Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 138 Ava: A Shocking Finale (II)

"Such a naughty kitten," the vampire mutters, scowling in a way that erases the beauty of his face.

The vampire's grip tightens, crushing my throat as I thrash against him. My lungs scream for air. I claw at his hands, nails scraping uselessly against unyielding flesh. Panic floods my mind, blotting out rational thought.

Your training, Ava! Remember your training! Selene's voice slices through my rising hysteria.

Right. Training. Jericho's lessons flash through my oxygen-starved brain. I stop flailing and focus, letting my body go limp, conserving strength. The vampire smirks, misreading it as submission. His cold breath washes over my face as he leans in, nostrils flaring.

He's...sniffing me?

Revulsion churns my stomach as his nose skims along my jaw, down to the crook of my neck. He lingers there, inhaling deeply, a pleased rumble vibrating his chest.

The scar, Ava! Don't let him near it! Selene's warning ricochets through my head. He can't bite you there!

Fragmented memories resurface—Selene cautioning me about my scar during my heat, insisting I keep Clayton away from it. I hadn't understood then. I'm not sure I do now. But her urgency propels me into action.

my teeth, I shove at the vampire's face, fingernails gouging. He snarls, jerking back slightly but not releasing me. The pressure on my windpipe eases a fraction and I suck in

power leaks out. It's like a drug to creatures who can sense it. It isn't quite an aphrodisiac, but it can be, in the right

grouse in my head, still scrabbling to dislodge the vampire's chokehold. Whose brilliant idea was it to put a magic neon 'bite me' sign on my

in frustration. Just protect it, Ava! Don't let him break the

pulse. Lightheadedness swamps

skin, tongue flicking out to taste. Bile rises in my throat. "What

strangled laugh. "Must be the

has claws." Cool fingers ghost across my collarbone,

whizzes by my ear, embedding itself in the vampire's neck with a sickening squelch. Blood spurts from the wound, splattering us both in a grotesque crimson spray. The coppery tang assaults my nose, but there's an underlying sweetness that makes my

flies to his neck, wrenching out the object lodged there. It's a knife, the blade slick

there, grabbing my arm and hauling me to my feet. I stumble, legs shaky, as he shoves

run," Teddy grits out, not taking his eyes off the seething creature before us. "I'll hold him

already moving, launching

still unconscious, her breathing shallow. I shake her shoulders, calling her name, but

my chest. Teddy lies crumpled on the ground, his head twisted at an unnatural angle. His wolf eyes stare sightlessly at the sky, his muzzle slack. The vampire stands

chin.