Tangled

213 Ava: It's Gone

"Did you see that?" I ask Kellan, my voice barely above a whisper.

He glances at me, brows furrowed and body alert. "See what?"

I shake my head, not quite sure how to explain the strange phenomenon. "Nothing. Never mind."

As we exit the car, I can't help but glance behind us, taking in the six guards that follow in our wake. Their presence should be

reassuring, a sign of Lucas' commitment to my safety, but instead it only serves to heighten my unease.

There's something in the air, a buzzing energy that sets my teeth on edge and makes my skin feel too tight. It's like the world is holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.

We enter the building, our footsteps echoing in the empty hallways. Kellan leads the way, broad shoulders tense beneath his suit jacket. I trail behind him, my heart hammering in my chest as we descend the stairs to the basement, noticing that there's no light coming from below.

Kellan and I both pull out our phones to use as flashlights, but don't stop our descent.

When we reach the bottom, I stop short, my breath catching in my throat. The office, the reception desk, the colorful artwork that had adorned the walls-it's all gone. In its place is nothing but a bare, concrete room, devoid of any sign of life. As if no office had ever existed. No drywall. No electric wires.

Just... nothing.

15:57

"What the hell?* Kellan mutters, his eyes scanning the empty

space.

1 step forward, my fingers trailing along the rough wall. "It was here, wasn't it? We didn't take a wrong turn?"

A silly question. It's the same building, in the same neighborhood.

Nothing's changed.

And yet Steve isn't here.

Kellan shakes his head, his expression g...n. "No, we didn't. Something's not right."

This place reeks of magic, Selene growls, her hackles raised. Be careful, Ava.

My throat is tight, making it hard to swallow. The air seems to crackle with energy, making the fine hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Every instinct screams at me to run, to get as far away from this place as possible.

Something was never right about Steve and her little child receptionist.

About the office in the basement of a decrepit building.

The way I felt nauseated when I looked into her eyes.

"Kellan, I think Steve's a-"

The world tilts, reality blurring at the edges as the air is sucked from my lungs. I crumple to my knees, one hand clawing at my chest, the other scrabbling against the rough concrete floor. Beside me, Kellan gasps, his face contorted in pain as he struggles

to breathe.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

15:57

213 Ava It's Gone

Darkness engulfs us, the light from our phones snuffed out like candles in a hurricane. I'm drowning, suffocating, my lungs. screaming for oxygen. Tears streamh down my face, hot and stinging, as I silently beg for mercy, for release from this torment.

And then, as suddenly as it began, or maybe a hundred years later,

it's over.

My chest heaving with great, shuddering brea, feeding oxygen to my starving lungs. Sunlight sears my eyes, blinding after the impenetrable darkness. Spots dance across my vision as I try to make sense of my surroundings.

We're in the parking lot, sprawled on the asphalt like discarded ragdolls. The guards are scattered around us, some on their knees, others flat on their backs, all of them gasping and coughing as they suck in lungfuls of air.

But the building is gone.

Where once stood an abandoned structure housing Steve's office,

there is now nothing but empty space. No rubble, no debris, not even a single brick to mark its former presence. Just overgrown

grass.

As if it never existed at all.

I stare at the vacant lot, my mind reeling. "I think Steve's a Fae," I say lamely, the words falling from my lips like lead weights.

Kellan pushes himself to his feet, his face ashen. "No shit," he mutters, dusting off his pants with shaking hands.

How could I have been so blind? The signs were there all along- the strange energy that surrounded Steve, the way her office.

15:57

seemed to exist outside of reality, the unease that coiled in my gut every time I looked into her eyes.

And now, this. A building that vanishes into thin air, leaving no trace of its existence. It's the kind of magic that only the Fae are capable of.

At least, I can only assume it's Fac magic.

It's definitely magic of some sort.

Kellan runs a hand through his hair, his expression grim. "We need to tell Lucas. If Steve's a Fae, she could be working with the vampires. I don't know how much information she's funneled their

way."

The idea of a Fae working with vampires is a new level of terrifying.

"We need to find out what she wants," I say, my voice steadier than I feel. "Why she was helping us, what her endgame is. It's possible she's not working with them at all. Just because she isn't a wolf, doesn't mean she's not an ally."

Kellan looks doubtful, but I have a gut feeling that I'm right.

But where is she, and why is the building gone?

He pulls out his phone, his fingers flying over the screen as he sends a message to Lucas. I watch him, my heart pounding in my chest as I try to process everything that's happened.

Steve, the quirky hacker who seemed like an ally, is a Fae. The building where we met her, where she helped us track down information on the vampires, has vanished into thin air. And now,

15:57

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213 Am * 03

we're left with more questions than answers, and a growing sense

of unease that threatens to swallow me whole.

Meanwhile, some strange person keeps insisting I need to enter the Unregistered city, domain of the vampires.

Where my family is supposedly hiding.

Everything is pointing at this city. Too neat. Too tidy. Selene's voice in the back of my head is suspicious.

"Kellan, I think we need to contact Sister Min. I don't know if I'll be able to bring anyone with me, but I don't think we can put it off any longer."

This time, I'm not asking for permission. I'm back to demanding, and a part of me shrivels inside, wondering if I'm doing the right thing.

I went from willfully doing as I thought was right, to not doing anything at all, standing complacent as Lucas ordered me safe.

But we've made no progress. None

This can't go on forever, and too much happening has to do with

"Selene went with you last time, didn't she?

I nod.

"Was she touching you at the time?

Thinking back as hard as I can, I shake my head. "I don't think so. I

can't remember"

Kellan nods. "I can't leave Blackwood. Let's get back to the alpha

213 Ava: It's Gone

lodge. You can take your guards with you. Just make sure they're all

close when you call her."

"Lucas won't like it-"

"He doesn't like when you run into danger without adequate protection. He never said you have to live like his subordinate."

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