Page 2 of Savage Elites

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 Ashely’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.”

“You’re in the Acute Medical Unit of the Cumberland Royal Infirmary. The mountain rescue and ambulance crew found you unconscious on a ledge and airlifted you to the hospital. After such a serious accident, you’re lucky to be alive.”

“But I don’t know how I got there.”

The corner of her eyes tightened with irritation. “Perhaps it’s due to your blood alcohol levels being twice the legal limit.”

“Blood—s” I shook my head. “But I haven’t had a drop of alcohol since those girls forced me to drink.”

She pursed her lips. “It was all over your school uniform.”

“No.”

“What’s the last thing you remember?” she asked.

I cast my mind back to the night before, when I had been working on Corrine’s diary. A shocked breath whooshed out of my lungs. She had been seduced by Prakash!

Pushing those thoughts aside, I continued my recollection of events. Rushing to Cormac’s room too early in the morning and remembering it was Sunday. Getting abducted by Leopold and Sebastian to their mountain hideout. Then… A flush bloomed on my cheeks, and I skipped over the next few events.

“You remember something?” asked the doctor.

“From Sunday, but it’s not related to the accident.”

“It’s two-thirty A.M. on Wednesday,” said the doctor. “You were brought in on Monday at eleven fifty-five P.M.”

My brows drew together. This made no sense whatsoever. Sebastian drove me back on Monday morning. We were supposed to arrive in time to get changed before classes started.

I stared into the doctor’s expressionless, chocolate-brown eyes. “What about the two boys I was with?”

Her brows rose. “Your Renault landed in the stream, and emergency services found no other passengers.”