Page 113 of Hospital for Immortal Creatures

He stepped closer to Amelia. “I will transform and bring you back to the Hospital.” Before he’d even finished speaking, Mikhail knew his eyes were already changing colour.

***

Amelia watched, transfixed, while Mikhail’s body shifted. This time, she didn’t take a step back when his clothes ripped to shreds and his human features turned animalistic. Dark-brown to black fur covered his entire body, and his hands and feet grew into giant paws. The wings stayed closely tucked against his back and the spike at the end of the tail relaxed onto the snow. The animal lifted itself on its hind legs, almost twice as tall as she was.

Amelia looked at its face – the lion snout, the predator jaw, the thick mane. Only the golden eyes reminded her of Mikhail.

He was staring back at her, expectant.

Her heart pounded at the sight of him, but inwardly she remembered the anatomy book and the text about manticores. A human form, and a secondary form.

It was a human underneath those animal traits. Mikhail Korovin. And he was not a threat to her.

“I’m not afraid.” Amelia straightened her back. She was really not…

The lion grabbed her with his paws and threw her over his shoulders, turning her upside down. Before she could protest, he darted through the woods.

Oh my God!

That was the only thing she could think of while her head slammed against the lion’s mane and back. He was moving so fast, Amelia couldn’t even lift her head to catch her bearings. After a few unsuccessful attempts, she gave up and relaxed on his back, letting her face sink into the fur. The feeling wasn’t half bad. It was soft and smelt fresh. Aside from the hairs that she could taste in her mouth, it was actually pleasant. Like a pet, or a blanket.

He was speeding up, supporting her across the thighs with one paw. His wings flew open and he leapt up. His body soared through the air, then landed on its hind legs again. Amelia’s stomach churned. Mikhail had just jumped over the Hospital’s fence.

He stopped at the exit they had come out from earlier, and placed her gently on the ground. When she found her footing, her knees wobbled.

The lion’s body gradually morphed into Mikhail’s human form. The fur, wings, and tail disappeared, and he was himself again.

Completely naked.

He glanced her way and started for the door. Amelia forced her gaze away from his body.

She tried to do it quickly, but it was not quickly enough. The image of his naked form was ingrained in her brain. The four scars alone, which she had seen both in her dreams and in reality, reminded her that she didn’t yet understand her visions. At the same time, they awakened her desire for justice. The woman who had given him the claw marks was dead, but despite that, Amelia raged towards her and her betrayal – and the scars that marred his beautiful body.

All the wounds he’d stitched up himself the other day were gone as if they had never existed in the first place. His stomach muscles were chiselled, his entire torso forming a nearly perfect masterpiece of anatomy. A discrete line of dark hairs sloped down to his groin, transforming into a wide rhombus. And although she had tried her best to avoid her gaze from slipping any lower, it had caught her attention. She hadn’t seen many penises outside of work, where she would often have to change naked men’s bandages, but she had seen a satisfactory amount to conclude he was unusually well-endowed.

She attempted to shake the image away, convincing herself that she was experienced enough to not be impressed or embarrassed by such things. Her longing to trace his inhumanly perfect body with her fingers came from pure scientific interest. Her shallow breaths and thundering heartbeat were due to the events in the forest.

Mikhail acted like he didn’t notice her when he moved his fingers over a control panel by the door. He dialled in a code and the door clicked open. Right next to the entrance, on the inside, was something like a closet. From it, Mikhail pulled out a bag full of clothes and threw some on. She caught herself staring, mesmerised by his every movement.

“I’m bringing you back to your room,” he said as soon as he’d grabbed a pair of running shoes and tied them on.

He took her by the hand and led her to the lift.

“What are you going to do?” she asked.

He pulled her into the lift, pursing his lips. “I’m going back to the forest to track down that creature.”

“Do you know what it is?” she pressed, her anxiety growing.

“No.” His curt response left little room for further questions.

The tension radiating from him was too heavy for her to even speak.

“Stay here,” he said when they arrived at her room.

Amelia opened her mouth to speak, but he was already gone.

She paced up and down the hallway, trying to fathom what had taken place. That thing in the forest, whatever or whoever it was, was evil. Amelia had sensed it with every fibre of her being. At first, she had mistaken it for a panic attack – the sudden feeling of imminent danger, the quickened beats of her heart, the tightening of her muscles. But then, she had realised that what had provoked these sensations was much more terrifying.

---