Tangled

Unshift 213

Unshift 213

213 Ava: It's Gone

"Did you see that?" I ask Kellan, my voice barely above a whisper.

He glances at me, brows furrowed and body alert. "See what?"

I shake my head, not quite sure how to explain the strange phenomenon. "Nothing. Never mind."

As we exit the car, I can't help but glance behind us, taking in the six guards that follow in our wake. Their presence should be

reassuring, a sign of Lucas' commitment to my safety, but instead it only serves to heighten my unease.

There's something in the air, a buzzing energy that sets my teeth on edge and makes my skin feel too tight. It's like the world is holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.

We enter the building, our footsteps echoing in the empty hallways. Kellan leads the way, broad shoulders tense beneath his suit jacket. I trail behind him, my heart hammering in my chest as we descend the stairs to the basement, noticing that there's no light coming from below.

Kellan and I both pull out our phones to use as flashlights, but don't stop our descent.

When we reach the bottom, I stop short, my breath catching in my throat. The office, the reception desk, the colorful artwork that had adorned the walls-it's all gone. In its place is nothing but a bare, concrete room, devoid of any sign of life. As if no office had ever existed. No drywall. No electric wires.

Just... nothing.

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"What the hell?* Kellan mutters, his eyes scanning the empty

space.

1 step forward, my fingers trailing along the rough wall. "It was here, wasn't it? We didn't take a wrong turn?"

A silly question. It's the same building, in the same neighborhood.

Nothing's changed.

And yet Steve isn't here.

Kellan shakes his head, his expression g...n. "No, we didn't. Something's not right."

This place reeks of magic, Selene growls, her hackles raised. Be careful, Ava.

My throat is tight, making it hard to swallow. The air seems to crackle with energy, making the fine hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Every instinct screams at me to run, to get as far away from this place as possible.

was never right about Steve and her little child

in the basement of a decrepit

when I looked into her

think Steve's

world tilts, reality blurring at the edges as the air is sucked from my lungs. I crumple to my knees, one hand clawing at my chest, the other scrabbling against the rough concrete floor. Beside me, Kellan gasps, his face contorted in pain as he

to breathe.

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213 Ava It's Gone

my lungs. screaming

then, as suddenly as it began,

it's over.

my starving lungs. Sunlight sears my eyes, blinding after the impenetrable darkness. Spots dance across my vision as I

The guards are scattered around us, some on their knees, others

the building is

stood an abandoned structure

now nothing but empty space. No rubble, no debris, not

grass.

if it never existed at

a Fae," I say lamely, the words falling

feet, his face ashen. "No shit,"

signs were there all along- the strange energy that surrounded Steve, the way her

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unease that coiled in my gut every time I looked into her

trace of its existence. It's the kind of magic that only the Fae are

only assume

definitely magic of some

If Steve's a Fae, she could be working

way."

a Fae working with vampires is

feel. "Why she was helping us, what her endgame is. It's possible she's not

I have

is she, and why is the

pulls out his phone, his fingers flying over the screen as he sends a message to Lucas. I watch him, my heart pounding in my chest

like an ally, is a Fae. The building where we met her, where she helped us track down information on the

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213 Am * 03