Tangled

179

179

179 Ava: Surprise Visit

Selene lies curled in a patch of moonlight, her head resting on her tail, eyes closed. Her presence usually brings me comfort, but even she can't soothe the anxiety that grips me now.

The room feels more like a prison than a sanctuary, the air thick with unspoken animosity. I glance out the window again, searching the darkness for any sign of movement, any indication that Lucas and the oth Nothing, of course.

They're miles away.

Their howls fill the air, raising the hair on my arms and the back of my neck.

It takes time, Selene murmurs, her eyes still closed as she basks in the moonlight.

She looks as relaxed as can be, but the edge in her mental voice tells me otherwise.

The knot in my stomach refuses to unravel. It's the same feeling I had before the attack on the party, a sense of impending doom that crawls beneath my skin and sets my nerves on edge.

The two shifters standing guard don't help matters. They're strangers to me, with unfamiliar faces and rigid stances. The tension in the room is palpable. I can't bring myself to attempt conversation, not when ev

1. me.

Minutes drag by, and nothing changes.

No updates.

Only the occasional cough from the guard with short hair and a scat under his left eye.

By the unfocused look that comes over their faces here and there, I know they're listening in to the hunt. They know something.

My thoughts keep circling back to Lucas and the others out there. hunting the vampire. The not knowing is torture, my imagination conjuring up increasingly horrific scenarios with each passing second.

Unable to bear it any longer, I turn to the shifters, my words tight with barely restrained panic. "Any updates on the vampire?"

a broad-shouldered man with cold brown eyes, regards

I flinch as if he'd struck me. Heat rushes to my cheeks, a mixture of embarrassment and indignation. "I'm worried people will get hurt tonight," I manage to say, my

Selene would normally tell me to stand up for myself and not let them treat me like this,

like me, she feels the

26

LIM ANG PHuman Vel

suddenly startling me in the silence. I'm only quiet because I'm

Oh.

Was I wallowing again?

Yes.

Damn it.

floods my limbs and I pace the room, starting with a small square, then expanding my field of march. The guards step back, giving me space, though they share a look that doesn't feel very com The acrid scent of cigarette smoke wafts through the air as the tall guard lights up, filling the room with a haze. My nose wrinkles in distaste. "Could you please not smoke in here?" I

hissing under his breath. "Stop it before you get us

sneer twisting his features. "She's not

hit me like a physical blow, knocking the air from my lungs. I know

the vampires were only there for

119 Ave Sorpice Vist

chin in

Questions swirl in my mind, but before I can voice them, both guards suddenly collapse

my heart leaping into my throat as a figure materializes out of thin air.

drag, she regards the unconscious man with a look of disdain before delivering a sharp kick

small, vindictive part of me whispers that

dear. But I come bearing a warning." Selene is on her feet now, hackles raised as she

see past the nose on your face. Ava,

curve, and her unsettling eyes sparkle for a moment in a way that almost makes her look human. "Never you mind. It keeps

170 AweSurprise Visi

see. Sister Miriam still throws me off kilter, and

about her. Friend?

did you enter this

that fell to the floor. "I had a