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.

about Steve and

in the basement

way I felt nauseated when I looked into her

I think Steve's

the air is sucked from my lungs. I crumple to my knees, one hand clawing at my chest, the

to breathe.

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213 Ava It's Gone

phones snuffed out like candles in a hurricane. I'm drowning, suffocating, my lungs. screaming for oxygen. Tears

began, or maybe a

it's over.

oxygen to my starving lungs. Sunlight sears my eyes, blinding after the impenetrable

us, some on their knees, others flat on their backs, all of them gasping and coughing as they

the building is

stood an abandoned

debris, not even a single brick to mark its former presence. Just

grass.

if it never

"I think Steve's a Fae," I say lamely, the words falling from my

feet, his face ashen. "No shit," he mutters, dusting off his pants with shaking

could I have been so blind? The signs were there all along- the strange energy that surrounded Steve, the way her

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to exist outside of reality, the unease that coiled

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

can only

magic of some

grim. "We need to tell Lucas. If Steve's a Fae, she could be working

way."

with vampires is a new level of

I feel. "Why she was helping us, what her endgame is. It's possible she's

looks doubtful, but I have a gut feeling that

where is she, and why is the building

he sends a message to Lucas. I watch him, my heart pounding in my

we met her, where

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213 Am * 03