Tangled

111 Lisa: Ava’s Absence (IV)

LISA

Three fucking weeks.

No matter how many times I count, it’s been three fucking weeks.

The calendar on my wall mocks me, today’s date staring me in the face from any particular point of my

kitchen.

Selene whines when I nearly step on her paw for the third time this morning. “Sorry, girl. Give me a second, and we’ll go see her.”

I’m drenched in sweat. Jericho hasn’t blinked a single eyelash over Ava being in the hospital, and we’ve all settled into a new kind of normal.

It’s not normal at all, but it’s life now. At least until Ava

wakes up again.

I’m stronger. Fastér, though nothing compared to these shifters who surround me. I’m learning some basic self–defense, and Selene has helped with the hands–on training to evade and defend against wolf

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111 Lisa: Ava’s Absence (IV)

attacks.

I have bruises and wounds everywhere, and a few of them have even gotten infected, but Healer Vanessa is a godsend who always has some magical cream on her somewhere. Antibacterial, antifungal, prevents scarring, and smells divine. I have no idea why they

sell it in the

be able to keep up with the demand. For all I know, it probably reduces wrinkles, too. Shifters age well, though, so who knows. Maybe they don’t need wrinkle cream.

shower, with Selene’s reproachful blue

tense I’ve been. I want to scream. I want to cry. I want to punch

here. He’s not as scary as Lucas, but just high enough in the pecking order to earn my rage.

running the Westwood pack while Lucas plays vigilant mate at the hospital. I get

Lisa: Ava’s Absence

every responsibility to keep things running smoothly. But fuck if I don’t feel like I’m drowning in this new world without any sort

in the same boat. She hasn’t seen her mate, some high–up shifter in the pack called Vester, in two weeks, not since he left for the Blackwood territory to keep things running there. I can’t even imagine how she’s holding

water and step out, wrapping myself in a towel that feels too soft against my skin. Everything in this place is

I miss Ava.

me. Selene’s finally here. We should be connected, a trio whose first priority is always what fun is around

she’s lying in a hospital bed, unresponsive to the world around her. And the

them whispered in the halls, see them in the sidelong glances thrown my

Ava’s Absence

in a Westwood hospital. It’s a political

movement in the shadows. He’s been training me harder than

the Grey girl like ducks to their mamas,” he told me yesterday, his scarred face grim. “And

door, her tail thumping against the floor. She’s been my constant companion these past few weeks, a comforting presence in

me as I pass, their eyes scanning the hallway for any

the pick ups and drop offs, giving me a little freedom to

as I wish, but I’m always followed

Always.

usual spot by Ava’s bedside, his hand clasped tightly around hers. He looks up as I

change?” I ask, though I already know the answer.

shakes his head. “Nothing yet. But

come back to

usual seat on the other side of the bed, reaching out to brush a strand

still. Like she’s just sleeping, and any moment now she’ll wake up and start cracking jokes about how we all look like shit.

hasn’t for three

jumps up on the bed, curling up at Ava’s feet. She’s been doing that more and more lately,

closing my eyes for a moment. I’m so tired, so