Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 249 Ava: Unrest

Magister Orion's booming voice wakes me from the unsettling dream, though it's too much work to open my eyes. I'm exhausted. My body feels like it weighs a thousand pounds.

My ears tune in before I'm fully awake.

"—in an uproar. Every portal is guarded, and the death tolls keep rising. The militia's working on the riots, but they might not be enough. It makes no sense at all. There's no rhyme or reason to it."

"How safe are we here?"

"It's impossible to tell. The High Fae have already taken one family into custody for insurrection, but it's possible there are more. It's as though everyone's lost their minds."

That doesn't sound good.

My eyes snap open and I struggle to sit up, pleasantly surprised my body's aches are gone, even if I still feel heavy.

"What's going on?"

Magister Orion's face swims into view, his contorted features smoothing over. The sight jolts me fully awake, my heart rate picking up.

"How are you feeling?" he asks, his voice gruff.

I wave off his concern. My health isn't as important as this conversation. "I'm fine. What's going on?"

Magister Orion exchanges a loaded glance with Vanessa. My stomach tightens.

"The city is in an uproar," Magister Orion says, his words heavy. "In the First, Second, and Third Wards, there are riots and uprisings. There's no rhyme or reason. Vampire against vampire, Fae against Fae; it's unclear who is ally or foe."

The timing is suspect. We can't contact anyone outside this place, and now there's civil unrest?

me dizzy. "Does this

always been struggles of power, but they never involve the city. Assassinations, maybe. Financial

now," Marcus says, surprising me. I didn't realize

a sigh. "Too many people are missing. The body

then?" Vanessa asks. "Why aren't

spreads his hands.

sign of Alpha Renard, or any other shifters in the city, including the rogues who have

how all this ties into our

way this

What aren't we seeing?

then the other. It feels like I've woken up in a different world; this feeling is getting

Magister Orion adds. "Do you remember the strange

resembled my mother. Her

Orion says, a hint of grudging respect in his tone. "But she's also a wealth

piques. "What information

head. "I'm not sure, but she seems agitated by the situation. That

she come to you?" Marcus asks suspiciously. "Do you think

because I refuse to play by the rules, but she knows I'm neutral in

mull that over. "So she trusts you because you don't

aligned myself with any faction.

how can we be sure she's

paranoid. I guess it comes with the territory; he's here to

quirk into a wry smile. "Florice is many things, but not duplicitous. She's rigid, inflexible, and often infuriating, but she's also honest to a fault. If she's coming to

dire enough for someone like

* * *

awake doesn't mean I'm healed; I fall asleep