Page 46 of Hospital for Immortal Creatures

She blinked a few times. “What are the other species?”

“Witches, vampires, lycanthropes, nymphs, necromancers and, of course, manticores. That’s what I am.”

Amelia thought about the winged animal. “You say it’s a hospital for immortal creatures… You don’t really mean immortal, do you?”

“I do.” He leaned on his elbows, eyes fixed on her face as if measuring her reaction.

She stared back at him, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Only…it didn’t. And eventually, she had to admit to herself that no, he wasn’t about to burst into laughter, proclaiming that it was all a twisted joke.

Mikhail stood and approached her with an outstretched hand. “Let me show you.”

Amelia’s eyes froze on his long fingers. He wanted her to take his hand. If she touched him and truly felt him, would that mean that everything else was also true? Or would he disappear like a vision?

“Come on,” he said. “I have already kidnapped you, so what’s the harm in coming with me now?”

His lips curved slightly, causing her to blink. Had he just attempted a joke?

Before she knew what she was doing, her palm slid over his, as if she were compelled. A jolt of electricity ran through her when their fingers touched, forcing her to pull away. But it was too late – the spark had already crawled up her hand and spread through her entire body. When it was over, she lifted her head to meet his eyes, only to find his face inscrutable.

“Is there a problem?” he asked.

“No...”

“Let’s go, then.”

Walking in silence to the lift, Amelia fought the urge to sneak a glance at him, but his presence was too hard to ignore, and not just because of his imposing height and strong physique. His entire being emitted an unusual energy that charged the air around him and sent warning signals to her body’s defence mechanisms. She suppressed the feeling of imminent danger, reminding herself that she had a purpose – to convince him that her kidnapping was a ridiculous mistake. And she could only do that if she kept her wits about her and carried on with a conversation.

Mikhail pressed the button for the tenth floor and settled in as far away from her as possible in the lift. Maybe he also has no desire to be close to me. The thought calmed her and allowed her to focus on counting numbers for the rest of the ride.

When they reached their destination and stepped out of the lift, Amelia recognised the green and white hallway from her escape attempt. “Why are we here again?”

“Someone wants to see you.”

It had to be Dave.

“This is the East Intensive Care Unit.” Mikhail led her through the hallway. “Most of the creatures here are in very poor physical condition. Often, the machines they’re hooked to are the only thing keeping them alive. But we don’t turn them off unless the relatives decide it’s time.”

She shot him a glance. “I thought you said that you’re treating immortal creatures?”

“That is true. But in reality, it’s more like creatures who were immortals. Until 1744. After that, our regenerative abilities got screwed up. Now, traumas lead to infections and blood loss often is detrimental. And recently”—his expression turned grim—“we discovered a carcinoma inside an immortal body. And here is where you come in. You have to help me restore the six species’ abilities of self-healing to the way they were.”

Amelia held in her frown. “What makes you think I can do that?”

He shrugged. “The Oracle.”

“But… how?”

Mikhail stretched his hand, pointing to the hallway. “Let’s go for our walk. It might spark something.”

Amelia doubted it, but she might as well humour him with this walk. It wouldn’t hurt to learn a little bit more about him and the… immortals. She still had a hard time digesting the concept.

“So, given what you said about the regenerative abilities being screwed up… What still separates immortals from humans? What makes you different?” she asked.

“At the level of the immune system, we are probably similar to humans, but that’s not the whole picture. We can still transform, and our strength and speed remain unchanged.”

Mikhail halted in front of the door Amelia recognised as Dave’s room.

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