Tangled

Unshift 244

Unshift 244

244 Lisa: Seriously, It's Just Weird

LISA

At the mention of Ava's name, my heart clenches. God, I hope she's okay. I haven't seen her

since....

I push the memories away, focusing on the present. "What does Ava have to do with this?" "Everything," he says simply. "Your friend is at the center of events that could reshape our future, Lisa. She needs allies. People she can trust. People like you."

I shake my head, too confused. I'm missing huge chunks of the picture.

"Sorry, I don't understand. What events? What's happening to Ava? Isn't she safe with

The old man sighs, suddenly looking every bit his advanced age. "She is safe enough, I suppose. But the danger is always present, waiting for the right moment to strike. Decades, if not centuries, of planning have come to fruition, and we're only just learning of it. For now, I will have to apologize as we leave you in the dark a little longer. Just know that you're in a safe place."

"So why tell me anything at all?" I demand, my patience wearing thin. "Why not just leave me in the dark?"

"Because I don't need a human gallivanting off to what she thinks is freedom, only to be snatched up once again" He peers over his spectacles. "You thought of escape at least once, didn't you?" My cheeks heat a little, even as my chin lifts. The stubbornness deep within me is coming back to life, at least a little certain that I'm safe enough to snap back. "Wouldn't you, in my shoes?"

those TV shows about posh royalty in England. “Hopefully I'll have a little more clear information

been kidnapped in the human world. But add werewolves to the mix?" I snap my fingers. "Kidnapped. Twice! And don't get me started on the assault rates in werewolves compared to humans. I thought humans

Lisa, No one should have to suffer as you have. But I promise you, what I offer is

words, to dismiss them as an old man's delusions. But something in his tone, in the earnestness of his gaze, gives me pause. Despite my suspicion of this desperate desire to trust him, I consider

do you mean?" I ask

man's smile returns, warm and encouraging. "You, my child, are Fae-blessed. This

244 Lisa: Seriously. It's

Just Weird

my voice barely above a whisper. "If I

human?"

you to life, but it didn't change your fundamental nature.

with it a mix of emotions I can't quite sort out. Fear, confusion, a strange sort of wonder, and underneath

stronger now. "Why would the Fae do this? What do they get out of it,

and often inscrutable, even to us gnomes. But from what we understand, Fae-blessed humans serve as a sort of bridge between our

Mad Prince? Why

"The Mad Prince has an obsession with them. He once. believed that by consuming the essence of a Fae-blessed human, he can gain access to Fac magic himself. Several

had touched me. The

it really

What a freak.

dirty even thinking about it, and suddenly want nothing more than

is true-" which it can't be, because my parents are normal humans and definitely have never talked to