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.

warm weight

Led them on a right merry chase around

my hands down her fur, turning my head

side.

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Ava: Lisa’s

Kellan.

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

worried about Lisa, Selene says, a whisper in my mind. He’s finally realized

What?

That ma s no

mates. He probably didn’t realize until he could smell her blood. It’s not

How fascinating.

going to be furious to

My heart sinks.

get her back, Selene assures

I ask Kellan, whose head snaps in my

How do you feel?”

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Lisa’s

for the side of my throat, I confirm that the skin

my chest,

what that is.

have to get

that being bonded with one

Correct.

over, like I haven’t probably been poked and

to talk about what happened.

information on her?”

her name and shakes his head. “No. Nothing. You said

hair. Red eyes. Kind

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

description.“.

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Ava: Lisa’s Gone

“I’m sorry. I didn’t see much else.”

my apology. “I’m not trying to make you feel bad, Ava. It’s a common problem when vampires are the

Their appearances are

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

blink. “Vampires dye

him. “Not only do they dye their hair,

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

survived so long, Selene muses. Adaptation is

Lisa’s been taken by an adaptive

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Ava: Lisa’s

nothing more than kittens to play

her?” I ask, trying to keep the desperation from my

“We have our ways. Every

trace. It’s just a matter of picking up the

corrects, but I ignore

what are we waiting for?

stops me. “Ava, you’re in no condition to go anywhere. You need to rest.”

as the room spins a little. “I can’t just sit here while Lisa’s out there!”

body needs time. Your wounds are healed, but your blood

can feel the exhaustion pulling at