Page 91 of Depraved Boys

The wind blew on my wet skin, adding to the chill, and my head throbbed in time with my galloping heart. As I turned around to look at my pursuer, my shoulder clipped the side of a tree trunk. The impact sent a new explosion of agony down my left side, knocked me off my feet and sent me spinning down the slope.

No matter how much I struggled, I couldn’t stop the fall. No matter how much I flailed, I couldn’t find anything to hold.

Then I stumbled over a ledge and fell.

A shocked breath filled my lungs with freezing air, and a silent scream emptied them. Flailing through the air, I tried righting myself, but panic seized my muscles and kept me immobile.

Just as I took my next breath, my head cracked against a hard surface, and everything went black.

Mom’s voice penetrated my stupor. She told me to hold on, that I was safe and found, but every nerve ending vibrated with pain. I just wanted it to end. Then unconsciousness pulled me back into its dark embrace.

The beeps of monitors seeped through the cocoon of oblivion and into my consciousness. Why was I dreaming of being in a hospital? This had to be a nightmare. I had to wake.

“Willow?” asked a female voice. “Willow Evergreen?”

I forced my eyes open. A blurry figure stood over me, but I couldn’t make out her face. I closed my eyes again, inhaled, exhaled, and opened them. She was a blonde-haired nurse a few years older than me, wearing a blue tunic with white piping.

“Willow?”

“What happened?” I rasped. “Why am I in a hospital?”

Her pale brows creased, and she stared down at me as though I’d asked the question in Latin. “I’ll…” She licked her lips. “I’ll inform the doctor that you’re awake.”

“Can’t you just tell me—”

“Won’t be a minute.” She spun on her heel and hurried to the end of the ward and out of the double doors.

“Excuse me?” I tried raising my upper body, but every muscle screamed with agony, making me slump back into the mattress.

A cursory glance to my left and right told me that I was in a ward with nine other beds, each occupied. Windows stretched along the length of the far wall, giving a view of the night sky, and on the other side, windows overlooked the ward’s bustling reception area.

The blonde nurse spoke to another nurse in a black uniform, who glanced into my room and looked into a computer screen. My heart sank. This was real, and I had no idea why I was once again in a hospital, connected to heart monitors and drips.

I closed my eyes and let out a shuddering breath, checking my body for signs of sexual assault. A quick squeeze of my pelvic muscles told me that it was the only part of my body that didn’t hurt.

Did Sebastian crash the jeep? My heart jumped into my throat. What happened to him and Leopold? Nausea swirled through my insides. I remembered sitting in the backseat, laughing and joking with them about—my mind went blank. But Sebastian was a careful driver. I was sure we had reached the academy after our night at the hideout.

A female voice said, “That’s the girl who—”

My eyes snapped open, and the two healthcare assistants in grey uniforms stopped talking and continued toward the bed at the end of the ward.

I furrowed my brow. Maybe they were talking about someone else.

Throughout the evening, people shot me disapproving looks, but nobody stopped. A sigh slid from my lips. I couldn’t even remember how I’d gotten here, but from the disapproval in everyone’s eyes, I had probably hurt someone. Ashley? But she hadn’t even gone near the west wing since betraying me.

“Miss Evergreen?” The senior consultant I had met the day after Ashley’s initiation stood at the foot of the bed.

My brows drew together. “Dr. Croft?”

Without a word, she drew the curtains, and I gulped.

“Do you know why you’re here?”

I shook my head.

“Someone reported a serious accident at the Hard Knott Pass.”

My heart skittered several beats. The route to Sebastian’s hideout was in the opposite direction. What was going on? Dr. Croft continued staring at me as though waiting for an answer, so I said, “Oh.”