Page 142 of Hospital for Immortal Creatures

Amelia’s anger dissipated, leaving behind a hurt expression, like a door had been slammed shut on her hopes. “I was right to doubt your intentions of letting me go. At least you finally admit it now.”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t figure it out earlier, and used other ways to influence me. Did you think seducing me would get you an easy exit?” Mikhail ran his gaze up and down her body in a way that didn’t allow any doubt as to the meaning behind his words. “You’re a better liar than I gave you credit for.”

“I never lied!”

“Lied, concealed, is there a difference?” Mikhail shrugged, then headed for his wardrobe. Inside it were only black clothes.

Amelia raised her voice, irate once more. “You can’t keep me here against my will!”

“Sure I can.” He faced her. “It’s exactly what I’ll do. I can’t kill you because I owe it to the Oracle, and I’ll most likely be needing you at some point. Until then, I can keep you here and use you however and whenever I see fit.” He turned to the wardrobe and haphazardly snatched a few shirts and pants. “Don’t waste your time trying to call anyone. That old phone I gave you has been disconnected as of this morning.”

“Mikhail, please… You can’t do this to me.”

He could do whatever the fuck he wanted. My turf, my rules. And no amount of pleading from her would change his mind.

Without casting a single glance in her direction, he went out into the hallway and rushed to the door.

Then a thought struck him. My turf, my rules, huh? And yet, someone had been toying with him for a while now. No wonder. He was immortal and he’d allowed himself to be tricked by a human – a new low for him. Last time, the trickster had been an immortal woman. This time, it was a twenty-five-year-old human. When would he learn?

He glanced at the clothes in his hands, and cursed under his breath.

Not soon enough, it seemed. He’d forgotten to grab boxers, too.

45

“I’d always hoped to never come here.”

Constantine gave a neutral grunt at Diana’s words. The vampire was nestled in the passenger seat of his SUV as they neared the Hospital.

“In reality, it’s much more impressive,” she admitted, craning her neck to better take in the two enormous wings and arches. She’d shared with Constantine that she’d heard tales of the grand façade rising to the sky.

The tall windows and massive columns were engulfed in a mist thick enough to hide the top few floors. The expansive courtyard was white with snow, the winds swirling and scattering it around the bare trees. A protective jagged fence surrounded the Hospital.

Constantine drove down the cleared-up alleyway at a lazy speed, while the wipers of his SUV barely managed to fight off the snowflakes attacking the windshield. He threw a side glance at Diana. The vampire wore a black coat reaching down to her ankles, heeding his advice to lose the not-so-appropriate tight leather suit and giant sword attire. Not the best choice for this place, especially when there were no signs of an imminent battle and it would only attract the attention of the Tribunal agent Mikhail had warned him about.

Her fingers tensed around her brother’s last letter and a vial with some questionable yellow-greenish contents. A vial for which it seemed her brother Luka had traded his life.

“It’s going to be okay,” Constantine said.

Her eyes met his. “If someone tries to take this away from me, I’ll kill them.”

Constantine couldn’t help but smile, knowing all too well that she didn’t mean the threat figuratively. “I promise nobody will try to.” He wasn’t the nicest guy, but he’d given her his word that he’d protect her and the vial, and he intended to keep it.

She glanced at herself in the mirror before exiting the car. Her face was radiant, with no make-up, and her hair was a straight brownish silk that fell freely down to her shoulders.

Viktor was waiting for them at the entrance dressed in pale blue jeans, a shirt with the word Werewolf printed across the chest and white sneakers. His dark hair stuck out in all directions as if he’d just got out of bed – a quite different image from the diligent conservative style they were used to seeing on him.

“Welcome back, brother.” He shook Constantine’s hand with a hearty smile.

“Hello, my friend. Remember Diana?”

Viktor’s gaze roamed up and down her body with undisguised interest. “How could I forget?”

Constantine stepped forward, partially hiding her with his own body. He’d promised her alliance and protection, not suitors. “She has valuable intel for us. I’ve been trying to reach Mikhail for a while now, but he’s not answering any of his phones.”

Viktor’s attention snapped back to Constantine. “There’s been a lot going on lately. I imagine he’s been busy, especially after the Oracle’s death. There were some… disagreements amongst the Council members.”

“So, it’s true. The Oracle is dead?” Diana asked as they stepped into one of the lifts.

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