Nurse Schmidt uncinches the straps on my ankles and wrists.
Then she walks to the door and opens it, gesturing for me to go. In the hall, Sir waits, expressionless. He is unaware or, more likely, unconcerned with all that has happened in here today.
“This way,” he says and takes off without waiting to see if I follow.
But I do.
Because the idea of getting away from Nurse Evil and getting back to Declan and Dean has me nearly running to keep up.
Behind me, I hear Nurse Schmidt say, “See you tomorrow, zauberin.”
16
Every day for the next week, I am delivered to the leather chair and forced to relive the fire. At least I assume it’s a week. Hard to tell since I don’t see sunlight or a clock even once. I also don’t see Cutter or Dr. Livingstone because, apparently, we’ve abandoned all pretense of this experience being about mental health or healing. There’s also no outdoor visits. Instead, it’s one long emotional trauma reel after another. At the end of each session with Nurse Bitch, I am emotionally and physically drained.
Declan and Dean are summoned twice for “therapy” sessions that leave them both injured and exhausted when they return. After the second time, it takes Dean three days to shift back to human even with what little silvery magic I can summon to try and heal him. I haven’t asked what they did to him and he doesn’t say. Considering what my sessions are like, they can’t be pleasant.
Declan and I spent those three days holding him in wolf form and whispering to him about life outside this hell. About the bakery they would run and the bread they would make. When he finally shifts to human again, his eyes look more haunted than ever.
“Are you all right?” I whisper to Dean that night in bed.
His eyes are large in the darkness, and I reach out, cupping his warm cheek with my palm.
He covers my hand with his own. “I am now,” he whispers.
It’s clear the events of the party only made Cutter more determined to accomplish whatever he’s doing here.
We take advantage of every moment we can, sleeping in a tangled heap and rationing the food and water Sir brings twice a day. But my nightmares are filled with visions of what might have happened to Dr. Livingstone. And when I wake, the spirits are there, wailing and crying tears of blood.
Estelle, however, is nowhere to be found. I wonder if, instead of healing her, I’ve made things worse with the blood Schmidt siphons from me while I suffer her illusions.
All of it is almost enough to break me. Almost. But I am not alone and that counts for a lot.
The twins are my light in the dark.
I don’t want to think about what it would be like without Declan and Dean as comfort. Maybe Cutter knows that. Maybe he’s keeping me just this side of sane for a reason. But I still don’t know what that reason is. Or why he’s doing this to me. To any of us.
By day eight, I am already emotionally numb when Sir comes for me. I hug the guys goodbye and Declan murmurs something about staying strong, but Sir stops me at the door.
“You too,” he says, eyeing Dean.
I turn in surprise and see suspicion and something else flit across Dean’s face. Trepidation.
“What the bloody hell. No way. Not without me,” Declan argues.
But Sir nods, adding, “The three of you will come with me.”
Declan frowns.
We all share a look.
This is different. Something has changed.
Sir takes us through a series of halls, and I catch sight of the red-framed doors marking the research wing before we turn a corner and it disappears behind us. My senses go on alert. This is the same floor as Dr. Livingstone’s office. But I don’t get a chance to see if he’s there before Sir opens an unmarked door and shoves us inside.
Within, Schmidt is waiting for us along with another male I’ve never seen before. His scrubs are tight against large biceps and his face is marked with scars.
The twins growl at him in recognition.
“Hello, Declan. Dean.” The man’s eyes gleam with sinister intent.
“Whatever you’re doing, leave her out of it,” Declan warns, but the man grabs Dean and sticks him with a needle that instantly renders him unconscious. Then he drags Dean through an adjoining door where they both disappear.
Declan tries to protest, but Nurse Schmidt raises her hand and Declan stops, blinking in confusion