Page 172 of Hunting Pretty

I blinked, trying to shake the fog clouding my mind, but it only made the pounding in my skull worse.

My arms wouldn’t move. Why wouldn’t they move?

Panic jolted through me as I realized they were tied down.

Fuck. I was tied to a chair, the ropes biting into my wrists and ankles, too tight to wiggle free.

The air was thick, heavy with the musty scent of old leather and something sweeter… lavender.

Dr. Vale’s office reeked of it, a sickly floral smell clinging to the fabric of the curtains, which hung limp and unmoving on either side of a tall, narrow window.

I peeled my eyes open and blinked, looking around. Where was I?

I forced myself to take in the surrounding room, trying to stay calm.

I was in Dr. Vale’s campus office still, but outside was dark now.

It looked just like it always had, but now, there was something sinister in every detail.

The shelves lining the walls were crammed with dusty, forgotten books, their titles obscured by a thick layer of grime. Worn spines crumbled into the room’s oppressive silence.

In the low amber light cast by the old brass desk lamp, I could barely make out the tarnished scalpels, bone saws, and clamps arranged like grotesque museum pieces on one of the shelves. Relics of treatments long abandoned, as twisted as the man who owned them.

I tugged against the ropes again, desperate, but they didn’t give.

I could hear the slow, steady ticking of the clock in the corner. It seemed louder than normal, every swing of the pendulum dragging the seconds out longer, slower. Time felt like it was standing still, suffocating me.

God, what time was it?

It was past eight. I’d only been out for an hour.

I tried to focus, tried to remember how I got here. Chloroform. Dr. Vale.

My pulse hammered. He’d drugged me. Just like he’d done to Liath.

My stomach twisted.

He’d been drugging us—both Liath and me.

He gave us memory suppressants.

He’d kept us in the dark, made us forget…what else have I forgotten?

I had to focus. I couldn’t let him win. I had to get out.

The low shadows shifted slightly, and my breath caught in my throat. Somewhere behind me, I heard the creak of the floorboards. Someone was there. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

“Ah, Ava.” Dr. Vale’s voice was soft, a mockery of warmth that slithered down my spine. “I see you’ve woken up.”

I swallowed hard, my mouth dry, but I forced myself to stay quiet.

“You’ve been so curious,” he continued, circling around to stand in front of me. His eyes gleamed in the low light. “And now I have no choice…”

I could barely breathe.

“Y-you killed Liath, didn’t you? She remembered and youmurderedher for it?”

Dr. Valetskedas he lifted a needle and a small vial between his bony fingers. “Such vile accusations.”

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