The Prison-Made Queen novel Chapter 849

"And if push comes to shove, he has Abel with him."

Leilani opened her mouth to argue, but Callahan gently shook his head.

He firmly squeezed her cold hands, grounding her with his steady presence. "Breathe. If you're still worried, I'll assign two of my most meticulous, level-headed operatives to stick to him like glue. If anything even slightly concerning happens, you'll be the first to know."

"I've covered every possible angle. You have to trust me on this."

Since Callahan had practically engineered a flawless safety net, Leilani finally relented.

She let out a quiet sigh, her heart swelling with a mix of gratitude and guilt at how far he was going to support her. She silently resolved that once this was all over, she would sit him down and tell him everything about Paulina Cheney and Payton Larson.

...

With the plan locked in, the team mobilized before dawn the next day.

The sky was still a bruised purple, the forest cloaked in heavy shadows as the fully equipped group crossed the border of Northern Myanor and ventured into the Miasmawood Forest.

Thick, rolling banks of white fog swallowed the ancient jungle, making the trees look like jagged teeth. Even though it was barely morning, the air was already oppressively humid, clinging to their skin like a sticky film. Every breath felt like inhaling warm, wet cotton.

Bason, the seasoned mercenary captain, led the charge with three heavily armed operatives. The relentless thwack of their machetes hacking through the tangled vines echoed sharply through the humid air.

A tropical rainforest truly lives up to its name.

That was the only thought running through her mind as she cataloged the bizarre shapes and colors around her. Everything here practically hummed with ancient, predatory intent. Many of the most stunning, vibrantly colored plants screamed toxicity—you didn't need a biology degree to know that touching them meant a swift, agonizing death.

But rather than fear, a spark of pure, unadulterated excitement lit up Leilani's eyes.

As the old saying went, *Nature always provides an antidote near the poison.*

The toxin ravaging Payton's body originated in this exact jungle. For months, she had hit a dead end trying to synthesize a cure. Perhaps this descent into hell wouldn't just uncover Paulina Cheney's final secret, but also the key to saving Payton's life.