Page 97 of Hospital for Immortal Creatures

“Trust me, life has never been easy for me despite my gifts.”

Her gaze burned up and down his profile. “Why?”

He clutched the steering wheel. A necromancer and an easy life were incongruous. “There were times when I couldn’t charm them, manipulate them or even beat them up. It took me years to learn how to tap into my necromancer energy.”

“Are the stories true? That in the past, other species hunted down necromancers?”

“‘Hunted down’ is the mildest way of putting it.” His jaw clenched. The memories of his childhood always had that effect on him. Before Diana could ask him another question, he said, “Where did you learn to fight like that?”

The vampire played with her velvet curls. “All my life, I’ve been hanging around my brother’s friends. They taught me how to protect myself and kick ass.”

She was lying, and he wasn’t fooled. The skills that she’d demonstrated in Alberobello suggested professional training.

Constantine hesitated. He needed her for the information she could give him on her brother and the portal, but ever since they’d left Italy, he wasn’t making any progress on that.

He wasn’t accustomed to women being immune to him. Her behaviour was rather unexpected… and pretty tempting to the aforementioned necromancer energy. But Diana wasn’t really his type. Her looks were exquisite, sure. Her soul, on the other hand… It was pure. Light. An innocence that his darkness both despised and was eager to corrupt.

He glanced at her. “You’re not much of a talker, are you, dove?”

She sighed. “I’m surprised you are.”

“We’ve got six hundred miles ahead. Why not break the ice with some chatting?”

“I don’t do chatting. Breaking the ice, either.”

Constantine ground his teeth together. Maybe he should just fuck her. Erase that arrogant pout on her lips with a kiss. Bet she would be much more compliant then.

He was artful at moving the tide. Not that he usually needed to, especially with the opposite sex.

“I’m sorry. I’m worried about my brother,” she said.

Constantine concealed his surprise. Well, that was unexpected. It was the first honest sentence he’d got from Diana since they’d left Italy. “I told you, your brother’s fine.” But he wouldn’t be for long. Constantine had seen his debilitating state in Mada’s memories. The deal with the Higher Powers was already taking its toll.

Which made him wonder about himself. The fucking witch had been blocking his supernatural powers and had threatened to destroy him until his physical body decayed, as well. He wouldn’t have believed it, if it wasn’t for the oppressing heaviness that had set inside his chest ever since the underground chamber.

Constantine chased the thought away and seized the opportunity to further exploit Diana’s sudden softening. “What’s that thing your brother was after that made him play with dark magic?”

Her scent attacked his nostrils once again as she crossed her legs. Sensing her eyes crawling up and down his profile, he glanced at her.

“A means to unlock a secondary form,” she said. “Something that improves the regeneration so it’s enough to sustain a New Gen creature during their first transformation.”

His fingers clutched the steering wheel.

Constantine fell silent for a long time after that. A means to unlock a secondary form did not exist. If it did, the Hospital and the Council would have been the first to know. Fuck, they would probably be the ones to invent it.

Something that improves regeneration? Such creation would require a lot of knowledge. Medical knowledge. As far as he was aware, besides the Hospital, there wasn’t another immortal gathering in the world with their resources and, most importantly, the expertise to develop it. Or maybe humans had been involved?

Constantine removed one of his palms from the wheel and rubbed his neck.

The vampire faced him. “You said you wanted to chat, but now you’re the one who’s gone quiet.”

His gaze flickered to her, fingers still on his nape. “Your brother has been chasing rabbits. You know that, right, Diana? What he seeks does not exist.”

She stared at him with indecipherable emotion in her warm eyes. They had the shape of almonds and the colour of toffee. Beautiful. Constantine returned his attention to the road. And so inexperienced.

“My brother’s the smartest creature I know.” Her voice was sharp. “If he’s made the deal, he must have been sure of the prize.”

“So he wants a means to unlock his secondary form? What for?” Constantine asked.

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