Page 123 of Tortured Soul
Oh, those—motherfucking assholes.
Thatwas why Arc and Jeremiah relented and didn’t push Dimitri further. Because they already got him to wear the damn guards uniform.
Did they tell him about the tracking chip inside it? I doubted that.
“They still have to replace it every six weeks or so,” he continued, oblivious to my inner turmoil. “They used titanium to make the chip and embedded it in a crystal capsule. It takes longer for our blood to fully attack it.”
Crystal.
Of course.
The bottle of whiskey was not made of glass but Crystal, that’s why Carter’s blood wasn't able to melt it off immediately.
It would have, eventually. After a few days or weeks.
“Did they chip every uniform?” I asked. “Even the spare ones?”
He nodded. “If a guard was to damage theirs, they would be given a new one. It would be a pain for everyone if they had to wait for the chip to be sewn in on the spot.”
“But it doesn’t matter now, since you guysallhave the one under your skin,” I pointed out.
“Yeah, but they didn’t know it would ever be possible, so as a precaution, they’ve chipped all uniforms from the start and—are you alright?”Was I?“You look a little pale. Did I say something? Iswearthe coffee wasn’t poisoned, you—”
“I’m fine,” I blurted out. “Coffee was great, and you only brought light to the fact that Arc is a duplicitous bastard, and that maybe I shouldn’t trust Ann because—”
“Oh, wow, wow, slow down. What?”
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart down. Was Ann aware of this? The fact that they still used the chipped uniforms?
“They sent Dimitri to look for the Prison,” I explained and his jaw dropped slightly. “He agreed to wear the uniform, but since he has some sensory issues because of the madness, he was reluctant about it. They told him it was to ensure that other scouts wouldn’t think he was an enemy, and I’m pretty sure they didn’t mention the fact that there was a tracking device in it. He wouldn’t have agreed to it otherwise.”
The confusion was readable on his face as I paused. “Why? If it’s for his safety, then—”
“No,” I interrupted him, shaking my head. “He doesn’ttrustother Immortals easily, and he would never have agreed to be tracked by one. Iknewit was strange that Arc and Jeremiah didn’t push him further when he refused to get the tracker under his skin. They didn’t tell him, norme, that he already had one in his fucking clothes.”
He brought a hand to his hair and pulled the strands out of his face nervously.
“Look, I don’t want to get in trouble with Arc for telling you all this…I agree it’s fucked up but—”
“I won’t tell him that you told me.” I rolled my eyes, getting up from my stool. “But Iwillinspect the damn pants when Dimitri comes back and throw it at Arc’s face if I do find a chip. And Ann will have some serious explanations to do.”
Chapter 35
Lola
It’s been three days.
And still no word from Dimitri.
I kept debating with myself whether or not I should sneak out and look for him, but a lot of reasons made that idea a really bad one.
First off, I had no idea where to search. I could try and steal a map from Carrie’s office, but I had absolutely no ideas about when it would be empty or where to look once in there.
Second, my comings and goings were—strangely enough—closely watched. Every time I walked too close to the guarded front gate, one guard always came to ask me what I needed and make me understand that I wasn’t to leave without permission.
Third, even if I turned myself invisible and left, Arc would notice and probably find a way to come after me.
I didn’t like any of that. It all felt like I was no longer a resident but more of a prisoner, and I needed to understandwhythey were making such a fuss about me staying here.
