Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 396 Ava: Cell Towers

I don't trust her, Selene says, coming out from me to stare suspiciously at the door Ivy closes behind her.

The walk back feels longer, my boots crunching through snow as my mind churns. Something about Ivy's story nags at me, like a splinter under my skin. It leaves me uneasy and uncomfortable, but I can't pinpoint why.

"Selene, could you ask around about the attack?"

She trots beside me, staring at me with her sharp blue eyes. Why do you want to know about that?

"I can't put my finger on it. It's just strange. Maybe I'm being paranoid." Lord knows I've got serious issues with the woman. Paranoia feels far too natural around her. Of course, she encourages it with her strange behavior and passive-aggressive nature, but… I don't know.

There's something about this. I just know it.

You think she's lying?

"No, no. Not that."

She was too nice?

"No." Frustrated by my own inability to understand what's bothering me, I kick at the snow compacted to the side of the trail. "It's probably nothing. I'm just—"

Her presence felt strange to me, too, Grimoire offers, sounding thoughtful. I paid little attention, but it was strange. I don't know why, either.

Maybe that was it. "Think she was affected by some taint she passed by?"

It could be. We haven't had much experience with the early stages of exposure. We can keep an eye on her.

if

can manifest in many different ways, depending on its

at Ivy's cabin, I wonder if that could possibly be it. It doesn't seem right, but what else could it

I hop and skip a few steps to regain my

scouts? Her ears prick forward. Twenty? Thirty? And yet we've only found five of

My steps slow.

Landing has been contained. The rogues have

what about the wolves who venture out further? The

taint but aren't showing symptoms yet? What if they're like Ivy—something's off but we can't quite place

I wave them back, not wanting to alarm anyone unnecessarily. "Grimoire, is there a way to scan everyone? To see if others

do isn't that in depth. I'm not sure if I can

expedition. The magic spent is far greater, and the control is much tighter, to search for that specific resonance. In order to match it, you would also need to be very familiar with

to spend more

Yes.

* * *

hard to find today; he's in the debriefing tent again, with Kellan. Ryder and Vester are gone on whatever missions they've been given, but Vanessa's there, her face pinched and

tail end of their conversation. Something about cell towers makes me

about

face tightens. "They're

"Since when?"

voice carries a weight that makes my earlier worries about

phone out, her fingers dancing across the screen before holding it out to me.

the screen, her usual professional demeanor

The president is dead. Not

attack on the White House... Vice President Matthew Collins has