Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 200 Ava: Steve (I)

The phone rings.

And rings.

All I get is voicemail, three different times.

Knowing that Lucas is busy with the Council, I just send a quick text for him to call me back when he can.

A knock on my door interrupts us, and Jericho pokes his head in with his typical scowling face. "All good in here?"

"Good," I confirm, as Selene rubs her nose against the ground.

The older shifter watches her as he closes the door behind him. "What's wrong with that?"

The way he emphasizes the 'that' has Selene freezing mid-movement, her lip curling above her teeth in a silent snarl.

Did he just call me—?!

"She is fine. Just sniffed the book and got a little too much magic in her nose."

That grizzly head nods, like it's a normal occurrence. "Every pup has to learn sometime, I guess." After seeing the blank stare on my face, he says, "It isn't unusual to run into the occasional magical artifact. Witches magicked just about everything they put their hands on. One fellow even found a pair of magic underwear."

I stare at Jericho, my mouth hanging open. Magic underwear? Seriously?

He just shrugs, completely unfazed. "Witches are an odd breed."

Shaking his head, he changes the subject. "Your Mrs. Elkins is having breakfast downstairs. Care to join her?"

My heart leaps. "Yes, absolutely!" Eager to talk to her, to ask her more about this book, about magic, about everything, I almost fall back into an old routine.

Secrets.

Tell him, Selene murmurs.

we go downstairs,

* * *

Instead, I'm dragged to a strange building in the middle of White Peak, which looks like an abandoned warehouse more than anything

biggest entourage yet—follow me into the building, while two stay outside to make sure we don't receive any unexpected

throat as we walk through the dimly lit warehouse. Shadows loom in every corner, making me feel

ask, my voice echoing

"Someone needs to stay on Blackwood land while I'm away. Besides,

"Who

"You'll see soon enough."

my breath about the building belonging in a movie, and Kellan actually cracks a smile. "It's Steve's

"Who's Steve?"

human who's been

Kellan leads the way down a set of stairs without a single light,

like a professional office, complete with fake plants, paintings on

as we

nods. "No one ever

boy dressed in a suit and tie pops out from beneath the desk, startling me. He can't be more than ten years old. As he climbs onto the chair, my heart drops to my feet, waiting for it to roll out from beneath

seat and stares at us over the counter with a

have an appointment?" he

I'm Kellan Ashbourne,

cuts him off with a sneer. "I remember you." His gaze shifts to me, and I feel like a bug under a

jolts through me. How does he know who

throat. "Ava is Alpha Lucas

assume—looks taken aback. He studies me intently, his eyes narrowed, before grunting and waving us forward.

leads us down a long carpeted hallway to a door at the very end. Pausing with his hand on the knob, he turns to us with

is

Okay. He's not Steve.

hell

the room. What kind of operation is

voice touches my mind, grumpy and petulant. She's still upset about being left behind,

the walls, filled with anything but books. Instead, there are action figures mixed with strange artifacts. Behind the desk sits a