For once, it was a quiet, sit-at-home type of night and Arilee was absolutely loving it. Laying on her stomach on the couch, she chuckled and wriggled her fingers around for Sanskrit to chase and play bite. Every few moments, she’d catch him under the chest and lift him up just enough to nuzzle his nose with her own. At which point, he’d wriggle free and do little happy dances on the floor. Really, the only thing that could have possibly made it any better would be for Ava to be there with them. As if on cue, “Crush” began playing on her phone as a call from Ava came in. Grinning, Ari reached for her phone and thumbed ‘Answer’.

“Hey baby girl, I was just thinking about y-...”

Within the space of half a moment, Arilee felt the blood rush from her face as she scrambled to sit up. Sensing the change in her, Sanskrit whined softly and jumped up onto the couch to press himself against her side. Patting his head absently, Arilee listened to the voice on the other end of the line with closed eyes. Not once did she interupt, listening to the full story. Only when Ava was clearly done talking did she speak. And it was in a soft, oddly gentle tone.

“Sssh, it’s okay, baby. Are Lance or Alistair there with you? Okay, good. Tell him that I am giving him a kiss and a hug whether he likes it or not. Now, do you need me to bring anything to you? No? All right, I’ll be there in about twenty. I love you too. Try to get some rest if you can. See you soon.”

Hanging up, Ari carefully set the phone on the end table and then buried her face in her hands, shaking with reaction. Some b***h and tortured her girlfriend. The pain and fright leaking from Ava’s voice was enough to make her want to power up right then and go hunting. But no. Getting to the hospital and making sure that Ava was going to be okay was more important than revenge at this point. But first things first.

Reaching out blindly, she snagged her compact mirror and flipped it open, thinking of Leto and speaking woodenly, not trusting her voice.

“A White Moon b***h put Ava in the hospital. I’m heading there right now. If you need me, call my cell. Just… look. I’m not leaving her there alone. Not gonna take Sanskrit, so if you could pop over and check on him later, I would truly appreciate it. Ari out.”

That done, the tall blonde carefully went through her home, grabbing anything that she thought she might need. Then, just before heading out the door, she scooped her dog up, kissed his ear and topped off his dishes.

“Momma has to go take care of Ava, babylove,” she murmured. “Auntie Quinn might be checking on you later. Be a good boy.”

With that, she was out of the door, locking it behind her as she raced for her car. With luck, she wouldn’t get pulled over for speeding.