Page 63 of Ava: Part Two

Zeke looked behind him as if he could see something she couldn’t, and then he turned back to her with a big smile.

“You made it. I’ll see you real soon.”

And then he vanished.

She felt so bereft when she was suddenly alone in her tower until his words clicked. She’d made it? Had it been two days already? Impossible. It had been just a few hours at most.

A sharp pain in her side had her gasping in pain as she was harshly brought back to reality. She rolled over to her side with her arms protecting her stomach as she looked up at the huge security guard standing over her.

He’d kicked her! His boots were poised to strike again when she rolled further away and glared at him.

“Get out,” the guard growled.

Her body was stiff from lack of movement when she went to do as he said. Light flooded the room as if moments ago it hadn’t contained the worst evil she had ever felt. She shivered, partly from being on the cold, hard floor the whole time and partly from the lingering darkness she felt. If the Council used this room to punish students, did that mean they also controlled the vast forest surrounding the school and village?

She was limping as she walked up the stairs, the guard shoving her forward every few steps, and then she was finally out in the hallway of the main administration offices.

Who would ever think something so sinister lay below such a beautiful building?

The dean was standing outside his office when she approached it, and his eyes remained as cold as when he had left her down there. He also looked completely pissed off, like he had been hoping she would be a mess. Broken like Jared had warned her she would be if she ever went into isolation. What sort of dean hoped one of his students would get hurt like this? He was as bad as the coach.

She didn’t look away from his gaze as she walked past him. Maybe it was stupidity or the fact that she was still trying to process how her punishment was already over when it felt like no time had passed, but she didn’t acknowledge his authority or give him the respect that he usually demanded.

She walked past him without a word, her head held high, with her escort following her until she was out of the office area.

She survived Isolation. She had found a way to escape the darkness that often attacked her since escaping its clutches in the forest. It took a moment for that to sink in as the guard shut the door behind her.

“Ava.”

She whirled around from the door to see Zeke standing not too far away. Without thinking, she threw herself into his arms, holding onto him for dear life. And in those arms, she found peace. All the fear, all the depressing thoughts she had before being thrown into Isolation melted away.

Zeke’s arms tightened around her as he picked her up, leaving her feet dangling and his lips only inches from hers. She wanted to kiss him. For the first time since she met him, she closed the gap between them without fighting it. His lips were soft and warm beneath hers, igniting feelings in her that were terrifying in their intensity, but she still greedily accepted them.

She felt like she had been deprived, and his kiss brought her back to life. Like she’d been missing a part of herself even when she had retreated into her own mind. The cold that had seeped deep into her bones dissipated with every second that she hungrily explored his mouth.

Zeke lifted his head before she was satisfied and met her gaze. His eyes were red, and in them, she saw a reflection of her feelings—wild, turbulent feelings that would consume her the moment she gave in.

“Let’s go home,” Zeke whispered. “We’ll be much more comfortable without an audience.”

With her cheeks heating, she looked around the lobby and found it full of students who were not hiding the fact that they were shamelessly watching them. There was a lot of disgust. A lot of confusion. And it all hammered in the fact that nothing had changed. She was still human, and he was an Alpha. She would never be accepted.

Chapter 42

ZekeputAvadownand took her hand to lead her out of the building. The other students gave them way, but he could sense that what they had just witnessed was something they did not welcome.

But he didn’t give a shit. He was done hiding.

He’d been sure Isolation would break Ava and he wouldn’t get a chance to tell her how he felt. He’d been sure her end would be the end of him. Of everyone at the academy.

But there she was, exceeding his expectations again.

She had saved herself from the Council’s invasive magic, which was the only reason he’d regained his sanity and not killed everyone. So maybe she had been able to keep them out of her head after all when they had questioned her.

Was that the reason they were coming back? Was it Ava they wanted? They had been curious about him, but was it the human that had captured their attention more? Did they know she was the one who’d had Claire’s blood all over her?

He looked back at her as they walked down the steps. She looked pale and tired, but she was not bruised. It looked like the Council hadn’t managed to do anything to her at all.

But she was still very much human. There wasn’t a hint of wolf or witch or anything else on her.

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