Page 14 of Shattered Silence

Pointed ears curved past cropped white hair.

Severe black military uniforms encased tall, powerful bodies. They wore high-necked jackets, black trousers, and black boots. The only embellishment was a series of silver characters embroidered at the collar. Layla recognized something that looked like a symbol of an eye, but apart from that, it was all very mysterious.

Of course, they were all armed to the teeth. Guns, blades, swords, and several devices Layla couldn’t quite identify were secured to their bodies.

Don’t fight back.

Now it made sense. Against a group of heavily armed Kordolians, she didn’t stand a chance.

Layla had seen them on the Network footage, but she’d never been up close and personal with one, let alone six, and these particular aliens didn’t look very fucking friendly.

They were even more intimidating in real life.

These guys were Enki’s enemies?

Kordolians against Kordolians. What the hell was going on?

One of the soldiers stepped forward, dissecting her with a hard crimson stare. The symbols on his collar were embroidered in blood red instead of silver, denoting some sort of rank, and he looked slightly older than the others. His pale hair was peppered with grey, and there were fine lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth.

In her mind, Layla labelled him the Sergeant, because he looked like he was in charge of this particular squad.

“Do you speak Universal?” His voice was devoid of any emotion.

Layla thought hard for a moment. Pretend you don’t understand. It took all of her willpower to school her expression into one of confusion. She stared straight ahead, blinking furiously. “Who are you?” she asked in her mother’s language, knowing perfectly well he couldn’t understand her. “What is this place?”

It was one small way she could ensure they didn’t have complete control over her. At the very least, playing dumb might buy her some time, might make things a little more difficult for these Kordolians until Enki arrived.

But how the hell is he going to breach their defenses? What if he isn’t coming? What if this is your shitty fate?

Layla crushed her paralyzing doubts before they spiraled into full-blown catastrophe.

He’s coming.

It was crazy. She didn’t even know the man, but she had to believe him. It was the only way she could do this.

The Kordolian’s eyes narrowed and he inclined his head, one corner of his mouth curling upward to reveal a sharp, gleaming fang.

Holy hell. She hadn’t been able to appreciate that small detail on the Network vision. Layla stood perfectly still, hoping her face conveyed a perfect mixture of fear, naivety, and confusion.

He walked forward slowly, his boots echoing hollowly on the metal floor. Coming to a stop just inches before her, he stood so close she became acutely aware of his size and potential for violence.

Layla was pretty sure all those weapons he carried around weren’t just for showing off.

The thought of her fighting back physically was almost laughable.

I’m screwed.

Six big, powerful Kordolians stood between her and whatever lay beyond the walls of her pod, and she wasn’t sure she even wanted to know what was out there.

The Sergeant raised his hand, and Layla drew on every ounce of her self-control to remain still and not flinch.

Her reaction was instinctive. She’d been on the receiving end of violence before, at the hands of a man who was much bigger than her.

Forget about that. You can do this.

Those were just bad memories now. She’d escaped all that—survived—and somehow she’d ended up here.

Layla was stronger than she looked.

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