Tangled

140 Ava: Lisa’s Gone

“Ava!”

Kellan’s familiar voice should bring hope, but all I feel is despair as I stare into the distance, wishing that vampire would reappear.

A thousand of them could come and it would be fine. As long as they bring Lisa back.

“Ava! Can you hear me?”

Kellan’s face swims in and out of focus, a hazy blur against the night sky. I squint, trying to bring him into clarity, but it ike trying to grasp smoke.

“They have Lisa,” I whisper, the words scraping my throat raw. “The vampire… He took her.”

Kellan’s eyes widen, a flicker of anguish passing over his features before he schools them into careful neutrality. But I can see the tension in his jaw, the rigidity of his shoulders. He’s barely holding it together.

“I know, Ava. We’ll get her back.” His voice is strained, distracted. Like his mind is a million miles away even

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140 Ava Lisa’s Gone

as he’s right here with me.

Strong arms scoop me up, cradling me against a broad chest. For a moment, I think it’s Kellan, but the scent is wrong. Earthy and unfamiliar, not the piney–leather smell I associate with him. I turn my head, blinking sluggishly at the face above me. It takes a moment for recognition to click into place. One of the guards from Lisa’s apartment. I can’t recall his name, but I

remember him standing sentry outside her door, stoic and watchful.

He carries me away from the carnage, away from the bodies strewn across the grass like broken dolls. I want to protest, to demand he put me down, but my limbs feel weighted, my tongue thick and useless in my

mouth.

Behind us, I can hear Kellan pacing, his footsteps heavy and agitated against the ground. He’s growling, the sound low and menacing, interspersed with words I can’t quite make out. But one stands out, sharp and clear amid the jumbled mess of my thoughts.

Mate.

He keeps saying it, over and over, like a mantra. Like a

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140 Ava: Lisa’s Gone

prayer.

I try to focus on him, to call out and ask what he means, but the world is tilting, spinning off its axis. Darkness creeps in at the edges of my vision, a black tide threatening to pull me under.

The last thing I see before unconsciousness claims me is Selene running in from the woodline, coming straight for me.

Ava!

***

The hospital ceiling greets me again when I open my Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ (ꜰind)ɴʘvel.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

eyes.

is getting old.

her warm

merry chase around the

rub my hands down her fur, turning my head to the

side.

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Lisa’s Gone

Kellan.

and hasn’t even noticed that I’m awake, his brow furrowed and gray eyes distant.

says, a whisper in my mind. He’s finally realized that they’re fated.

What?

Fated? That ma

mates. He probably didn’t realize until he could smell her blood. It’s not uncommon. It’s a very faint scent in humans until the

How fascinating.

to be furious to know…

My heart sinks.

Selene assures me,

I ask Kellan, whose head

awake. How

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Lisa’s

the side of my throat, I confirm that the skin is unblemished. “Nothing wrong at

odd burning in my

what that is.

to get

that being bonded with one is bad

Correct.

over, like I haven’t probably been poked and prodded by numerous nurses

about what happened. “What about Lisa? Do we have any

information on her?”

his head. “No. Nothing. You said a vampire

eyes. Kind of freaky. Kept calling

bridge of his nose in frustration. “It’s impossible to find a single vampire with that

description.“.

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Lisa’s Gone

“I’m sorry.

not trying to make you feel bad, Ava. It’s a common problem when

right, Selene says. Their appearances

his age,” Kellan continues, “but even that isn’t a guarantee anymore. Not with the new trend

“Vampires dye

only do they dye their hair,

me at the thought. Vampires walking freely among the unsuspecting populace, wearing whatever disguise suits

muses. Adaptation is necessary for any species to thrive.

been taken by

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Ava: Lisa’s Gone

sees us as nothing more than kittens to play with. Fantastic.

trying to keep the desperation from my

have our ways. Every

a trace. It’s just a matter

supernatural, Selene corrects, but I ignore her.

what are we waiting for?

my shoulder stops me. “Ava, you’re in no condition to go anywhere. You

little. “I

right, Ava. You’re not fully recovered. Your body needs time. Your wounds are healed, but

can feel the exhaustion pulling at me. The adrenaline that kept me going is