“No, I mean Dean,” I told him.
Recognition dawned in his blue gaze. “He’s fine. He’s calmed down now, he just went out to ask the doctors if you could have more medication. You were moaning in your sleep.”
I ran a hand through my hair, my skin feeling clammy and raw. “I’m not in pain,” I murmured, looking up as Dean came in.
He had an annoyed look on his face, so I assumed his request hadn’t gone well, but he rushed over to my bedside, nearly knocking Alistair out of the way. Some things didn’t change.
“You’re awake,” he breathed, taking my face in his hands and studying me like he was looking for something to have changed.
I touched his arm, my heart filling with relief to see him safe, and human. I’d been so afraid he would be punished for what had happened to the doctor, or that they’d assume he was the cause of the attack in the first place and not the one who’d saved my life.
“Glad to see you in this form,” I admitted.
He gave me a slight smile, but it wasn’t nearly as cocky as his usual. There was a hint of shame in his gaze as he looked away. “I didn’t want you to see me like that at all,” he said in a quiet tone I’d never heard him speak in before. “When I sensed you were in trouble, I just snapped.”
His words brought back the question that had formed in my mind the moment he’d come to my rescue. I knew his schedule by now, and he was supposed to be all the way across campus during my talk session.
It finally hit me. It was true. He really had imprinted. That was the only way he could’ve known, the only explanation for the link I felt even stronger between us now that I’d been so close to losing him.
Fuck. When had this even happened?
I glanced over at Alistair, who’d fallen silent, as if he wasn’t sure he belonged in the room. “You gave us quite a scare,” he said quietly.
Before I could respond, another thought rushed back to me. “Dr. Price,” I said suddenly, throwing my feet over the edge of the bed. The moment they hit the cold floor, I stumbled, but I managed to free myself from the tangled cords of the monitors.
Dean caught me, but he didn’t help me stay on my feet. Instead, he lifted me by the waist as if I weighed nothing and put me back on the hospital bed. “Nope,” he said. “You’re gonna stay put.”
“He could be hurt,” I insisted, trying again to push past him. “That freak was after me.”
Alistair looked to Dean with a concerned frown. “She has a point. Did the guards say anything?”
Dean just looked confused. “No,” he replied, still continuing to gently block me. “Do I look like someone who chats with guards?”
Alistair sighed. “I’ll go see if I can find him. You should stay put.”
“Like hell,” I growled, faking Dean out to leap off the other side of the bed, untangling myself from the wires still connected to me. “I’m going. He’s in danger because of me. You can either get out of my way, or come with me.”
His eyebrows furrowed like he was about to argue, and if he did, I knew he’d have an easy enough time restraining me. The only advantage I had on my side was that he didn’t want to hurt me, but I was desperate.
“She’s not hurt,” Alistair reasoned. “Physically, at any rate.”
Dean growled in irritation, but he was outnumbered and he knew it. I walked past him before he could give me any more trouble and opened the door, still wearing my cotton pants and shirt. The nurse’s station was empty, so I made it out of the wing easily enough.
I wasn’t quite sure where Dr. Price lived, but it had to be in the same general area as the other faculty members. One entire wing of the school was devoted to faculty housing, and it wasn’t far from the hospital.
Dean and Alistair followed close behind me, and when I heard guards coming down the opposite hall, I ducked around the corner and motioned for them to follow suit. Just because we were already in a virtual prison didn’t mean they would let us roam around once the dust settled from the chaos Dr. Adrianakis had caused. They both waited until the guards passed before Alistair took the lead.
“Come on, I know a shortcut.”
Dean and I both followed him down the hall, the werewolf close at my heels. I could feel his irritation, but he was being a good sport, for the moment. Alistair led us into another stairwell and my footing grew a bit surer as we walked.
Dean put his hand on my arm for support. “I could carry you,” he grunted.
“I’m fine,” I insisted, picking up my pace. When we came to the top of the stairs, the empty hallway was like stepping into a whole different building. Gone were the harsh lights and stone walkways of the rest of the building. The walls were adorned with crown molding, and there was nice tile leading through the various corridors of apartments owned by the staff and faculty who worked at the Academy.
“Any idea where Price lives?” Alistair asked.
Dean stepped up, sniffing the air. “This way.”
