Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 76 Ava: Saved

Lucas' scent hits me after I've already tried to murder him.

An unmistakable blend of the outdoors, of amber and campfire smoke, of something so uniquely mate that it draws me in even through the pain of our past.

It's him. He's here.

The knife clatters from my trembling hand as every muscle in my body goes lax with relief. I'd been so tense, coiled tight like a spring ready to snap, terrified of losing my life tonight. But now Lucas is here.

He came for me.

"Lucas," I breathe out, hope and prayer all in one, the sound barely more than a whisper. My entire body crumples, overworked in its stress.

He's really here. I'm not dreaming. He's not a hallucination. This is real. Real.

My mate.

My savior.

Strong arms wrap around me, drawing me in against an embrace both hard and warm, filled with assurance and yearning. His hands hold me as if I'm some tender, precious thing, going from my back, up to the back of my head, brushing gently against my hair.

He's dropping kisses over the top of my head, against my eyebrows, then my eyes, whispering my name in a ragged chant before crushing me to him once again.

"Ava. Ava. Sweet Ava. You're safe now. Shh, it's okay. I've got you, Ava.

You're safe now." His voice rumbles, vibrating his chest against my cheek. One hand cradles my head, the other runs soothing lines down my back.

ask him why he's here. To thank him for coming. To tell him how terrified I was. To explain everything. But only a

soaking into the fabric of his shirt as I cling to

sweetheart. Let it out. I'm here now. No

move," a shifter

his chest, rubbing me in that soothing rhythm as I try

with you?"

Nothing.

nothing here worth

I'm going to carry you, Ava. We need to go fast,

nod, a short, choppy movement of my head, blowing out a shuddering

Another breath out.

shifts his arms, sliding one under my legs and lifting me as though I weigh no more

just lean against him, trying to

he says, but he's talking over his shoulder, so I close my eyes

to think about the past—his rejection, my complicated feelings for Clayton, or the tangled web that brought me here. I just want to be a boneless lump in Lucas' arms, soaking in his presence and

his hold. "Wait," I murmur, struggling to find my voice. "I

hands it to one of the shifters accompanying us. Without

scent for a while," he explains, before handing me a small pill. "And swallow this. It's a long-lasting scent diffuser that will make it

question, trusting Lucas and his team implicitly. The pill leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, but I welcome the added protection

came to my rescue, but with Lucas—despite our history—I can feel so comfortable. Comfortable enough to

bonds are crazy like that, I

pace. Lucas leads the way, his strides purposeful and determined, and the strange shifter with the scent diffusing drugs is right behind him. Four

broken only by the occasional beam of moonlight filtering through the canopy above. The humid summer air is heavy with the scent of earth and foliage. Our footsteps are

can't smell a single