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.

getting old.

can feel her warm

Led them on a right merry chase around the garden.

snort, I rub my hands down her fur,

side.

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Lisa’s Gone

Kellan.

that I’m awake, his brow

Selene says, a whisper in my mind. He’s finally

What?

Fated? That ma s no sense.

humans can be mates. He probably didn’t realize until he could smell

How fascinating.

going to be

My heart sinks.

back, Selene assures me,

yet?” I ask Kellan, whose head snaps in my direction.

awake. How do you

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Lisa’s Gone

the side of my throat, I confirm that the skin is unblemished.

odd burning in my

what that is.

a half–bond. We have to get rid of it.

about vampires–but I know that being bonded with one is

Correct.

had blood everywhere.” Kellan looks me over, like I haven’t probably been

talk about what happened. “What about Lisa? Do we

information on her?”

head. “No. Nothing. You said a

Tall. Silver hair. Red eyes. Kind of freaky. Kept calling us

in frustration. “It’s impossible to find a single vampire with

description.“.

5/10

Lisa’s

“I’m sorry. I

waves off my apology. “I’m not trying to make you feel bad, Ava. It’s a common problem

Selene says. Their appearances are

Kellan continues, “but even that isn’t a guarantee anymore. Not with

dye their hair?”

do they dye their hair, but they

through me at the thought. Vampires walking freely among the unsuspecting populace, wearing whatever disguise suits them best. It’s a chilling

long, Selene muses. Adaptation

Lisa’s been taken by an adaptive

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Lisa’s

sees us as nothing more than kittens

how do we find her?” I ask, trying to keep

have our ways.

a matter of picking up the right

Selene corrects, but I ignore

waiting for?

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

the room spins a little. “I can’t

fully recovered. Your body needs time. Your wounds are healed, but your blood loss remains.

I can feel the exhaustion pulling at me. The