Tangled

226 Ava: War is Here (1)

Magister Orion personally escorts us up the mysterious spiral staircase to two adjoining rooms, promising to begin my training in the morning. O

The moment the door closes behind him, I pull out my phone, unsurprised to see no new texts or phone calls. Sister Miriam did say only the occasional ones text would come through.

So I call Lucas.

He answers on the first ring.

"Are you okay?"

His question is more of a shouted demand for an answer, and I hold the phone several inches away from my ear, blinking at the force of his volume. "Yes. I'm fine. Did you get Kellan's messages?"

"Do you need help? When can you come home? Why won't our phone calls connect? Is everyone treating you okay? Are you in danger? Have you eaten?"

"No. Soon. I don't know. Yes. No. Not yet." My lips curve at the way his questions barrage my ear. "I miss you."

"I miss you too, Ave. So much." Lucas's voice softens, the rough edges smoothing into something tender that wraps around my heart. "I understand why you're there. I do. But I don't like it."

As if sensing the shift in conversation, Vanessa catches my eye, tilting her head toward the adjoining room. Marcus follows, the door clicking shut behind them, leaving me alone with Lucas's

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220 Ava. War is Here (1)

voice in my ear.

Questions pepper through the phone, rapid-fire, all with the same ultimate theme: Is the city safe? Can Alpha Renard or my family

find me?

"The Fae Ward is different from the rest of the city somehow. Only accessible by portal, I think. They don't have access here, Lucas. Sister Miriam promised. Even Sister Miriam can't come here." I settle onto the edge of the bed, the plush comforter dipping beneath my weight. "Vanessa and Marcus are with me. I'm okay."

"And the Fae aren't going to keep you there forever?" The suspicion in his words is both legitimate and something that makes little giggles bubble in the back of my throat.

"No, Actually-"

"Shit. Hold that thought, Ave." His voice quality changes as he pulls away from the phone to tell someone to enter. I try to listen in, but it's impossible to clarify the words coming out of whoever he's talking to. Only Lucas' side of the conversation is coherent.

Something about the hospital and wounded, which has ice forming into an anxious ball in the pit of my stomach.

"Sorry, Ava. I'm back. There's been an uproar in the Council." Exhaustion roughens his tone, grim and heavy. The ball of ice transforms into a lead weight that drops my stomach straight to the floor. "What kind of uproar?"

Silence stretches, broken only by the static crackle of his sigh.

"One of the other alphas separated from the Council. He's claiming

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we overstepped our bounds, abused our authority by allowing the takeover of the Blackwood pack. There have been five rogue

attacks today. All concerted efforts, timed perfectly. We lost a few people, and others are in the hospital."

Standing is impossible as my legs turn to jelly. Sliding onto the bed, I whisper, "What does that mean, Lucas?"

"It means war is here, Ava."

The words hit like a punch. War. The weight of it steals my breath, leaves me reeling. "What do you need me to do?"

"Stay in the city. Stay safe. You're probably safer there than here, now. Blackwood is under our control, but only because they haven't attacked there yet. Our forces are too scattered, spread over too wide an area. We're working with the other alphas on bringing reinforcements, but without knowing the targets..."

"No. The denial rips from my throat, fierce and unyielding. "Westwood is my pack too, Lucas. I want to fight. I'm part of this."

"Ave..." He sounds as though he's tiptoeing around the truth he wants to say. "It might be a blessing in disguise that you're there. It was the last place I wanted you to be, but now...' "Lucas, I want to help."

11

He's silent for a moment longer, before groaning. "Ava, you can't. You aren't strong enough. You've worked hard, but you'd be a liability to any of my teams. I can't send you into a battlefield surrounded by a team of bodyguards."

The truth hurts more than I thought it would. Biting my lip, I say, "I can help at the hospital."

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220 Ava: War is Here (1)

"Ava, public opinion isn't on your side there, either."

My mouth snaps shut. That's right. Several wounded shifters have been recuperating there, and a few of them even died under the care of the nurses. I'm sure they would be less than thrilled to see me around. Blood pressures would spike just seeing my face.

The reality of my decisions weighs heavy on my shoulders. Too weak. Too self-centered. Too many bad decisions. And now my mate is fighting the real war brought to his door, and I'm being asked to stay in what we once thought was the most dangerous place for me to be.

But I can't keep whining at Lucas.

He has more important concerns than dealing with a whiny teenager of a mate.

"I won't get in your way. But Lucas, promise you'll be careful." My

voice cracks a little.

"I will, Ava. Keep your ears to the ground there. You might be able to help me from the inside. The vampires haven't shown up yet, but only an idiot would think they won't be a part of this war." Maybe we can find the information they've been looking for, Selene agrees, resting her head on my knees.

"I'll do what I can," I promise earnestly.

He sighs again. "Just be careful. Every scout we've ever sent, even the ones who successfully got into the city, is dead. We still haven't heard a word from the people Ryder sent in, so we can only suspect that they're dead, too. Don't do anything that will put you in danger. Your life is more important than any information you

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226 Ava: War is Here (1)

can try to get out of there,"

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