Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 407 Ava: Delirious Mutterings

Vanessa's coming.

Selene's sudden warning jolts me out of my I'm-not-that-tired couch nap. You know, the kind where you sit down and think, I'm not that tired, and wake up hours later? Yeah. One of those.

"Is it about Ivy?" My voice is more croak than words, but thankfully she's able to pluck the words straight out of my head.

I would assume so.

My muscles protest as I shift on the couch, stiff from sleeping in an awkward position. Selene's claws click against the wooden floor as she makes her way to the door, her silver fur catching the dim light. Only one lamp is on, which in hindsight might be why I fell asleep. It's too dark in here.

A sharp, quick succession of knocks rap against the door.

"Come in." My voice is still rough. A series of pops accompany my stretch. Relief floods through my spine, and I cough to clear my throat.

Vanessa opens the door, her hair pulled back in a messy bun. She smells like antiseptic, which isn't unusual for someone in the medical profession.

"Sorry to wake you." She steps inside, looking exhausted. "But I thought you'd want to know about Ivy's condition."

I straighten, my fuzzy brain slowly clearing. "Has something changed?"

"She's stable. Her fever's down, but still elevated. She woke up for a few minutes, but thought I was her mother." Rubbing her eyebrow, Vanessa settles into a chair across from me. "Halfway through our conversation, she fell back asleep. She asked for a strawberry birthday cake."

Not sure how to even respond, I can only stare.

The healer shrugs. "She's not oriented to person, time, or place."

"I see."

Could be whatever this stuff is you're trying to hunt down. Her symptoms are too nonspecific, and our

too heavy to hold up, so I rest it against my hand, leaning into the couch cushions. My eyes burn from exhaustion as I blink at Vanessa. Something's off about this

aren't you

"She asked how much longer she

despite my fatigue. "What?" That sounds distinctly like she's

that she's completely delirious." Vanessa holds up her hands. "She thought I was her mother, remember? She was asking for birthday cake. Whatever she's saying right now, we

of nowhere.

do fevers talk about

say anything

drifted off right after that." Vanessa's scrubs rustle as she shifts in her chair. "Her temperature is still high. Enough to

was important enough

not in her right mind, sometimes delirium reveals truths patients wouldn't normally share. I've

she leans forward. "I'm not saying this means anything.

stomach churns. Blood. Why would Ivy be

she was five years old and liked strawberry cake? Grimoire

strawberry cake, and

Maybe thirteen. Or sixteen. Does it matter? So sensitive

two in my head are probably killer

interrogate her. Selene bares her teeth.

have no proof of anything except that a very sick woman

read too much into it. She also told me

heads out. Obviously, I want to know if this is some random fever gibberish or some sort of clue, but it still feels awful to have any sort of suspicions toward someone we consider an

it's nothing, but we