Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 140 Ava: Lisa's Gone

"Ava!"

Kellan's familiar voice should bring hope, but all | feel is despair as | stare into the distance, wishing that vampire

would reappear.

A thousand of them could cand it would be fine. As long as they bring Lisa back.

"Ava! Can you hear me?"

Kellan's face swims in and out of focus, a hazy blur against the night sky. | squint, trying to bring him into clarity,

but it's like trying to grasp smoke.

"They have Lisa," | whisper, the words scraping my throat raw. "The vampire... He took her."

Kellan's eyes widen, a flicker of anguish passing over his features before he schools them into careful neutrality.

But | can see the tension in his jaw, the rigidity of his shoulders. He's barely holding it together.

"I know, Ava. We'll get her back." His voice is strained, distracted. Like his mind is a million miles away even as

he's right here with me.

Strong arms scoopup, cradlingagainst a broad chest. For a moment, | think it's Kellan, but the scent is

wrong. Earthy and unfamiliar, not the piney-leather smell | associate with him. | turn my head, blinking sluggishly

at the face above me. It takes a moment for recognition to click into place. One of the guards from Lisa's

apartment.

| can't recall his name, but | remember him standing sentry outside her door, stoic and watchful.

He carriesaway from the carnage, away from the bodies strewn across the grass like broken dolls. | want to

protest, to demand he putdown, but my limbs feel weighted, my tongue thick and useless in my mouth.

Behind us, | can hear Kellan pacing, his footsteps heavy and agitated against the ground. He's growling, the

sound low and menacing, interspersed with words | can't quite make out. But one stands out, sharp and clear

amid the jumbled mess of my thoughts.

Mate.

He keeps saying it, over and over, like a mantra. Like a prayer.

| try to focus on him, to call out and ask what he means, but the world is tilting, spinning off its axis. Darkness

creeps in at the edges of my vision, a black tide threatening to pullunder.

The last thing | see before unconsciousness claimsis Selene running in from the woodline, coming straight

for me.

Ava!

* kK

The hospital ceiling greetsagain when | open my eyes.

This... is getting old. Fast.

| agree, Selene grumbles, but | can feel her warm weight against me. Someone must have let her in.

Of course they did. | wouldn't leave. Led them on a right merry chase around the garden. They call themselves

wolves and can't even catch a single dog.

Letting out a soft snort, | rub my hands down her fur, turning my head to the presence I can sense by my side.

Kellan.

He's staring out the window and hasn't even noticed that I'm awake, his brow furrowed and gray eyes distant.

He's worried about Lisa, Selene says, a whisper in my mind. He's finally realized that they're fated.

What?

Lisa? Fated? That makes no sense.

It is a rare occurrence, but humans can be mates. He probably didn't realize until he could smell her blood. It's

not uncommon. It's a very faint scent in humans until the bonding takes place.

How fascinating.

Lisa's going to be furious to know...

My heart sinks.

We will get her back, Selene assures me, her voice strong and determined.

"| take it we haven't found her yet?" | ask Kellan, whose head snaps in my direction.

"Ava. You're awake. How do you feel?"

"I'm fine." Reaching for the side of my throat, | confirm that the skin is unblemished. "Nothing wrong at all."

Except an odd burning in my chest, but | already know what that is.

It's a half-bond. We have to get rid of it.

| don't know much about vampires—but | know that being bonded with one is bad news.

Correct.

"You had blood everywhere." Kellan looksover, like | haven't probably been poked and prodded by numerous

nurses and doctors.

"I healed," | reply shortly, not willing to talk about what happened. "What about Lisa? Do we have any

information on her?"

He stiffens at her nand shakes his head. "No. Nothing. You said a vampire took her?"

"Yes. Tall. Silver hair. Red eyes. Kind of freaky. Kept calling us kittens."

Kellan rubs the bridge of his nose in frustration. "It's impossible to find a single vampire with that description."

Guilt swirls in my gut. "I'm sorry. | didn't see much else."

He waves off my apology. "I'm not trying to make you feel bad, Ava. It's a common problem when vampires are

the perpetrators."

He's right, Selene says. Their appearances are too similar.

"The silver hair does give us a small hint about his age," Kellan continues, "but even that isn't a guarantee

anymore. Not with the new trend of silver hair dye."

| blink. "Vampires dye their hair?"

A grim laugh escapes him. "Not only do they dye their hair, but they also wear contacts. They live among

humans, completely undetected."

A shiver runs throughat the thought. Vampires walking freely among the unsuspecting populace, wearing

whatever disguise suits them best. It's a chilling realization.

It's how they've survived so long, Selene muses. Adaptation is necessary for any species to thrive.

Adaptation. Right. Lisa's been taken by an adaptive predator who sees us as nothing more than kittens to play

with. Fantastic.

"So how do we find her?" | ask, trying to keep the desperation from my voice.

Kellan's jaw clenches. "We have our ways. Every supernatural leaves a trace. It's just a matter of picking up the

right trail."

Not every supernatural, Selene corrects, but | ignore her.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go find her!"

| start to sit up, but Kellan's hand on my shoulder stops me. "Ava, you're in no condition to go anywhere. You

need to rest."

"I'm fine," | insist, even as the room spins a little. "I can't just sit here while Lisa's out there!"

He's right, Ava. You're not fully recovered. Your body needs time. Your wounds are healed, but your blood loss

remains.

| want to argue, but | can feel the exhaustion pulling at me. The adrenaline that keptgoing is fading, leaving