Lahat ng Kabanata ng OWNED BY THE DEVIL: Kabanata 161 - Kabanata 170

The maintenance tunnel smelled like rust and damp concrete.Elara dropped lightly onto the metal ladder first, boots clanging softly against the rungs as she descended into the darkness below the server chamber. Cold air drifted upward, carrying the stale scent of old machinery and standing water.Behind her, Dominic slid the access panel shut, sealing the server room above them.The moment it clicked into place, the distant sound of boots echoed through the floor.They had reached the chamber.Elara glanced up.“Perfect timing.”Dominic started down the ladder.“Move.”She didn’t need to be told twice.At the bottom of the ladder, a narrow service corridor stretched out into darkness. The only light came from a few flickering maintenance bulbs spaced along the ceiling.The tunnel looked ancient, cracked pipes running along the walls, old wiring hanging loose from brackets.Elara raised her rifle and started forward.Their footsteps echoed softly in the confined space.Behind them, th

The city was still waking when the first wave hit.Elara didn’t see it at first.From the outside, the safehouse looked like any other abandoned building tucked between warehouses near the river. Its cracked brick walls and broken windows hid the quiet tension inside.But the world beyond those walls was exploding.She stood near the narrow kitchen window, watching the pale light of morning creep over the skyline. The river reflected the dawn in dull silver streaks, and a thin fog hung low over the water.Behind her, Dominic sat at the small wooden table with a tablet in front of him.The room smelled faintly of dust and strong coffee.Elara wrapped both hands around her mug, absorbing the warmth. Her body still ached from the fight at the terminal. Bruises were beginning to bloom along her ribs and shoulder, and exhaustion pressed down on her like gravity.But it wasn’t the pain that kept her quiet.It was the realization of what they had done.“Anything new?” she asked without turni

The safehouse had grown quieter as the day stretched into afternoon.The early morning tension had slowly faded, replaced by a heavy stillness that settled into every corner of the old building. Sunlight filtered through the dusty windows, painting soft patterns across the wooden floor.Outside, the city had fully awakened.Traffic hummed faintly in the distance, and somewhere nearby a construction crew had begun their daily work. The occasional metallic clang echoed across the warehouse district, reminding Elara that the world beyond these walls was moving forward.But inside the safehouse, time seemed slower.Elara sat on the worn couch near the far wall, her boots resting on the edge of the low table. A thin blanket had been thrown over her shoulders, though the room itself wasn’t particularly cold.She wasn’t really watching the television in front of her.The muted screen showed footage from different parts of the world, police vehicles surrounding warehouses, reporters standing

The first light of day spilled through the tall, dusty windows of the safehouse, painting the room in soft shades of gold and gray.Elara stirred, eyelids heavy but warmth pressed against her side, anchoring her to the bed, or rather, to the couch where she and Dominic had collapsed hours earlier. The night had been long, intense, and, though she hadn’t fully allowed herself to think it until now, transformative.Her fingers brushed against his chest, still steady and warm beneath the thin blanket. A quiet smile tugged at her lips. For the first time in weeks, she had felt unshakably close to someone who didn’t just fight alongside her, but understood every unspoken fear and every adrenaline-fueled heartbeat.Dominic shifted slightly, murmuring something she couldn’t quite decipher. His arm circled her waist instinctively, pulling her just a little closer. She let herself relax, inhaling the faint scent of him, still tinged with the day-old smoke and gunpowder from the terminal missio

The safehouse no longer felt like a place to rest.It had become a launch point.Elara zipped up her jacket slowly, the sound sharp in the quiet room. The moment Dominic had identified Austria as their most probable lead, something inside her had shifted, like a switch flipping from recovery back to survival.No more stillness.No more pretending the world would give them time.Kessler was moving.Which meant they had to move faster.She reached for her holster, adjusting it carefully along her waist. The familiar weight of her weapon settled against her side, grounding her in a way nothing else could. Around her, the room was coming alive with quiet, purposeful motion.Dominic worked with the same precision she had come to expect from him.Every movement deliberate.Every action efficient.But there was something else there now, something subtle beneath the surface. A softness that hadn’t existed before. Or maybe it had… and she was only just noticing it now.“You’re tightening that