Tangled

110 Lisa: Ava’s Absence (III)

Lucas’s shoulders stiffen, and he turns to look at the

healer with a frown. “Still no answers?” he asks, his voice rough with disuse.

Vanessa sighs, her expression sympathetic. “I’m sorry, Alpha. We’re doing everything we can.”

Lucas nods curtly and turns back to Ava, his brow furrowed in thought. Vanessa catches my eye over his shoulder and gives me a subtle shake of her head.

At first, I’m confused. But then it hits me–she must be trying to tell me that Ava isn’t pregnant. A wave of relief washes over me, followed immediately by a pang of guilt. I shouldn’t be happy about this, not when Ava is still lying there unresponsive.

But at least it’s one less thing to worry about. One less complication in an already tangled web.

I slump back in my chair, suddenly exhausted. It’s been a long day, and the emotional roller coaster has taken. its toll. I close my eyes, just for a moment, and let the steady rhythm of Ava’s heartbeat lull me into a light

doze.

1/6

110 Lisa: Ava’s Absence (1)

I’m not sure how much time passes before I’m startled awake by a soft knock at the door. Vanessa pokes her head in, her expression apologetic.

“Sorry to disturb you,” she says, keeping her voice low. “But I thought you might want to know–Kellan just arrived with Ava’s dog.”

I sit up straighter, blinking the sleep from my eyes.

“Selene’s here?”

nods. “He’s got her out in the waiting room. I can bring her in, if

gauging his reaction. He’s still staring at Ava, but I can see the tension in his jaw,

not

it would be good for her,” I say, since he seems content with letting me

trailing behind him on a leash. For a moment, I’m not sure if it’s really Selene–she looks thinner

had and

210

C

Ava’s Absence

breaks my

yanking the leash out of Kellan’s grip. She

the crisp white sheets as she tries to get closer to Ava. Lucas starts to rise from his chair, his

grabbing his wrist. His skin is hot beneath my fingers, and I can feel the tension thrumming through him like a live wire. “I think…

in his throat, and I feel my heart stutter in my chest. Oh God. What have I done? The look on his face… it’s like he’s

back down now. Not when

grip tightening on his wrist even as my hand

let

a moment Lear

I

Ava’s

jaw clenched so tightly

a tooth. Then, slowly, he raises his free

never comes.

her hackles raised and her lips pulled back in a snarl. And she’s not just protecting Ava–she’s protecting me too, her body angled slightly to the side to put herself between me

falls silent, the tension so thick I can barely breathe. Lucas and Selene stare each other down, husky to wolf. And

my fingers, and for a second, I’m sure he’s going to lunge for

His eyes never leave Selene’s, but he

grits out, his voice tight with

dog can stay. For