LISA
The timing couldn't possibly be worse.
It's just past midnight, and I know enough details about Ava's sex life to know this is not a good ti to knock on her door. On the other hand, this is serious and not wanting to interrupt sexy ti is not a good reason to put myself—and others—in danger.
But it's still awkward to stand outside the alpha cabin and knock as hard and rapid as I can, trying to instill a sense of urgency without having to scream through the door and wake up even more people.
This wouldn't be an issue if Kellan was here, but no, the man is absolutely driven to find any trace of the Mad Prince he can. He's been gone for two whole days, and I haven't seen his face.
I'm pretty sure he's avoiding , but that's an issue for another day.
My boot connects with the crusty snow bank over and over as I wait, sending tiny crystals skittering across the wooden steps. The cold seeps through my jeans, but I barely notice it anymore. Two days without Kellan's furnace-like presence has reset my internal thermostat.
The door swings open. I squeak—a sound I'll deny making until my dying day—as Lucas' bare chest fills the doorway. Oh, boy.
"Co in." His amber eyes are bright and his words are terse.
My stomach drops. I know that tone; it's never been directed at before, but I recognize it. That's his you-better-have-a-good-reason-for-this voice. Which ans I definitely interrupted sothing.
Sothing that involved no shirts, Ava, and other details I really, really don't want to think about. It's fun to squeal over girl talk, but not when your best friend's lover is half-naked in front of you in the middle of the night.
"Sorry," I mutter, ducking under his arm. "I wouldn't have—I an, if it wasn't—"
"Important?" His eyebrow lifts. "It's fine, Lisa. I gathered that from the urgent knocking."
Heat crawls up my neck. The cabin's warmth is high as always, thanks to Ava. It doesn't take long for the sweat to heat. The living room is noticeably empty of any living creature aside from Selene on the couch. "Where's Ave?"
"Getting dressed."
Oh, God. I want to crawl into a hole and die. I shuffle toward the kitchen, desperate to put so distance between and Lucas's knowing stare. "I'll just... wait here. You know. Away. From... that."
"Lisa." His voice holds a hint of amusent now. "Relax. We weren't—"
"No! No details. Please." I hold up my hands. "I don't need to know. I don't want to know. In fact, let's pretend I didn't see anything. Or interrupt anything. Or think about anything."
A snort echoes from the bedroom. "You can stop torturing her, Lucas." Ava's voice carries through the door, and she doesn't even try to hide her laughter. "She's going to spontaneously combust."
"What? I just said we weren't doing anything."
"She's not stupid, Lucas."
There are so things you can't unsee. So conversations you can't unhear. I'd happily demand every single detail of her sexcapades over coffee, but this is a separate issue. "I'm sure you were both sleeping, and I'll go to my grave believing it. Please."
Ava steps out of the bedroom, wearing one of Lucas' shirts that hangs to her thighs. Her hair's a ss, but she's smiling. Though she looks relaxed and calm, there's a tightness around her eyes, betraying her worry.
It isn't like I make it a habit to bother them at this ti of night.
"So what's the ergency?" She plops onto the couch next to Selene, who imdiately puts her head in Ava's lap.
Her concern helps ease the awkwardness of barging in here at midnight. I rub my thigh, the burning sensation still present even through my jeans. "Rember how my leg's been acting up?"
"The spot where he—" Ava cuts herself off, but we all know what she ans. Where the Mad Prince bit .
"Yeah. That." My fingers press harder against my thigh. "It's worse tonight. Like soone stuck a hot poker there and twisted it."
Lucas moves to sit beside Ava, resting his arm over her shoulders as he listens. "Go on."
I grimace. "And I had a dream tonight. It wasn't like a normal dream. Everything felt real. Like I was back there. I could sll it and feel it." A brutal shudder rips through . "He was there, though. He was talking to himself, mumbling a lot. Saying I belonged to him and that he'd marked , and I'll co back ho."
The burning in my thigh spikes. I hiss, pressing my palm flat against it.
"Let see." Ava's already moving toward , her face set in a determined expression I've co to associate with her taking charge.
I hesitate for a second before pushing my jeans down just enough to expose the bite mark. It's a little awkward with Lucas here, but at least I know he has no interest in my body.
The tiny scars look like they normally do, but the skin is hot to touch.
"Hmm. It's warm, but I can't tell if it's because you were wearing clothes." Ava touches my other thigh. "No, it's definitely warr than this one."
There's not much else to say about it, though. Warm, but otherwise unaffected. She motions for to get dressed, and I yank my jeans back up. My fingers tremble so hard I can't get the button through the hole. The denim feels rough against my skin, and my thigh burns like soone pressed a lit cigarette against it.
"Here." Ava bats my hands away, fastening my jeans with quick, efficient movents. Her touch is gentle, but I still flinch. Not from her—from the mory of other hands.
These reactions are getting worse every day. Sotis I'm fine. Other tis, I'm not.
The words I want to say stick in my throat. Pride tells to keep quiet, to go back to my cabin and deal with this alone. But pride is stupid, and the thought of waking up sowhere in the snow without any mory of how I got ther makes my chest tight. "I don't want to sleep alone tonight. What if I start walking again? What if next ti I—"
"Stop right there." Ava's hands cup my face. "You're not going anywhere alone. You're staying here with ."
"I'll take the couch." Lucas rises, already gathering a blanket. No hesitation, no awkwardness. Just imdiate acceptance and action.
Tears blur my vision. These people—this pack. After everything they've done for , they're still giving more. "Thank you. Both of you."
"We've got you." Ava wraps an arm around my waist. "Nothing's going to happen while we're here."
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