The hunters arrived on the second morning, just as we were finishing breakfast.
I heard the vehicles first, multiple engines, heavy and deliberate, pulling up to the safehouse perimeter. Through the binding, I felt Azryth's immediate alertness, his power coiling beneath the surface.
Mara was already moving toward the window, her expression going grim. "We have company."
"How many?" Azryth asked, standing.
"Four SUVs, maybe twenty people." She pulled back from the window. "They're armed with professional grade equipment, but they're not the Covenant."
"Then who?" I joined her at the window.
Outside, figures in tactical gear were disembarking from the vehicles. Not quite military, not quite civilian. They moved with coordinated precision, establishing a perimeter around the safehouse.
"International Hunter Coalition," Henrik said, pulling up something on his tablet. "I'm getting identification pings from their wards, official delegation."
"What do they want?" I asked.
