Page 101 of Savage Elites

My stomach tied itself into knots. “If something happened to him…”

“Claymore?” Leopold snarled. “Fuck. She’s insane for him. And she’s strong as shit. She could easily have—”

“Stay calm.” I slipped on my skirt and scrambled around to find my shoes. “We don’t know what’s happened yet.”

Leopold pulled up his pants, grabbed his shirt, and hurried out of my room. A moment later, he ran back in and picked the pile of things he’d taken from Ashley’s room. “Let’s go.”

The drive back to the academy was excruciating. I didn’t dare call Prakash again in case he was hiding from Miss Claymore, but I sent him a text, asking if he and Sebastian were alright.

Prakash didn’t reply.

Leopold sped down the highway that led to the mountain. “Try Seb’s phone again!”

I did. “It’s either turned off or has lost power.”

He groaned. “Or he’s in a place with no reception.”

“What about the hideout?”

“What would he be doing all the way out there?” Leopold’s voice was strained with panic. “We were supposed to look for where Ashley hid all that crap.”

“R-right.” I tried not to picture Miss Claymore carrying Sebastian over her shoulder like an avenging Queen Kong, but images of the woman pushing him against the wall assaulted my mind.

My heart took permanent residence in my throat for the entire journey through the Lake District, and it remained there as we ran through the academy building and up to the top floor of the east wing.

We tried Sebastian’s door first, but there was no answer. Then we walked down the hallway and across to Prakash’s room and knocked.

“W-who is it?” whispered Prakash.

Leopold and I exchanged puzzled looks. Neither of us had imagined him safe in his room.

“It’s us,” I said.

Prakash opened the door a crack. Frantic, dark eyes roved over us. “Who else is out there?”

“Nobody,” said Leopold. “Just let us in.”

I swayed on my feet. If anything had happened to Sebastian… My mind went blank. It was unthinkable.

He stepped aside, leaving the tiniest gap for us to squeeze through. Sebastian went first but froze the moment he stepped through the threshold.

“Bloody hell,” he whispered.

Panic lanced through my gut, making me double over. Something terrible had happened to Sebastian. I clutched at my stomach. We’d only just reconciled. “P-please… I have to see.”

“Don’t come in,” said Leopold.

Tears filled my eyes. “What is it?”

“What, ho, Pigsty!” One of the auburn-haired Riley twins approached from the end of the hallway, flanked by Bruce and his brother. “You’re sniffing around the wrong room. Cormac’s over there!”

Prakash opened the door, yanked me through, and slammed it shut.

I glanced up at Leopold, who stared open-mouthed at a point further in the room. All the color had left his face, and his breathing became hard and labored.

I followed his gaze and froze.

A woman’s body lay naked and battered on his bed. Bruises covered every inch of her flesh, and her face was so swollen it was barely recognizable.