Page 130 of Hospital for Immortal Creatures

“As far as I know…”

“Well, if there’s no obvious link between her and the rest of them, then maybe she’s the link.”

Or more precisely – her vision.

“Actually, she’s had a—”

Viktor cut him off mid-sentence. “You still haven’t shown her to me. What’s she like? Does she have big – you know…” Viktor cupped his palms over his chest, mimicking breasts in a very childish manner.

Mikhail’s desire to seek out his advice evaporated. He barely resisted the urge to rip those hands off his body. “If you don’t snap out of it soon, I promise I’ll personally make you, as I’ve done before. I’m off.”

“Ah, so what? I bet you stole a peek.” He winked at him. “We’ve known each other long enough, after all.”

Unable to control his emotions – and that annoying protective instinct for Amelia – Mikhail grabbed Viktor by the throat. In the few seconds it took for the lycanthrope to realise what was happening and for his eyes to widen in astonishment, Mikhail was already releasing his grip on his friend and stepping back.

What the hell am I doing?

Viktor was still hovering dangerously around Vaka Hara’s abyss. Mikhail recognised the signs, because he had witnessed Viktor’s surrender once before. Last time, however, the lycanthrope had been overtaken by bloodlust. If all Mikhail had to worry about this time around was some foul language and a hooker in the Hospital, it might not be so bad…

Viktor would come to his senses, like he had before. And soon. But for the time being, it was better to keep him aside.

“Don’t bother showing up for the Council meeting today. Consider yourself temporarily suspended from your duties,” Mikhail said. If he tried to explain that he was doing it to give Viktor the time to recover, his friend wouldn’t understand, in his current state. Thus, he barked it like an order. Even the beasts followed hierarchy – to a certain extent.

Marching out of the room, his show of power left him in a rush and his shoulders slumped. Had he not brought Viktor to Italy, none of this would be happening.

42

Amelia curled up in a foetal position at one end of the bed, clothes and all, and pulled the cover up to her chin, along with the thick heavy blanket she’d found in the wardrobe.

The life she had known until now was over. Someone was ready to kill because of her, and her salvation lay at the hands of a manticore – a manticore she was hiding secrets from.

And was starting to fall for… Not a man, but a beast, Amelia.

Yeah, that didn’t work anymore. She let her thoughts roar.

A murderer.

A manticore.

Her heart race accelerated.

A panic attack.

Ten.

She waited for her lungs to contract, and her stomach to tie itself into knots. Sensations she was all too familiar with. But for the first time since she could remember, her body didn’t react that way. Instead, she was just cold.

Through the window, greyish clouds were creating magnificent shapes across the sky, like paintings. Out of nowhere, the sky cleared and transformed into a vivid blue, bringing a smile to Amelia’s face.

“Hey there, little seeker,” the sky said to her.

Little seeker? The voice didn’t belong to her grandmother, but the nickname was familiar.

The figure of a young woman in an ethereal white dress appeared amidst the blue. Her body glided through the air, the edges of her dress swirling around her bare feet. Radiant black hair framed her face. Her eyelids were closed as if she was sleeping.

The image started flickering like a bad TV signal. Weird… Yet, Amelia continued to gaze at it. After a moment, everything stilled, and she could see clearly once again.

Something inside Amelia came to life – a memory, an idea. She knew the woman.

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