Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 383

Chapter 383 Lisa: Shutting Down

LISA

"Take a shower."

Kellan's soft words distract me from the darkness inside my head.

I don't even remember leaving Ava's place, but here we are. Home. His home, but also mine.

My fingers refuse to work. The zipper on my coat stays firmly in place despite my attempts to grip it. Everything feels distant, like I'm watching someone else's hands fail at this simple task.

"Here." His hands replace mine, steady and warm. Rough and calloused. Strong. Dependable. "Let me help."

The zipper slides down with a quiet hiss. He peels the coat from my shoulders, but it's warm in here; I don't need it. There's a fire going in the wood stove already. I'm not sure if someone kept it going for us while we were gone, or if they started it when we returned.

Dark stains splash against the brown fabric, mostly from behind. Mira's blood. The sight should make me react, should make me feel something. But there's nothing. Just emptiness. I'm exhausted; all my feelings have been felt.

"Arms up."

I comply without thinking, letting him pull off my sweater. Then the thermal shirt. Another sweater. The layers fall away one by one until I'm in just a thin long-sleeve shirt that clings to my skin, damp under the arms from sweating.

"Your pants are wet from the snow."

His voice stays gentle, clinical. Like he's talking to a spooked animal. Maybe he is. I stare at my snow pants, noticing more dark patches near the knees where I knelt beside...

danger. I've already spent too much time down

Lisa. You need

pairs of thermal leggings. My movements are mechanical, automatic, following Kellan's quiet instructions without really processing them. My body and mind have lost

they'll need

slightly. Kellan's hand steadies my

"You'll feel better once

in here. I don't think

the other side of it. But I stay silent, letting him guide

it while I undressed. The mirror shows a stranger's face, pale and blank-eyed.

need help?" He asks from

feels disconnected, like my

right outside if you

shut. Water drums against tile, filling the small space with white noise. I strip off my remaining clothes, slow and clumsy. Step under

the numbness, just barely. Water runs pink for a moment as it washes away traces of blood I

letting the water pour over me, not really washing. Just... existing. The steam wraps around me like a

mind turns off, letting me just exist in the

"Lisa?"

air. Kellan's broad frame fills the space, cool air breezing against

been in here

water pelts my skin like needles of ice.

reaches past me to shut off the

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