Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 444: Ava: Something's Wrong with Lisa Lisa's not in Wolf's Landing, but between her guards-and Selene-it isn't hard to find her. She's half a mile south, sitting on a rock as she stares blankly at the ground.

My heart twists at the vacant look in Lisa's eyes. She keeps rubbing at a spot on her thigh, as if it's bothering her. It's the only sign of life in her.

"Lisa?" I keep my voice soft, the way I used to speak to frightened animals at the shelter. "Can you hear me?" Nothing. Not even a flicker of recognition.

She's been this way since we made her stop walking, Selene says. The guards thought she just needed air at first, but...

I glance at the two shifters standing a respectful distance away. They aren't watching Lisa, but keeping an eye on her surroundings. "How long has she been sitting here?" "Twenty minutes," the one on the left says, still not glancing toward us. "She kept walking south. We had to physically block her path. We would have kept walking, but she wasn't dressed appropriately." She's dressed in a warm coat, like we all are, but she's wearing sneakers instead of boots. Her toes are probably soaked and frozen. No wonder her bodyguards thought something was wrong.

They rarely ask us where we're going; they just follow to keep us safe. I wonder how far she would have gotten if her boots were on.

Not far. I noticed something odd about her gait and followed. They did, too.

Selene's assurances makefeel a little better, but there's an ice-cold hand gripping my heart anyway. My fingers brush Lisa's hand where it works against her thigh. The skin there must be raw by now, but she doesn't react to my touch. Her skin is too cold; she isn't wearing gloves, either.

"We need to get her warm." Kellan's voice is rough with concern as he reaches for her other hand.

Lisa jerks away from him, a full-body flinch that nearly sends her tumbling off the rock. But she still doesn't look up or speak.

The beta's hand stills in the air, before he takes a step back. The chill coming from his body is worse than the winter temperature, and I clear my throat.

"Let me." I shift closer, blocking Kellan from her view. "Lisa, you're freezing. Will you cinside with me?" The rubbing speeds up. Her breathing turns shallow.

"Remember me? It's Ava." For a moment, I think I see something flicker in her expression. But it's gone before I can be sure.

Ice slides down my spine. "Lisa, I'm going to touch your leg now, okay? Just to check something." She doesn't respond, but she also doesn't pull away when I gently move her hand. The fabric of her pants is worn thin where she's been rubbing, but there's no blood or other signs of a wound.

"Selene, is there anything here?" My gut insists there's something wrong, but my wolf just says, I can't smell anything.

"I'm right here," I tell Lisa, keeping my voice soft. "Whatever you're seeing, whatever you're feeling-it's not real. You're safe now." Her fingers twitch under mine.

"That's it. Focus on my voice. You're in Wolf's Landing. You're sitting on a very cold rock that's probably numbing your butt right now. And I'm not leaving until you cback to me." "Con, Lisa. Let's get you somewhere warm." I keep my voice gentle, tugging her hand. Her fingers are like icicles against mine, but she rises without resistance, falling into step besideas I urge her in the direction of Wolf's Landing.

A shadow falls over us as Kellan steps closer. Lisa's entire body coils tight, and she presses against my side; I flick my hand in his direction, motioning him to stay back. The beta retreats, pain flashing across his features before he schools them into careful neutrality.

I feel guilty telling him to stay away from his own mate, but what can I do? She's not in her right mind.

Lucas moves to help, but Lisa's reaction is even more violent. Her breath catches, turning into a strangled whimper; the first sound she's made.

"Stay back," I hiss at him, hoping he doesn't take my tone personally. "Please." They exchange glances, communicating in that silent way alphas and betas do. Lucas nods once, and they both step away. Lisa's bodyguards follow behind in silence, making no attempt to get closer.

I'll walk on her other side, Selene says, padding over. She seems comfortable with me.

Lisa doesn't flinch from my wolf. If anything, her trembling eases slightly as Selene's fur brushes against her leg.

We take slow steps toward Wolf's Landing. Lisa moves like a sleepwalker, but at least she's moving. "Lucas." I keep my voice low, though I doubt she's hearing anything right now. "This isn't normal. It must be PTSD. We should get Vanessa to—" Lisa pitches forward mid-step. My heart leaps into my throat as I catch her, but before I can steady her, she snaps upright. Her head whips around, eyes wide and alert.

"What the hell?" Lisa blinks rapidly, taking in our surroundings. "Why are we out here in the middle of nowhere? Oh, hi, Lucas. Welcback."

She shivers, her hands moving to rub her thighs. The vacant look is gone from her eyes, replaced by confusion and discomfort Just normal Lisa again, with her sparkling dark eyes, full of life and purpose. "Holy shit, it's freezing out here." She stamps her feet, sneakers squelching in the snow. "My toes are like ice cubes."

Kellan moves before any of us can react. One moment he's maintaining that careful distance, the next he's wrapped around Lisa like a living blanket. His broad shoulders dwarf her smaller fras he crushes her to his chest, leaving only her black hair to be seen. Lisa's laugh rings out, bright and clear in the winter air. She pats his back with casual affection and no trace of the earlier terror, poking her face out over his shoulder. "What's wrong with you? Did something happen while I was zoned out?" The words stick in my throat. "Lisa, you don't remember walking out here?" Her brow furrows, and she winces as if the mere act of thinking causes pain. "No? Last thing I remember was..." She trails off, wiggling until she frees a hand to press against her temple. Kellan shows no sign of letting go. "No. I have no idea how I got here." "You're sure?" "Yeah. Why? How long was I..." Another grimace crosses her face. "Ow. My head is killing me." "You need to go hand rest," Kellan says, his words half-muffled as he speaks into her hair. "I'll carry you. You probably have frostbite on your feet."

Strange, Grimoire says, sounding ominous as the beta swoops Lisa into his arms, ignoring her insistence on walking by herself. Lucas wraps his arm around my shoulder as we all head back to Wolf's Landing, his brows pulled together as he watches his beta carry Lisa. "Do you know something?" I murmur to Grimoire, patting my messenger bag to show Lucas who I'm talking to.

Yes, and it's strange.

My molars grind together. "Just say it instead of stringingalong, Grim." My apologies. I have no intention of stringing you along—it's just odd to see a vampire have so much power over a victim after so much tapart.

My feet stumble over nothing, but Lucas pullsup before I trip. "What is it?" I shiver. "The Mad Prince, I think."