Page 93 of Ava: Part Three

“Me. My strengths are the opposite of his; I’ll find a way to amplify them. And since we can’t find whatever charm strengthens the forest, we’ll just have to hope that I will be enough to at least weaken him enough for us to finish the job,” Mr Patrick sighed. “I’ll bring supplies to help you in the morning. Iron, ash and all that. I need to see how Ava is doing.”

He looked like he was about to do his disappearing thing when he turned back to him and studied him.

“What did you do?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t have my protective magic anymore,” Mr Patrick said.

Shit. That was all they needed on top of everything else.

“But I still can’t get into your head,” he mused.

Chapter 54

Avafeltsosickto her stomach that she couldn’t eat breakfast.

They had it in the basement so they could finalise the plans. The soldiers and the three council members would stand between them and Mr Hansson, but if they managed to defeat the Head of the Council, his hold on the others would break.

At least, that was the theory.

They were going on so much guesswork, and she didn’t like that when her father’s life was at stake.

“Ava.”

She looked up at Mr Patrick and saw the regret on his face.

“I’m sorry they got your father, but I know he’ll expect you to go ahead with the plan,” Mr Patrick said.

Her anger at him rose again, but she just nodded and looked away. He hadn’t been able to protect her father, but he thought he could protect them. How? They should never have started any of this in the first place.

“There are faculty members on our side, willing to join the fight when the time comes. We can do this, Ava. Your father wants you—”

“Don’t talk to me about my father,” she snapped. “You don’t know what he wants.”

She stood and picked up her still-full breakfast plate before heading to the stairs.

“If we’re done here, I’ll see you later,” she said.

She was terrified of what they would do to her father; she couldn’t hide that. But there was a comforting presence within her today. She had felt it from the moment she’d opened her eyes. It was Nyx. Though the wolf had not said a word, she was there, not hiding from her like she used to.

She threw her food in the trash and put the plate in the sink before leaning against the counter, her thoughts on what she had to do in a few short hours. Should she call her brothers first? In case they were going to lose two people that day?

Her heart squeezed, but something else was burning in her chest. Determination. It seemed her wolf believed in them.

She sensed Zeke approaching and looked up before he appeared in the doorway. Their connection was stronger now; she felt him as if he was a part of her soul. When their gazes met, she understood everything she saw in his eyes without him opening his mouth. Zeke Michelson was her air. Her life.

And they were going to go down in a blaze of glory together in their quest to rid the world of a madman and free her father and Mr Patrick. They were going to die. Together.

“I love you, Ava Morgan,” Zeke said.

“I love you, too,” she whispered.

“Now let us go get the day over and done with,” Zeke said, holding his hand out.

She went to him without hesitation, and he led her to the door. Derek and Myles came out of the lounge with all their bags as if they were just going for a regular school day. She could feel their nerves, too, but they seemed more confident than she was.

The ride to their classes was silent until Zeke parked the car.

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