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

feel her warm weight against me. Someone

around the garden. They call

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

side.

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Lisa’s

Kellan.

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

whisper in my mind.

What?

ma s no sense.

realize until he could smell her

How fascinating.

going to be furious

My heart sinks.

assures me, her voice strong and

I ask Kellan, whose head snaps in my

You’re awake. How do you feel?”

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Ava Lisa’s Gone

my throat, I confirm

odd burning in my chest, but I already

what that is.

a half–bond. We have to get rid of

about vampires–but I know that being bonded with

Correct.

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

talk about what happened. “What about Lisa?

information on her?”

his head. “No. Nothing. You said a vampire took her?”

Kind

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

description.“.

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Ava: Lisa’s Gone

sorry.

make you feel bad, Ava. It’s a common problem when vampires are

says. Their appearances are too similar.

silver hair es give us a small hint about his age,” Kellan continues, “but even that isn’t a guarantee anymore. Not with the new trend of silver

blink. “Vampires dye

their hair,

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

muses. Adaptation is

been taken by an

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Lisa’s Gone

us as nothing more than kittens to play with.

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

jaw clenches. “We have our

just a matter of

corrects, but I

what are we waiting for? Let’s go

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

little. “I

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

feel the exhaustion pulling at me. The adrenaline that