank, Nova sprawled on a sun-warmed rock while Aiyana waded waist-deep into the water, tossing her hair back with a satisfied sigh. The river cooled her skin, and the world felt quieter here, almost tranquil.

But the quiet almost always meant that danger was nearby. Perhaps it was. They were on the river after all. It was only now, as Aiyana paid closer attention to where they were on the river. The anacondas were further down stream. No, it was quieter here because they were on the border of the Apatka territory.

Whoops. She didn’t actually intend to bring Nova here today. It was only by habit that her run brought them this way. There was absolutely no reason for them to go near the Apatka, even if their chief had stated Nova was a friend to them.

The sudden rustling of the undergrowth forced Aiyana to tense. She did not reach for her blade, however. If it was an Apatka, it was better to just avoid conflict. Usually, she was all up for a fight, but recently, especially since Nova had been taken by Vulcan, Aiyana didn’t want to risk her.

Moments later, a tall, broad figure emerged from the shade; his muscles were packed on top of other muscles, and he was unmistakably smug. The man’s dark hair faded into a mossy green and shimmered with specks of gold.

Sahco.

Aiyana’s shoulders relaxed upon seeing the crocodile shifter. They’d been friends for a while.

His golden-green eyes swept the clearing with practiced ease, then narrowed as they landed on Nova. They flicked briefly to the glowing Serakai mark on her collarbone, visible through the damp, clinging fabric of her top. He sniffed the air, trying to be subtle, but it wasn’t as his lips curled in mild distaste.

He smelled Yoa on her.

Nova, still catching her breath on the rock, didn’t miss the look he gave her. It was brief, but sharp. Annoyed? She couldn’t tell, but her guard went up as soon as his eyes rested on her.

Unlike Aiyana, she wasn’t completely at ease out in the open like this, and her skills in a fight were still at a noobie level. To take on what was clearly a crocodile shifter, was nothing more than a death wish. Aiyana, pleeeeease tell me you are friends with this man!? He’s even bigger than the other Apataka Nova briefly saw that time.

The man’s attention shifted away from Nova and his entire demeanour changed once his eyes landed on her friend.

"Aiyana." Her name was spoken in a soft tone, pleasant, and clearly from someone who was familiar with Aiyana.

Aiyana’s usual confident smirk remained, but her eyes sparked differently.

"Sahco," she said, matching his tone.

He stepped closer to the riverbank, arms crossed, but loose. "Didn’t think I’d find you this far out. You tracking something?"

"No. I was dragging Nova through the trees to see if her lungs still worked."

Nova lifted a hand, middle finger raised. "Barely."

Even while swearing at her friend who didn’t understand the gesture so it was useless to use on this island, something kept prickling along the back of Nova’s mind. Sahco? She’d heard that name from somewhere before, but she couldn’t quite place it.

Sahco ignored her. His eyes were on Aiyana now, calculating but amused. He took her in like one might admire a storm. That Aiyana was—dangerously beautiful and ultimately unpredictable.

"You’ve always liked the wild paths," he said.

"They’re more fun," Aiyana replied, tilting her head. "Unless you’ve gone soft since I last knocked you into the mud."

That brought a crooked grin to Sahco’s lips.

"You only won because I tripped."

"You tripped because I kicked your ankle."

He laughed, a real one this time, and Nova blinked at the change in atmosphere. They knew each other well. Really well. She eyed the crocodile shifter, trying to sus this guy out.

Sure he was packed with muscles, and was good-looking in a rough, rugged sort of way, she supposed—or maybe she was the worst person to try looking at another guy now because of her Serakai bond—anyway she was really trying here.

It was clear from the look in Aiyana’s eyes that she appreciated Sacho’s looks. That heated gaze even made Nova blush and look away. Not Sahco though. He couldn’t look away from the female jaguar.

Aiyana waded closer to the shore, water gliding off her body like she belonged to the river. "You here on patrol?" She asked, as if she didn’t already know.

Sahco nodded, brushing a hand through his hair. "Heard a bunch of screeching near the east trail. Thought it was wild spirits."

"No," Aiyana sighed. "That was Atia again. He left fruit out, and now the capuchins think they own the place."

He rolled his eyes, amused again. "Figures."

As he spoke, a few village women passed the far edge of the trail—two giggling girls carrying baskets of fruit. One of them called out to Sahco with a flutter of lashes and a coy smile.

He gave them a lazy wave but didn’t turn.

Still, his hand went through his hair again.

Nova watched it all from her sun-drenched rock, dripping and disbelief written all over her features. There was definitely something going on here. Sahco... Sahco? Ugh! That name was really getting on her nerves. She couldn’t remember why that name rang a bell so damn much!

While Nova internally fought through her memories to figure out how she knew this Sahco, she also watched as Aiyana and Sahco flirted with each other. She didn’t know how she felt about that either. She thought Atia and Aiyana were quite the match...

When Sahco finally turned to go, slow and unhurried, completely ignoring Nova, Aiyana watched him longer than necessary.

Nova wrinkled her nose when she knew he was out of earshot. "Eww."

Aiyana blinked, startled by Nova’s reaction about the crocodile shifter. Yet... it wasn’t all that surprising. Nova and Yohuali were such lovebirds it was sickening at times to watch.

"Please don’t tell me you like him," Nova said, lips twisted in dramatic disgust.

Aiyana shrugged, not looking at her. "He’s a worthy opponent."

"That’s your standard? The guy who looks like he spends half his day practicing brooding poses by water reflections?"

Aiyana smirked, glancing sidelong at her. "You’re just mad he doesn’t like you."

"He looked at me like I stepped in something."

"That’s his version of a greeting."

Nova threw a small rock into the river. "He’s full of himself."

"He’s strong. Smart. Hard to predict. When we were younger, we fought a lot. He bloodied my lip, and I nearly broke his nose. It was the best day of my life."

Nova gaped. "That’s your love story?!"

"Don’t be dramatic." Aiyana stretched out on the riverbank, arms behind her head. "It’s not love. He’s just... interesting."