Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 251 Ava: Florice's Fate

My legs tremble as Marcus guides me down the stairs. Each step feels like a monumental effort, and I'm acutely aware of the sweat beading on my upper lip and hairline. The living room comes into view, and I'm taken aback by the sight of Magister Orion pacing in silence, his usual booming presence subdued.

Vanessa's concerned gaze meets mine as we enter and she comes over to help Marcus lead me into a nearby chair.

I sink into it gratefully, my body feeling like it's made of lead.

"Thanks," I manage, offering Vanessa a weak smile. The room seems to spin slightly, and I have to focus to keep my vision steady. "What's going on?"

Magister Orion halts his pacing, his eyes locking onto mine. The gravity in his expression sends a chill down my spine before he even speaks.

"Florice has been murdered."

The words hang in the air, and for a moment, I can't process them. Then reality crashes in, and I feel the blood drain from my face.

"What?" I exclaim, my voice cracking. "How? When?"

More suspicious timing. More odd events. And we're still in the dark, with no idea who is behind any of this.

It's not a coincidence.

Florice was coming to us with information; whatever she found meant something. But the knowledge is now lost to us.

Magister Orion's complexion is ashen, worry etched into every line of his face. He opens his mouth to respond, but Vanessa cuts in.

safe here," she says, her voice tight with strain. "We need to consider our options. Whoever didn't want Florice spilling their secrets might know she was coming to

throat, drawing everyone's attention. "There's more," he says grimly. "Ava received a phone call earlier. Someone pretending to be from Westwood, begging her to come

deepens. Suddenly,

my surprise, Tinker appears almost instantly, her mechanical wings whirring softly. I realize

her lilac eyes darting between all of

gestures to Marcus. "Explain it, the

time, I might have found amusement in Magister Orion's formal way of

and Tinker listens intently, her expression growing more

like when Magister Orion speaks?" Tinker asks,

he called, it was robotic and ominous. This person was a woman,

eyes widen. "That's surprising. No one in the Fae Ward uses a normal telephone like you do. The magical wards interfere with

blankly, my exhausted brain struggling to process this new information. "Wait, what? When were you going to

to look sheepish. "I apologize. We assumed you knew. It's common knowledge

back in my chair, feeling overwhelmed. "Is it possible for them to call us without sounding like Magister Orion

aware of. I created the technology, but it isn't

cell phone and bring it into the city

a vampire

"There's no way to know who

it's unlikely to be someone from our pack." Vanessa squeezes my shoulder. "At

the world except

and someone tries to get you away from me

next, but a glance at Marcus and Vanessa tell me how stressed they are. They're on edge, Marcus standing on the balls of his feet as though ready to jump