Page 123 of Wild in Spirit

“I’m losing myself. I’m going crazy. I need things to do, and I haven’t left the area in almost two months. This is exactly what I didn’t want.”

“Just give me some more time to catch him. We will bring the boys back here, and maybe he will follow. Mom and I can work some spells to figure out how he is so protected.”

“Maybe.”

Two weeks now. It had been two weeks since she had seen Nassau last. Two weeks of misery. Two weeks of doubt.

“If I’m going to sit around here scared of the world, then I might as well have let Nassau mark me, and moved into the packhouse with Axel up my ass. I rejected my mate so I could live. This isn’t living.”

“Okay.”

“Okay? You’re going to let me?” Bailey snapped her head to Ava, slightly shocked at the resignation in Ava’s voice.

“Yes. You’re right. He’s come for you twice, and you got away. I trust you. But before you leave, let me send you with all the protection I can.”

For the first time, she smiled. “Yeah? Does that protection involve Travis?”

“Yeah, right. He can talk his way out of things in a heartbeat, but protection? Ha. No, I mean magical protection. Let me talk to my mom and see what we can figure out.”

She threw her arms around her best friend, pulling her in for a hug. “That’s why I love you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just come back to me in one piece.” She waved her hand, then sat back in the lounger, wrapping the wooly sweater around her. “Do the boys have any special plans tonight? Anything to draw more attention to them?”

“I’m not sure Isaiah can draw any more attention to himself. And Cassie is ready to come home. She’s tired of the boys.”

“I’m still shocked the volunteered to go. She has zero tolerance for male shifters.”

“Yeah, I think torturing Isaiah was a big incentive.” They shared a smirk, both knowing Cassie’s type of torture, especially after she told Ava what happened in her witching room. “But, Isaiah, as me, has been specially chosen tonight to go around doing live interviews along with one of my other contacts on thetour. I’ll be busy all night on live. Hopefully, it will drive the psycho out of hiding.”

“We will see. You have everything you need here?”

She’d been staying in Rathlin since her heat ended, the protection of magic around her making Ava feel better until they figured out how her stalker got into the wards.They’d brought all her equipment to her for her work, but she was missing her best microphone, and she was sure it was in her Jeep. But she hadn’t seen her Jeep since she was in Tuisa, and there was no way in hell she was ever stepping foot in that pack again.

But really, she didn’t trust herself that close to Nassau. He never accepted her rejection, which meant the bond was still floating between them, torturing both of them. It was hard enough to sever a bond, but since they had fucked, the rejection would be more painful when it was complete. That also meant it would be a long and slow healing period.

If he ever accepted it. Until then, they would both suffer.

“I need my Jeep. I think my good mic is in there. Could you pop over there and get it? Or send someone?”

“Ahh. Already taken care of. They brought your Jeep to your parents’ house a couple days ago. Want me to pop over there with you?”

“Fuck, yeah. Let’s go. I have a shit ton of things to prep.”

It took a few minutes for her to gather everything she had brought to Rathlin, then Ava grabbed her hand, and in seconds, they were standing in front of her home in Aisling.

“You’re like my private taxi, but much faster. Do I tip you, or do you accept favors?”

“Haha. Very funny.”

Strolling to her trunk, she swung it open, digging through all her bags. “Here it is. Might as well unpack these too. No magic laundry for me.”

“Let me help.”

“No, no. My Alpha can’t be my assistant. We are in Aisling, and I am your stylist. No way are you carrying laundry for me in front of the whole pack.”

Ava rolled her eyes. “Isn’t it enough that you have me wearing new clothes and dressing fancy? Now I can’t carry laundry?”

“Please. Your knit sweater isn’t exactly fancy. Besides. You have tons of shit to do. I’m going to do laundry, make some teasers, prep Isaiah for all the interviews. I’ll link you if I need you.”

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