Page 87 of Hospital for Immortal Creatures

“You’ve settled well here,” he said.

“There were other doctors who stayed here but they all moved to the living quarters, so these rooms became available. I merged them into one big apartment,” she explained.

“It looks good,” Mikhail said. “You deserve to have your space. After all, you’re one of the first doctors in the Hospital and among the few Council members who live in the building.”

Elisanda’s entitled smile irritated him. He had been genuine but what made her think she had the right to make herself this comfortable when most of the creatures in the Hospital lived in tiny rooms? She could at least show a little gratitude.

He caught his anger before it escalated. He couldn’t lose it in front of innocent creatures, let alone those who had been supporting him for years.

“Why are you here, Mikhail?” Elisanda asked as she settled on the opposite couch and crossed one elegant leg over the other.

He didn’t want her to feel like she was being questioned, so he started easy. “I expected you to make a comment at the meeting.”

She pursed her lips. “I don’t have a comment. I found a body. That’s it. I didn’t know her… It was too late to help.” Mikhail kept staring at her. “It was a terrible thing, Mikhail. I can’t believe someone would do something so horrid to a young and defenceless woman. In the Hospital, no less.”

“How do you know how young she was if you didn’t know her?” His tone was sharp.

Elisanda tilted her head to one side in response to his accusatory statement. “I figured only a young creature would accept to work as a maid.”

“I disagree.”

“Then I’ve guessed wrong. Does it matter? Death is never pretty.”

“You’re right. It never is.” Mikhail forced himself to sound more approachable. “Would you mind going over the events one more time? Of how you found her.”

“I already told Zacharia everything… But, fine. I suppose I can go over it again.” She paused to think for a second. “I went down to the fifth floor to hand over some blood samples. We needed those results fast since the patient was about to be operated on. Instead of sending one of the orderlies, I decided to bring them myself.”

“You picked a very bad moment.”

“A bad moment, indeed.” She shook her head.

“Did you see anyone along the way?”

“A few creatures.”

Mikhail leaned back. “More specifically?”

“Well…” Elisanda mimicked his movement. “I don’t know, truly. There were two women in white scrubs in the lobby. I don’t know their names, but I’ve seen them in the cardiac care unit, I think. I met Miranda at the door, and we exchanged a few words.”

“The head nurse?”

“Yes. She was just coming back from the lab herself.”

“All right. Anyone else?”

She stared at the wall, her symmetrical profile a picture of beauty. Her shoulders, feminine and graceful, sloped gently downwards. His gaze lingered on the nails of her dainty fingers which, although tucked away now, had the potential to maim.

When piercing through flesh, a nymph’s nails dug deep. Once they reached their target, they released poison that not everyone recovered from. Mikhail, fortunate or not, had survived his ordeal with one such set of nails. He would always be suspicious of nymphs, even if the creature before him had proven to be among his most loyal companions.

“Oh! I remember now! As I was talking to Miranda, I saw a man at the far end of the hallway. He came out of a room and quickly entered another. He moved fast and I noticed he wasn’t wearing scrubs,” she said.

“Did you see anything else?”

“I don’t think so. Tall, skinny, nothing extraordinary… Actually, there was something. His hair was short on the sides and long at the top, styled like a mohawk – one of those modern cuts.” She ran a hand over her head to illustrate.

“You didn’t tell Zacharia about him.”

She shrugged. “I didn’t think it mattered. I figured he was some disoriented nurse.”

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