Tangled

76 Ava: Saved

Lucas‘ scent hits me after I’ve already tried to murder him.

An unmistakable blend of the outdoors, of amber and

campfire smoke, of something so uniquely mate that it draws me in even through the pain of our past.

It’s him. He’s here.

The knife clatters from my trembling hand as every muscle in my body goes lax with relief. I’d been so tense, coiled tight like a spring ready to snap, terrified of losing my life tonight. But now Lucas is here.

He came for me.

“Lucas,” I breathe out, hope and prayer all in one, the sound barely more than a whisper. My entire body crumples, overworked in its stress.

He’s really here. I’m not dreaming. He’s not a

hallucination. This is real. Real.

My mate.

My savior.

10:07

76 Ava: Saved Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the ꜰindNʘvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Strong arms wrap around me, drawing me in against an embrace both hard and warm, filled with assurance

and yearning. His hands hold me as if I’m some tender, precious thing, going from my back, up to the back of my head, brushing gently against my hair. He’s dropping kisses over the top of my head, against my eyebrows, then my eyes, whispering my name in a ragged chant before crushing me to him once again.

“Ava. Ava. Sweet Ava. You’re safe now. Shh, it’s okay. I’ve got you, Ava. You’re safe now.” His voice rumbles, vibrating his chest against my cheek. One hand cradles my head, the other runs soothing lines down my back.”

I want to respond. I want to ask him why he’s here. To thank him for coming. To tell him how terrified I was. To explain everything. But only a choked sob comes out as all the emotions of the last few days takes over, gripping my body in a cold–fingered grip of horror and

distress.

Tears pour down my face, soaking into the fabric of his shirt as I cling to him, as if letting him go means I can never see freedom again.

holds me closer. “It’s alright, sweetheart. Let it out. I’m here now. No one’s going to

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76 Ava Saved

a shifter I

behind him.

to look at him, but Lucas holds my head firmly against his chest, rubbing me in that

with you?”

Nothing.

here worth

Ava. We need to go fast, before anyone notices you’re gone.”

choppy movement of my head, blowing out a

Another breath out.

legs and lifting me as though

too exhausted to feign modesty, or worry if I’m too heavy. I just lean

76 Ava Saved

he’s talking over his shoulder, so I close my

about the past–his rejection, my complicated feelings for Clayton, or the tangled web that brought me here. I just want to be a boneless lump in Lucas‘ arms, soaking in his presence and the promise of

then a nagging thought tugs at my consciousness, and I jerk

to find my voice. “I think there’s a

doesn’t hesitate. He fishes the burner phone out of my pocket and hands it to one of the shifters accompanying

fine mist. The scent is earthy and familiar, very neutral–seeming. “This will help conceal your scent for a while,” he explains, before handing me a small pill. “And swallow this. It’s

76 Ava: Saved

you by scent.”

trusting Lucas and his team implicitly. The pill leaves a bitter

but with Lucas–despite our history–I can feel so comfortable. Comfortable enough

bonds are crazy like that, I

and determined, and the strange shifter with

shadows as

through the canopy above. The humid summer air is heavy with the scent of earth and foliage. Our footsteps are muffled by the soft

single one of them, I

scent diffusers

15:08 — .‘

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<76 Ava: Saved

never falters, his grip on me secure and unwavering. I press my face against his chest, focusing on the steady rhythm of his

walk, but my entire body protests at the thought.

labyrinth of the forest, putting as much distance as possible between us and the Blackwood territory. The only

we going?” I ask, after what feels like hours. Lucas‘

“We have cars. From there, you’ll be taken straight to Westwood. I have to stay here-” there’s agony on his face as he says this, a spasm in his jaw, “–because we have business with Blackwood. But your safety came first.”

enough to