Tangled
Unshift 198

198 Ava: Are You Angry With Mo?

198 Ava: Are You Angry With Me?

Are you angry with me?

Selene's hesitant whisper tickles in the back of my mind, even as her dog breath assaults my face.

Prying an eyelid open, I glare out the side of my eye. "I'm sleeping, Selene."

No, you're not. I can hear you thinking.

Grunting, I burrow deeper into the warmth and softness of my bed. Selene's insistent nuzzling makes it impossible, her furry body pressed against mine until I feel smothered by her heat.

"Too hot," I grumble, attempting to shove her away. But she's an immovable wall of fur and muscle.

She whimpers, resting her chin on my cheek. Her breath, evoking imagery of dog food and sardines, washes over my face. Are you angry with me, Ava?

"No, I'm not angry." I sigh, resigned to this conversation happening whether I want it to or not.

You sound angry.

I crack an eye open to peer at her. "Why are you acting like some insecure girlfriend all of a sudden?" A thought occurs to me, and I laugh. "Wait, are you learning this from those shifter shows you watch?" Selene's ears droop a little. Well, usually when the girl does this, the guy relents and hugs her. Then they make up and everything's

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198 Ava: Are You Angry With Me?

fine again.

Despite my annoyance, a chuckle escapes me, "Selene, life isn't a TV show. You can't just hug away all the secrets and disappointment."

So you are disappointed in me. Her blue eyes are soulful, pleading.

I sigh, reaching out to scratch behind her ears. "A little, yeah. I mean, you knew Mrs. Elkins was some kind of witch and you never told me. That's a pretty big secret to keep."

It wasn't my secret to tell, Selene protests. And besides, I'm the one who asked the Moon Goddess to reach out to her. To help you.

That catches my attention. I prop myself up on an elbow to look at her fully. "What? How?"

Selene sits up, her posture proud, ears and tail erect. Prayer, she states simply, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

My silence speaks volumes as I stare at her, and eventually, those prideful ears droop.

"Your entire plan was just to pray to the Moon Goddess and hope she gave us some divine intervention?"

Yes.

"And that was a good plan. In your head. You thought that was an actual, valid, useful plan."

Her eyes wander, unable to hold the pressure of my gaze. It worked.

"And if it didn't?"

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198 Ava: Are You Angry With Me?

It would have.

Giving up on the idea of sleep, I sit up in bed, crossing my legs. beneath the comforter. "Selene, that isn't a plan. That's desperation."

Her intervention is not as rare as one would believe.

"Oh? And how would you know that?" Crossing my arms, I watch Selene, blinking exhaustion from my eyes.

Her ears twitch. She allowed me to come to you.

And how am I supposed to argue against something like that?

"It doesn't mean she'd do it again."

And yet she did.

Groaning, I flop back onto the bed, yanking at my covers. "Selene, I'm too tired for this roundabout conversation."

So you're not angry anymore?

She shuffles her way closer, staring at me from above. That kibble-and-sardine breath whooshes against my nose, and I smack her face away without a single qualm. "You've got to start brushing your teeth."

I don't have hands.

Point taken. "Then I'll do it. Who's been sneaking you sardines?"

A soft cough from the corner of my room, in the direction of my bodyguard.

Marcus.

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198 Ava: Are You Angry With Me?

No wonder he coughed. I'm going to kill him. Never mind that he's my new bodyguard.

Jericho too. Oh, and Vanessa.

They're all going to die.

***

The leather is soft and supple beneath my fingers, almost silky despite the obvious age of the book. No, not book. Tome. It's ancient and heavy, deserving of its title. Ornate silver clasps hold it closed, the metal tarnished and blackened in the crevices of the intricate design. I don't recognize the symbol, but it's beautiful.

Selene watches me from her spot on the bed, her eyes tracking my every movement. The guard who replaced Marcus this morning stepped outside, more than willing to avoid any exposure to a witch's magic, so we're alone.

Are you going to open it?

"I'm getting there," I murmur, tracing the embossed symbol with a fingertip. "It's just... It's gorgeous, Selene. Look at this

craftsmanship."

It's a book.

"Thank you, Selene. I hadn't noticed."

Her huff washes over the back of my neck. You're stalling.

Maybe I am. This book feels important. Weighty, and not just physically. Like it holds the secrets of the universe, and once I open it, I can never go back to the blissful ignorance of before.

But that's ridiculous. It's just a book. Old. extremely well-made but

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198 Ava. Are You Angry With Me?

ultimately... Just a book.

Right?

Oh, for the love of kibble-just open it already!

"Alright, alright. Relax."

The clasps resist at first, stiff with age, but after a few tries, they pop open with a soft snick. The front cover falls open, and I'm hit with a waft of air that smells like dust and time and something strange. Something sharp and almost metallic, with a hint of ozone, like the air before a thunderstorm.

Magic.

I stare at the first page, my heart sinking into my stomach. It's blank. Completely, utterly blank.

With a growing sense of dread, I flip through the pages. They're all the same. Empty. Devoid of any mark or word or indication that this is anything more than an elaborate, expensive journal. "There's nothing," I whisper, a lump forming in my throat. "All of it. There's nothing written here."

What? Selene jumps down from the bed, her nails clicking on the floor as she trots over. She peers at the pages, her ears pricked forward. That can't be right. Why would Mrs. Elkins give you a blank book?

"I don't know." Disappointment is a heavy stone weighing in my gut. "Maybe this was all a mistake. Maybe this is just nothing. An empty journal."

No. Selene shakes her entire body. The Moon Goddess wouldn't

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108 Ava: Are You Angry With Me?

make that kind of mistake. If this is the book Mrs. Elkins was meant to give you, then this is the book you're meant to have.

"But it's useless like this!" I slam the cover closed, anger and

frustration welling up inside me, "What am I supposed to de

with

an empty book, Selene? Scribble my deepest darkest secrets in it like a diary?"

Of course not. Don't be ridiculous. She tilts her head, considering the tome. Maybe it's a test. Or a puzzle. Mrs. Elkins did say that they lost the ability to unlock its knowledge, remember?

Feeling a hint of shame at my overdramatic reaction, I pause, thinking back. "You're right. She said something like that." Reopening the book, I stare down at the blank pages with new consideration. "So you think I'm supposed to... what, exactly?"

Selene leans in, her nose twitching as she sniffs at the pages. There's definitely magic here. A lot of it. It's so strong, it's almost-

She cuts off with a violent sneeze, her whole body jolting with the force of it. And then another. And another. She backpedals. frantically, rubbing and pawing at her nose as she retreats to the

far corner of the room.

"Selene!" I scramble to my feet, the book tumbling forgotten to the floor. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

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