Page 29 of Captive
I blinked, surprised his sense of smell was that sensitive, but I followed him anyway. When he arrived in front of a door a few halls down, he pounded on it with his fist loud enough to wake the dead.
Alistair scowled. “We’re trying to check on him, not arrest him.”
Dean ignored him, pausing to listen. Before I could suggest another method, he put his shoulder down and drove into the door. It immediately popped off its hinges, dangling helplessly in the frame.
“Fuck!” Alistair gave a startled cry. It was the first I’d ever heard him curse.
I walked in, looking around the tidy apartment. There was no sign of struggle, but it looked like he was still home. There were dishes on the table, and Dr. Price didn’t seem like the sort who left anything to sit for later.
When I heard a muffled sound in the distance, I rushed up the steps, the others following close behind me. Before I could get to the room where the sound was coming from, Alistair put out his arm to stop me and walked in first.
I glared in irritation, but when he opened the closet door to reveal Dr. Price, bound in rusty chains and gagged with a thick black cloth, I was filled with horror and relief.
“Dr. Price!” I cried, dropping to my knees. The chains were wrapped around his upper body, but it was the marks they’d left on his arms where his short sleeves didn’t cover that drew my attention. Just like in the memory, the chains had burned his skin, leaving behind the raw patterns of links wherever they’d touched.
His eyes widened in surprise as he looked between us, and I immediately pulled the gag off him.
“Bells,” he breathed, looking me over likeIwas the one he needed to worry about even though his face was contorted in pain. “What did he do to you? Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” I told him, reaching to pull off the chains. When I touched them, the metal seared into my palm like it was on fire, and I cried out, yanking my hand away.
Alistair immediately came to my side to check on me while Dean gave me a bewildered look before tearing the chains off Dr. Price like they were made of paper.
“Why are they burning you two?” asked Dean, dangling the chains from his hand. They weren’t burning his skin at all.
“They’re probably iron,” said Dr. Price, rubbing his wrists. “Iron burns certain creatures.”
“And you’re a ghoul, right?” Dean said to him. “But she’s not.”
“She must be something else affected by iron,” the doctor replied. “It’s a long list. Any kind of undead creature such as vampires, zombies, liches…”
“Aww, come on,” Dean scoffed. “Bells isn’t azombie.”
Dr. Price’s eyes narrowed in irritation. I’d never seen him look anything but peaceful and friendly. “Like I said…it’s a long list.” He looked back to me with an exhausted sigh. “The good news is, it narrows down what you are.”
I wasn’t sure that was remotely good news, but I was too relieved to see him to care. “Dr. Andrianakis…” I said, shuddering as I thought about his cold, dead fingers and the sight of him turning to ash. “He did this to you?”
“I didn’t know he had a name,” Dr. Price said. “All I know is that he was a husk, or appeared to be.”
“What’s a husk?” I asked warily, looking at the guys. Neither of them seemed too sure about it, either.
“Something you shouldn’t be worrying about right now,” Dr. Price muttered, standing stiffly.
Dean squared his shoulders. “The little lady asked you a question.”
Dr. Price gave the werewolf a tired look. “I’m not in the mood, Dean.”
“I am,” he replied.
Normally, I wouldn’t have appreciated the fact that Dean was using his dickishness on my behalf, but I’d make an exception. I folded my arms, studying Dr. Price. “Whatever this thing is, it made it clear it was coming for me, so I think I deserve to know. And it left me a message.”
Dr. Price hesitated. “What was the message?”
“‘Bram says hello,’” I answered, my skin crawling as I remembered his words and the eerie voice he’d spoken with. The fact that that thing had been inside my mind made me want to take a year-long shower, but somehow, I doubted that would scratch the surface of how violated I felt.
Dr. Price’s eyes widened slightly, but his expression didn’t otherwise change. “I see,” he murmured, looking away. “A husk is a dead body controlled by a being with psychic abilities, or a powerful witch. They can be either benevolent or malevolent depending on who’s controlling them, but considering the darkness necromancy draws from, they’re almost always a huge threat. It’s honestly a shock that one managed to get onto Academy property in the first place, let alone into the building. Someone must be working with him.”
“Who’s ‘him’?” Dean pressed. He gave Alistair a look, like he was annoyed the vampire wasn’t pushing for information himself, but I got the feeling Alistair wouldn’t make a very good interrogator.
