“I see.” I swallow my disappointment, but it sticks like a lump in my throat. I’m not surprised. Cutter seems too smart to have left an easy exit.
“Don’t give up, love.”
His whispered words are tender and I find myself caught in his softening gaze. The air thickens with a tension that feels much different from the danger and fear I’ve been fighting.
He leans in, pressing me against the wall that’s only half-solid at my back.
My senses fill with him. The scent, the feel of him so close. Weeks of tension between us have left my heart yearning and my skin aching for his touch.
The intensity of the moment knocks me off-balance. His arm snakes around my waist, holding me steady.
Still, I hesitate, holding my breath while I wait for him to pull away. Until now, he’s been so careful, so proper.
“Celeste,” he says, bending to brush a soft kiss across my mouth.
I shudder.
Despite the coldness of his skin, I am hot everywhere.
“More,” I whisper.
He pulls away slightly and flashes a mischievous smile. “All right, but I think it’s safe to say I am officially no longer your doctor from this moment on. I’m just Logan.”
My lips curve. “Deal.” I pause, his name catching in my throat. “Logan.”
Clutching his shirt, I pull him down and press my mouth to his.
The kiss is better than I imagined, sending my thoughts scattering and my nerves firing until all I can think about is his mouth, his tongue, his hands.
My grip on my power slips as need takes me over.
The walls become solid as the magic that hid us away finally fades.
I shove at the doctor, urgent now, ending our embrace abruptly. “You have to go. We’re not hidden anymore.”
He hesitates.
“Don’t worry about me. Dean and Declan will keep me safe until we can figure something out.”
He nods and moves for the door but then stops and looks back.
“I’m not giving up, Celeste. I will find a way. I swear it.”
Before I can respond, he slips out of the closet and vanishes.
With deep breaths, I wait and listen to see if the coast is clear enough for me to slip away too. Voices echo through the corridors, most of them far away, but some sound much closer.
Somewhere nearby, Nurse Schmidt yells for more orderlies to aid the search for me.
I close my eyes.
Hope is a dangerous thing when you're a prisoner. Nevertheless, I feel the seed of it planted in my heart by Dr. Livingstone—Logan’s—words, and I cling to it with everything I have left. With his help, we might actually be able to find a way out.
If we don't escape this hell, we will die in it, that I know for sure.
I give Logan a few more minutes lead while I stay crouched in the closet. Schmidt will find me eventually. And hand me off to Cutter who is undoubtedly furious that I failed his little test. But before I'm taken for more experiments, I need to make sure Declan and Dean are okay.
My stomach turns at the thought of them being forced to hurt and torment each other. Especially after all they gave up to protect one another.
When enough time has passed, I ease the door open and peek into the hall.
It's clear.
For now.
Holding my breath, I creep out, and as I make my way silently towards my room, Estelle appears, her shadowy figure flitting in and out.
She doesn't speak, but I hear her voice in my mind.
Hurryhurryhurry.
Time is running out.
He is coming for you.
With silent feet and furtive glances around sharp corners, I dart quickly through the halls. I'm surprised when I make it back to my room without being caught.
The door stands ajar, and I stop short just before I reach it, wariness overtaking my relief.
Something’s not right.
This is too easy.
With careful movements, I close the distance and ease the door open. Inside, Dean and Declan, both wolves, spring up from where they lay on the floor. At the sight of me, their growls turn quickly to relieved whines.
They rush to my side and lick at my hands and arms. I throw my arms around their necks, overcome at the sight of them unharmed. Even Dean’s bitten leg has already healed.
“I’m all right,” I assure them. “I’m just glad to know you’re both safe.”
Dean leaps back and growls suddenly.
I tense as I catch sight of movement out of the corner of my eye. Dean and Declan both react instantly, teeth bared in a snarl at someone just over my shoulder.
Something swings at my temple.
I turn but not fast enough.
Pain explodes behind my eyes, muted only by the loss of consciousness as everything slips away. The floor comes up to meet me. Rather than complete oblivion, my mind hovers just at the edge of reality. The pain is almost too much to bear but I know if I give into it now, I won’t have the power to fight back.
Rough hands grab me.
The twins launch themselves at my attacker, but even in my muddled state, I am aware of them being driven back by an invisible force.
Schmidt.
She must be here.
“Don’t . . . hurt them.” I have no idea if I manage to say the words aloud, or if they’re only in my mind.
Still reeling, I’m rolled onto my back and then lifted, a movement that only sends more sharp pains through my bruising skull. One of the twins yelps sharply.
I force my eyes to open and recognize Sir’s pointed chin directly above me before he jostles my weight for a better grip. His fingers dig into my hip and the pain returns, sending me fast towards the edge of oblivion.
Fighting it, I turn and squint at the other figure now walking swiftly down the hall behind us. Nurse Schmidt swims into focus.
She catches me looking at her and flashes a disturbing smile. “I hope you enjoyed your reprieve,” she says. “You will regret it before I am finished with you.”
I realize too late I was right about my easy escape. It was all just another way to mess with my mind. Letting me think I’d won this small victory.
Behind her, the twins march like docile dogs at her heels.
Their eyes scan constantly towards the walls on either side, never once glancing at me, and I realize Schmidt has sent them into another illusion. Whatever they’re seeing, it’s not real. And obviously designed to earn their obedience.
Dammit.
“Put her here while I deal with the brothers,” Schmidt orders.
Sir shoves through a door and dumps me onto the floor, then walks out again without a second glance.
My hip throbs painfully when I land on the cold, hard concrete, but I grit my teeth and focus instead on where Schmidt hovers in the doorway. And behind her, the twins.
“Leave them alone and I’ll do whatever you ask,” I plead.
But she’s got other plans for them, apparently. For all of us.
“You’ll do whatever we ask anyway.” She sneers down at me and then pulls the door shut, sealing me inside.
Alone.
Out in the hall, I hear her snapping orders at the twins to follow her as she walks away.
The room is cold and empty. Maybe a storage closet or a holding cell. Who knows at this point? It doesn’t matter. What matters is getting back to Dean and Declan. What matters is staying alive.
I can only hope Logan is out there looking for a way to get us all off this island. Maybe I can buy him time to do that. I push to my feet, groaning against the pain, and try the knob, only to find it locked.