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.

but I can feel her warm weight against me. Someone

a right merry chase around

down her fur, turning my head to the presence I can sense by

side.

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Lisa’s Gone

Kellan.

hasn’t even noticed that I’m awake, his brow furrowed

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

What?

That ma s

is a rare occurrence, but humans can be mates. He probably didn’t realize until he could smell her blood. It’s not uncommon. It’s a very faint scent in

How fascinating.

going to be furious to know…

My heart sinks.

get her back, Selene assures

we haven’t found her yet?” I ask Kellan, whose head snaps in my

awake. How do

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Ava Lisa’s

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

an odd burning in my chest, but I

what that is.

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

don’t know much about vampires–but I know that being

Correct.

looks me over, like I haven’t probably been poked and

about what happened.

information on her?”

name and shakes his head. “No. Nothing. You said a vampire took

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

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

description.“.

5/10

Lisa’s

swirls in my gut. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see much

make you feel bad, Ava.

right, Selene says. Their appearances are too

a small hint about his age,” Kellan continues, “but even that isn’t a guarantee anymore.

“Vampires dye their

escapes him. “Not only do they dye their hair, but they also wear contacts. They live among humans,

freely among the unsuspecting

so long, Selene muses. Adaptation

Lisa’s been taken

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Lisa’s Gone

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

I ask, trying to

have

trace. It’s just a matter

corrects, but

waiting for? Let’s

up, but Kellan’s hand on my shoulder stops me. “Ava, you’re in no

spins a little. “I can’t just sit here while Lisa’s

You’re not fully recovered. Your body needs time. Your wounds are healed, but your blood loss remains.

want to argue, but I can feel the exhaustion pulling at me. The adrenaline that