Page 139 of Hospital for Immortal Creatures

The dreams did not explain her presence in the murderer’s mind, but her admission was still a step in the right direction. Where that direction was taking them… He would ponder over it later.

Mikhail drew her in, gently brushing her velvety lips with his, holding her gaze. She kept her eyes open, watching the predator touching her. But she wasn’t observing him with fear. Rather, with a wild, untamed emotion in her eyes, the same as he’d glimpsed after her failed escape plan.

“I like you too, little beast.” He pressed her back against the shelves and deepened the kiss. Her body was soft and pliant beneath his, the small strokes of her tongue filling his mouth with her familiar scent. Arousal spread through him.

He would take her tonight.

Or now. Whichever.

“There’s something else,” Amelia said, panting against his lips.

That served as a wake-up call. He might carry an animal in his heart, but the first time he had Amelia, it would be in bed.

“I think the Oracle reaches out to me. No, I don’t think. I know. I saw her. We talked.”

Every muscle in his body tensed, but for a different reason. “What do you mean, you saw her?”

“After the attempt on Dave’s life. When you said you’d go check up on him, and I was waiting for you to return. She appeared in the sky. I recognised her instantly. She was talking in riddles. I barely understood a thing.”

“Was that someone’s memory?”

“No. It was happening to me, right then and there. We… talked. There’s no other way to explain what happened. I said words, and asked questions, and she responded. She said it wasn’t her who chose me, she was just ‘the herald of someone else’s will.’”

“What else did she say?” Mikhail’s heartbeat rarely quickened but now it was threatening to burst out of his chest, making him wary of what was coming next.

“Nothing intelligible, mostly riddles. That I should start with the small things. You weren’t wrong about me… In the end, she said she needed to go. It sounded like goodbye. She also mentioned something about getting answers soon.”

Mikhail employed all his willpower to make his tone come out even, even as his heart thundered to the point of muting everything else around them. “Was this your first chat with her?”

“The day you kidnapped me, I woke up in the room and heard a female voice in my head. She introduced herself as my friend and said she can communicate with me telepathically.” Amelia shrugged, unaware of the effect her words had on him. “I was so frightened, I thought I was hallucinating. Then I heard her again. When you transformed in front of me and drugged me. She apologised for not telling you that I know nothing.”

“Did you say it sounded like goodbye?”

“Well, yes. I had that feeling.”

The realisation dawned on him like a ton of bricks. The Oracle. Something was wrong. “Come with me!” He pulled her by the hand, his pace quick and urgent, towards the end of the corridor.

Amelia’s question reached his ears as if through a fog. “Where are we going?”

He guided her inside the lift and pushed the button.

“Mikhail?”

The lift doors closed, and his gaze locked onto hers. “I’m taking you to your room.” The harshness in his voice was unmistakable.

“Why? What will you do?”

He stared at her. A small part of him registered that she was standing in the middle of the cabin, her hair dishevelled by his hands, her lips swollen by his kiss.

He tore his gaze away from her. He didn’t want to see the confusion or fear that might be there. He knew he was shutting down, shutting her out. But he couldn’t stop himself. If what he’d realised was true…

The lift doors slid open and Mikhail strode out, leaving her to follow. He continued down the wing, Amelia on his trail, until he reached the steel doors he normally never bothered closing. He slowed his step, jaw set, eyes fixed ahead, and waited until she passed him. Once she got inside the corridor, he remained on the outer side.

Amelia slowed down, turning towards him. Before she could ask another question, he pulled the steel doors shut behind her, trapping her on the other side.

***

Shoving thoughts of Amelia out of his mind, Mikhail rushed down the stairs, taking them five or six at a time. In less than a minute, he was in front of the door to the Intensive Care Unit. The Oracle’s door was locked but he had a key.

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