Page 466 of Coal Hearts

I’d snapped when I’d stabbed Kyle a million times.

I’d snapped when I’d strangled Charles.

I’d snapped on my own in that glow worm-dotted cave, drowning in the darkness—screaming into the abyss all while it swallowed me whole.

I needed to be alone.

I needed to rock in the motherfucking corner and figure out how to fix the mess inside me.

They vouched for me.

My rotten heart fisted all over again.

Why?

Why put themselves at risk?

I didn’t have time for such questions.

Didn’t have the capacity to care about the answers.

Shutting everything down, I ignored Ily’s quiet breathing behind me as we finished climbing and headed down the corridor toward Victor’s dead zoo and Dr Belford’s chambers.

Peter moaned in my arms as I pounded a fist on the door.

A cold draft cut through my damp clothes, and my chilled bones added another level of torment.

My temper fractured.

I felt borderline insane. Itchy with the need to get Peter far away from me and to shove away all the mistakes I’d made today. “Open up!” I bellowed. “Now.”

The door swung wide.

I didn’t give a shit about etiquette anymore. Victor’s cornering had well and truly bled me dry; I had nothing left to give.

Bowling past the doctor as she finished drying her hands on a paper towel, I spied a white sheet-covered table by the wall and marched to it.

The relief in my arms and spine as I placed Peter onto it sent fresh waves of pins and needles through me. I put him down as gently as I could, but I suppose it wasn’t gentle enough as the doctor gasped and darted forward, carefully rearranging his legs so they straightened out before tucking a starchy pillow beneath his head.

Raking both hands through my blood-saturated hair, I snarled, “Do whatever you want with him, but give me some painkillers and stuff for bruises first.”

Ily.

I needed to fix Ily before I lost my mind.

Her keen eye landed on my bleeding arm, her body tensing beneath light green scrubs. “I have orders to treat Masters before jewels.” She shot a longing look at Peter before gritting her teeth and stepping toward me. “That looks bad. You’ll need stitches.”

Clamping a hand over the wound, I backed up. “Drugs and bruise ointments. While you’re at it give me some bandages and salve too.” I flicked a look at Ily, noticing her shredded feet. They looked as bad as mine.

Fuck, I’m sorry.

The door opened and closed behind us.

I whipped around as the nurse who’d helped take my blood when I’d first arrived on this godforsaken island appeared.

I couldn’t remember her name, but the doctor snapped her fingers and ordered, “Rose, prep everything we need to disinfect and bandage Peter. I’ll need intravenous antibiotics and—”

“Give me what I need,” I said coldly, calmly. “I won’t ask again.”