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.

feel her warm

on a right merry chase around the garden. They call themselves wolves and can’t even

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

side.

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Ava: Lisa’s Gone

Kellan.

staring out the window and hasn’t even noticed that I’m awake, his brow furrowed

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

What?

That ma

could smell her

How fascinating.

be furious

My heart sinks.

her back, Selene assures me, her

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

awake. How do

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Ava Lisa’s Gone

Reaching for the side of my throat, I confirm

in my chest,

what that is.

to get rid of

I know that

Correct.

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

I reply shortly, not willing to talk about

information on her?”

his head. “No. Nothing. You said a

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

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

description.“.

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Ava: Lisa’s

sorry. I

apology. “I’m not trying to make you feel

Their appearances are too

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

blink. “Vampires dye their

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

at the thought. Vampires walking freely among the unsuspecting populace, wearing

long, Selene muses. Adaptation is necessary

been taken

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Lisa’s

us as nothing more than kittens

do we find her?” I ask, trying to

“We have our ways.

matter of

corrects, but I

for?

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

the room spins a little.

You’re not fully recovered. Your body needs time. Your

the exhaustion pulling at me. The adrenaline