Tangled

Unshift 255

Unshift 255

255 Ava: The Golden Stranger

Light illuminates the room, and Marcus steps back, hiding me more fully behind his bulk.

"Who are you?" he asks, and I glance at the knife he's holding behind his back.

When I try to step around him to see who's talking, Vanessa steps forward to block the gap.

can't see anything, and yet I know who's talking. I just can't remember who they are.

"Easy, wolves. I am no enemy of yours, and no danger to the witch you shield."

"Give us your name, Vanessa snaps, uncharacteristic hostility in her tone. "Who are you, and why do you know us?"

"Ah, yes. I suppose you wouldn't know. I am known as Acarus, of the Fourth Beginning. You know my mother"

"Mother?" Marcus asks, shifting his weight as he edges a little closer. "And who might that be?"

"And what the hell is the Fourth Beginning?" Vanessa's annoyance is clear. "You can't throw around words and expect them to mean a thing."

"Oh. Yes, I suppose you wouldn't know that, either." A long pause. "Don't look at me so, wolves. My mother is Miriam, of the Fourth Beginning. Or, as you know it, Dakota Sanctuary. There's a lilt in his voice that tells me he's probably smiling. "Does that help?"

"Miriam?"

The talk of a mother dislodged a long-forgotten memory, and I shove past Marcus.

The golden stranger stands before us, his palms raised in a gesture of peace. His ethereal beauty. is just as striking as I remember-inhuman in its perfection. Golden hair catches the light, and those piercing blue eyes seem to shift to a crimson hue as they move. A mild smile plays on his lips, but it does little to ease the tension in the room.

Marcus and Vanessa tug me back, their protective instincts kicking in, but I shake them off as I

exclaim, "It's you!"

I turn to my friends, eager to explain. "He was in the woods during the Blackwood riot. He didn't harm me then."

Acarus nods in my direction, his gaze appraising. "You've become stronger since we last met, Ava

Grey."

A question that's been nagging at me since our first encounter bubbles to the surface.

+

the vampire Margot was talking

his perfect features. "I'm afraid

trying to organize my thoughts. "There was a vampire on Blackwood lands. Margot came to warn me about it, right before I found you in the woods. It was so long

Ava: The

in thought. "That seems unlikely. I have no contact with others.

words don't quite satisfy my curiosity, but before I can press further, he changes the

for dinner? I'm sure you must

can feel their hesitation, their distrust of this

with the conviction in my voice.

narrow. "He knows things he shouldn't,

our ally," I

Marcus shakes his head,

his pot out.

"He was near Blackwood before we began

Miriam. That's too convenient to

privacy," Acarus points out from the bottom of the stairs. "Come along. I made sure to

the stairs. His hand never strays far from

familiar,

and eclectic, just like the first place I met Sister Miriam. This one isn't quite the

is nothing

if a huge

for four, a simple spread of bread, cheese, and what looks like a hearty stew steaming in earthenware bowls. It's far from the claborate

and Vanessa

Wait a second.

know

perfect. Melodious and

nerves.

taking a seat at the head of the table. "I'll do my best

ignoring the pointed looks

Ava: The Golden

on either side

to contain my curiosity any longer. "How is that possible? She never mentioned having children, and vampires aren't usually..." Well, that's kind of silly. She's the product of a vampire and something else

"Mother can be selective with the information she divulges. I'm sure you've noticed that

promised to answer things later, much like Selene does-yeah, I'd

her biological son," he says, motioning for us to partake as he sits back in his

by the food. Though I'm pretty sure it's safe,

their lead.

In every way that

answers right now," Vanessa says, still suspicious. "How did you know about our arrival? We

know exactly when you would arrive. I've been preparing a meal every day for weeks. He nods toward the food on the table. "At least this time I won't be throwing it out for

to ask about the pigs, but I keep my mouth