Page 20 of Anatomy of the Immortal Species

The manticore turned his blood-streaked muzzle towards her, his eyes filled with animalistic aggression and fury. For a terrifying moment, she feared he didn’t recognise her. A cold sweat broke out on her skin.

“Mikhail…” she whispered, pleading.

The animal’s features began to fade, as Mikhail regained control. In the next instant, he was human, his suit back on – the transformation complete. On his knees, he stared down at the stranger’s battered face. Blood was smeared all over his suit, hands, lips, and hair.

“Mikhail…” Amelia called out softly, approaching him.

He looked up, and she was relieved to meet the familiar green-brown hues returning to his eyes. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice steady but tinged with concern.

“I… yes… but you…”

Mikhail rose to his feet, retrieving his jacket from the ground.From an inside pocket, he pulled out a cell phone. Only then did Amelia realise why his suit was still intact. It must have been made from some natural material, capable of adapting to his transformation. The memory of him explaining as much to her felt so long ago…

He dialled quickly, drawing her out of her thoughts. “I’m sending you a location. Bring the car. Immediately,” he commanded into the phone, then hung up. “Zachariah stayed behind to get your diploma. He’s on his way here now.”

Amelia pictured the hybrid’s icy blue eyes, indifferent expression, and imposing figure clad in a rocker jacket. She could also imagine the rector’s horrified look when he handed over the diploma. “He’s getting my diploma?”

Mikhail ignored her question, nodding instead towards the motionless body on the ground. “Amelia, do you know this man?”

She glanced down at the stranger, his chest rising and falling with laboured breaths, his face battered beyond recognition. “No, he just appeared…”

Mikhail’s gaze burned into her. “Do you have any idea what would have happened if I hadn’t been here?”

Amelia shook her head, dread coiling in her gut. “It was a mistake to go to the cemetery…”

“This isn’t a game, Amelia!” he snapped.

“I didn’t think it was…”

Something caught her attention in her peripheral vision. She lowered her gaze just in time to see the stranger, charging at her with a knife glinting in his hand. His face was a mask of blood and unbridled rage, driven by sheer determination – there was no doubt where that knife was aimed.

Time seemed to slow while he closed the distance between them, his eyes fixed on her with murderous intent.

Then Amelia was on the ground. Her hip burned with pain, notfrom a knife, but from hitting the asphalt. Mikhail had shoved her away from her assailant’s path once again.

She lifted herself on her palms. The stranger was running away. His knife lay at Mikhail’s feet. The manticore stood with his back to Amelia, frozen as if wondering whether or not to chase after him.

“Mikhail?”

He turned to face her. Simultaneously, they lowered their eyes to Mikhail’s abdomen, where a blood stain was growing bigger by the second. When their gazes met again, there was something in his golden irises that she had never seen.

Fear.

***

Mikhail believed he controlled the animal within, but at this moment, it was harder than ever to keep it in check. The creature sensed only one thing:danger. Danger for Amelia. Danger for his own life.

“Mikhail?” Amelia’s voice barely reached him. “Mikhail, are you all right?”

“Yes…” The word came out strangled, almost unrecognisable as his own. A fresh surge of adrenaline coursed through him, blurring his vision. The laboured breaths and pounding in his ears were his own. Staying on his feet was an insurmountable task, but he had to be ready in case the reptilian returned.

“Zacharia will be here soon,” he gritted out. Backup was on the way if another fight loomed.

Amelia took a step towards him, palms raised as if to touch him. “Mikhail, you don’t look too well. Are you sure—”

His legs gave out, forcing him to his knees. The scent of blood overwhelmed him.

Amelia knelt beside him. “Let me see.”