Tangled

Unshift 280

Unshift 280

280 Ava: Debrief

I can't help but laugh at Lisa's horrified expression. Her eyes are wide, her mouth hanging open in a perfect 'O' of shock. It's such a quintessentially Lisa reaction that, for a moment, I can almost forget everything we've been through.

We lapse into a comfortable silence, the kind only possible between best friends. It feels like old times, before vampires and shifters and mates complicated everything. I close my eyes, savoring the moment. "I miss my parents."

Lisa's voice, small and fragile, shatters the peace. My eyes snap open to find her staring at her hands, twisting them in her lap.

"I'm sorry, Lisa. The cell phones aren't working right now. We can't-"

"I know," she sighs, her shoulders slumping: "Just wishing I could tell them I'm okay. They're worried sick, I'm sure."

I reach out, squeezing her hand. There's nothing I can say to make this better, so I don't try. Suddenly, Lisa jerks upright. Her eyes, when they meet mine, are bright and intense. "Ava, Chloe and Mia... they're not very good people."

The abrupt change in topic throws me. "What? Who?"

Her gaze darts around the room, landing on the walls, the ceiling, the floor. "Are they listening?" she whispers, leaning in close. "The guards, I mean."

My face goes blank as I nod, careful to keep my expression neutral. "There's a place we can go to talk, if we need to."

Lisa's on her feet in an instant. "Can my friends come too?"

I blink, startled by her urgency. "Um... I guess so? We'd have to check-"

"Great," she interrupts, already heading for the door. "Let's go."

Bewildered, I follow her. When I open the door, Kellan's there, his posture tense. I can see the longing in his eyes as he looks past me to Lisa.

need to go to the conference room. Can you escort us? And bring

his gaze finally shifting to me. "It would be better to wait a few hours. Ryder's debriefing Dr. Blackwell

okay" Lisa pipes up from behind

with a yearning so intense it makes

guilt twisting in my gut as his face

through cabinets. "What

11:30

280 Ava: Debrief

Ah.

notebook, so I grab that, flipping to an empty page and handing Lisa the

of my hands, she rushes to the table, scribbling across the paper

vampires

to the door, heart pounding. I lean in close to Lisa, my voice barely above a

shaking slightly. When she turns the notebook back

Damn.

girls at the party, with their intrusive questions and their clear disdain for me. I'd figured they had crushes on Lucas; I never would have guessed them

traitors.

And why?

peers. Why would

It doesn't make sense.

me to have Kellan come

me snapping my mouth closed, teeth clicking with the force of it. I purse my lips in

***

to the conference

party, shuddering as she talks about the vampire's visit to her cell and how it took forever

one of his

their minds can be so affected by their bond with a vampire, and I wonder if Sister Miriam's thralls are in a similar situation. It makes my mouth taste like dirt to think

of her story. Sister Miriam had refused to elaborate over the details of Lisa's rescue; of