LISA
Watching Ava struggle with the aftermath of the strange attack leaves humbled. It feels like she's been growing all this ti, while I've been sitting stagnant. Even my relationship with Kellan…
My gaze drifts to Kellan's broad shoulders. The gentle way he touches , the way he watches my every step—it's a consideration he shows . Every. Single. Day.
A knot forms in my throat.
The mate bond between us is sothing I can feel now, like an extra heartbeat in my chest, but I keep that door sealed tight. Sotis I catch him watching with those storm-gray eyes, waiting for to let him in. To trust him. To love him back the way he loves .
The mory of cold hands on my skin makes shiver. Sharp fangs. Blood. Pain. mories I thought I was over, but keep intruding of late.
No, nope. Not today, Satan. Focus on Ava.
I push away from the wall and cross the room. "Hey." My arms wrap around her thin fra. She feels as though she's lost ten pounds in one day; magic seems to take a lot out of her. "You need to sleep for at least an hour. Non-negotiable."
"Lisa—"
"Nope. Doctor's orders."
Her lip twitches. "You're not a doctor."
"Hey, I've watched enough Grey's Anatomy to qualify." The joke falls flat, but at least she cracks a weak smile. "One hour. That's all I'm asking. The families will still be here when you wake up. Go now, before I get an about it."
"Okay," she agrees easily enough, a sure sign she's exhausted.
Vanessa's eyebrow lifts. "Impressive."
"Kellan, can you take her to her cabin?" My fingers twist in the hem of my sweater. "Make sure she actually sleeps?"
"On it." Kellan guides Ava toward the door over her protests, where she keeps saying she isn't going to do anything and doesn't need a babysitter. The room falls quiet as their footsteps fade.
Vanessa stands, adjusts her scrubs, and heads for the door. Her hand pauses on the handle. "Lisa?"
"Hmm?"
"Is there sothing wrong with your leg?"
My heart skips a beat for so reason. "What?"
"You keep rubbing your thigh." Vanessa's dark eyes fix on my leg. "I've noticed it the past few days."
I glance down. Sure enough, my palm presses against my thigh, right over the spot where fangs once pierced flesh. The phantom sensation of teeth breaking skin sends ice through my veins. The mory burns, itches, demands attention.
Nope, not going down that hellscape of mories. I'm stronger now. Different. Recovered and normal now.
I snatch my hand away. "Just a bad habit with an old wound. How are you doing? You look exhausted." Looking her over, I add, "You probably need the rest as much as Ava does."
Vanessa's eyes narrow as she studies my face, her lips pursed, but she lets it go to say, "I've had worse shifts. It cos with the job"
The dark circles under her eyes and the slight tremor in her hands tell a different story. "When's the last ti you actually slept?"
"I'll nap when I need it. I can still power through for a while. We don't have enough staff for these ergencies, and there are people who need—"
"Who need you at your best, not dead on your feet," I point out. "You're always taking care of everyone else. Who's taking care of you?"
A soft laugh escapes her, and she leans against the door. "You sound exactly like Vester."
The ntion of her mate brings a slight flush to her cheeks, and for a mont the weariness lifts from her features. It's sweet how they look after each other; their relationship is understated and calm, without any grand gestures. Half the ti you'd never guess they were mated, and yet there's always sothing solid about them, like they've been together forever.
Maybe they have. I don't ask enough questions. Life has evolved from girl talk and giggling over a cup of coffee.
"Your face has gone dark again. Are you sure you're all right?"
Snapping my attention back to Vanessa, I force a smile. "I'm fine. Just thinking of too many things. How the world's changed."
She nods in understanding. "You can co to if you ever need to talk. Or if that wound of yours keeps acting up. I'll take a look at it."
The words catch in my throat, but I step forward and wrap my arms around Vanessa, overwheld by a rush of emotion. "Thank you. For everything you do for us. For Ava. For , too." She was one of the first to care about , despite being human. She's never treated differently.
Her scrubs sll like antiseptic and coffee, sothing normal in this supernatural world of ours. She pats my back with a soft laugh. "It's what I do."
My chest tightens at her casual acceptance of her role in our lives. Vanessa's the closest thing to a mother figure any of us have right now, even if she's not that much older. She's just... safe. Reliable. Always there when we need her.
I stand at the door after she leaves, watching her figure grow smaller as she walks away. The sky is clear, the snow trampled and dirty, giving proof of how much life exists in this place. While fresh snow falls often to clean it up, it never takes long to destroy it.
My thigh tingles. The sensation spreads up my leg like pins and needles, an echo of that night. Those hands. Those teeth.
Soone clears their throat from my right. "Are you planning to go anywhere, ma'am?"
Ma'am? Glancing at one of my ever-present shadows, I shake my head. "No. I was just… looking."
Three of them pass by to co inside, making sure I'm guarded now that Ava and the others are gone. anwhile, I'm unable to tear my eyes from the horizon. Sothing about the endless white makes my skin crawl. Like anything could be hiding out there, waiting.
Nothing feels safe anymore. Wolf's Landing was a sanctuary, and yet it was breeched. Now, it's like my mind keeps whispering to run, even though I know this is the safest place to be.
My fingers find my thigh again, pressing against the old wound through my jeans. The tingling intensifies.
I close the door with more force than necessary, shutting out the view. A dry laugh escapes as I lean against it.
God, I need therapy. Real therapy, not just talking to Vanessa or avoiding Kellan's concerned looks. Soone who specializes in supernatural trauma would be ideal, but I doubt that's a thing.
How would that even work? 'Hi, I was kidnapped by vampires and now I have PTSD. Did you know vampires are real?'
Maybe there's a group sowhere on social dia for PTSD after vampire attacks. There's one for everything. Now that technology and life has returned, maybe I can look…
No. Better not. Even if one exists—and they probably do now that the freaking apocalypse has co along and supernaturals stand with our president on national TV—there are probably spies in there.
"Does anyone want coffee?" I ask the guards, heading for the coffeepot. I'm already jittery, but sitting in silence isn't appealing. At least with a cup, I can sip at it occasionally.
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