Page 120 of Hospital for Immortal Creatures

He stared at one of those reasons. His transformed body was melting the snow under his paws. There was nothing human in the thick fur and black sharp nails.

He returned to the Hospital through the secret entrance and shifted to his human form. While he waited for the lift, a wave of exhaustion crashed over him.

When the doors opened, the prone body of a boy faced down, in the middle of the cabin. Mikhail knelt beside it and turned it over.

It was Dave.

Still breathing. Barely.

***

When Mikhail barged into Amelia’s room, she knew something was wrong.

Please don’t let it be Dave…

Mikhail was taking sharp intakes of air as if he had sprinted up the stairs to the last floor, but his eyes were what struck her. They were wild with colours, the gold standing out among the rest. He stared at her for a moment, about to speak, then seemed to decide against it. He headed to the bathroom without a word, and soon the only sound was the faucet running.

Amelia walked to the bathroom. Heart pounding, she pushed the door open and took a step inside. Mikhail was holding onto the sink, his head bowed, shoulders tense. At the sound of her footsteps, he glanced at her reflection in the mirror.

He had splashed his face and hair with water. He gazed at her as if seeing her for the first time and his features relaxed, his irises reverting to their normal colour.

“Everything is all right,” he said. “I apologise if I scared you by barging in.”

Nothing was all right for Amelia. She had spent the last few hours convincing herself that her vision from earlier was not something to stress over. Yet another trick of her mind. But now, with Mikhail in front of her, she knew she had been wrong.

“I found Dave in very bad condition. He’s alive but he will need rest to recover,” he said in an even tone and returned to the room.

Her stomach churned. “Where did you find him?”

“Inside one of the side lifts.”

“What happened to him?” She knew the answer. Her eyes welled up. The boy had been chased by a predator who clearly enjoyed the hunt. Then Mikhail’s words got through to her… “He’s alive! You said he’s alive, right?”

“He is, yes. Don’t worry. We don’t know what happened. Maybe he just passed out.”

“He wasn’t hurt?”

“No.”

“You’re lying.”

Her whole body shivered, so she began pacing up and down the room in an attempt to calm it. “It can’t be, it can’t be, it can’t be—”

“Amelia, calm down!” Mikhail raised his voice. “Dave will be all right.”

“I could have stopped it. Why couldn’t I have done something…”

“Amelia, calm down and tell me what’s going on.” He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her over to the bed. With a gentle push on her shoulders, he sat her down. “Stop this. Your heart is racing. You’re barely breathing and you’re hurting yourself.”

She tried to listen but her body resisted her at every turn.

Mikhail placed a hand over her bouncing knee. “Look at me,” he said in a commanding tone, so she did. “I want you to calm down.” She wanted that, too. “Take a deep breath. Don’t close your eyes! Look at me.” He was speaking evenly. “What was your favourite place as a child?” Her favourite place? “Your home? Somewhere you felt safe?”

This was easy. “My grandma’s house.”

Mikhail didn’t move his attention off her. “Tell me about it.”

On a shuddering breath, she thought of the old building that no longer existed. “It was a small house with a huge yard. I loved spending time with Grandma. The house was sold after her death. My mother’s cousin arranged everything. She convinced me that there was no point in keeping it…”

---