Page 91 of Twisted Elites

The pressure continued on my forearm, making my fingertips tingle. With a groan, I glanced down at a blood pressure cuff. Oddly, it was the only source of pain anywhere in my body, making me wonder what kind of medication they’d given me. Especially considering my left arm was in a cast.

“Wills?” Leopold stood, his wide, aquamarine eyes roving my face and body. “How are you feeling?”

My drug-addled mind marveled at the way his golden hair framed his high cheekbones, full lips, and strong jaw. Leopold was a work of art that I’d somehow become lucky enough to acquire. I let those thoughts drift to the back of my mind to ask, “What happened to Cormac?”

“He’s alive,” Leopold growled. “And under police guard.”

Relief whooshed out of my lungs. Not that I had forgiven Cormac for his actions, but driving a car off the side of the mountain was too easy a way out.

“And Seb?” I asked.

“He listened to your recording on the drive back up to Carlisle and sent it to Mr. Pinkerton.”

A doctor pulled open the curtains, frowned at Leopold, and then checked my vital signs. He explained that I had broken my humerus, severely bruised my hip, and was lucky to escape my ordeal with a mild concussion. I grimaced. There were some parts of that hair-raising trip through the mountains I wanted to forget.

After the doctor left, Leopold grabbed my right hand and pressed it to his lips. “I’m so glad you survived Gibbons. You should have seen what he did to Geraldine.”

“What did he…” My words trailed off. Miss Claymore’s text had said enough.

“It makes what he did to Ashley seem tame,” Leopold said.

“You listened to the recording, too?” I asked.

“Seb emailed it to me.” Leopold shook his head. “Shit, I never saw that coming at all.”

The curtains parted, and Sebastian stepped through, followed by Prakash, who wore the same school uniform he’d been arrested in the morning we’d found Bianca at the bottom of the east wing. My heart flipped like a crepe, and a breath stuck to the back of my throat.

“Kash,” I whispered.

He rushed up to the bedside, grabbed my uninjured arm, and pressed a kiss to my hand. “Willow.” His voice was choked. “You nearly killed yourself to get a confession. You should have jumped the moment you found out.”

“Not that it’s unappreciated.” Sebastian brought in two chairs and drew the curtains around us. “As soon as Mr. Pinkerton’s contacts at the Crown Prosecution Service heard the recordings, they dropped the case against Kash. But you should have put yourself first.”

Shaking my head, I drew Prakash close for a hug. His bergamot scent, the feel of his smooth skin against mine, his very presence filled my heart until it overflowed. Cormac had falsified so much evidence against Prakash that a guilty verdict was guaranteed. I hadn’t realized that until Cormac had revealed his plan to punish Prakash.

I threaded my fingers in his silken hair, still giddy at the thought that his name was clear. When I finally raised my head, it was to find Leopold and Sebastian staring down at me. I supposed they wanted me to promise that I’d never put myself at risk for them.

“You three mean too much to me to leave anything to chance,” I said.

Sebastian leaned over Prakash and pressed a kiss on my temple. “No more putting yourself in danger. It’s our job to protect you.”

I gave him a wide smile. “Are you going to take care of me the same way you did at Christmas?”

Leopold snickered. “You’ll have three helpers, this time.”

Prakash drew back and lowered himself to the seat on my right. “I can’t thank you enough. If you hadn’t joined the academy when you did, I would be facing a long prison sentence for a crime I didn’t commit.”

“Aren’t you glad I didn’t listen to your warnings to leave?”

He gave me a wistful half-smile. “I would have missed out on meeting the woman I love.”

“Shit,” said Sebastian.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I wanted to be the first to say I loved you.”

“Ha!” said Leopold. “I beat you both to it because I told Willow first.”