Page 74 of Anatomy of the Immortal Species

Amelia’s stomach twisted. “We’re not.”

“Hmm… Strange. Then why did he put you on the Council? Can’t be for your leadership skills… And you’re kind of a useless Oracle.”

“Useless?”

“You don’t seem to get many visions…”

“I only share those I have the right to share,” Amelia said in a cool voice. She had rehearsed this line for such occasions.

Alex flipped the coin, caught it in the air, and slapped it on the back of her other hand without showing it. “Heads or tails?” she asked.

Amelia eyed the coin hidden under Alex’s palm. “Heads. What do I get if I win?”

“You get to be right.” Alex revealed the coin. “Tails. You’re wrong. Go again!” She repeated her coin-tossing ritual. “Heads or tails?”

“Heads.”

Alex lifted her hand to reveal the coin again. “Tails!” She marked a line in her notebook, which lay open in front of her. “Unlike me – thirty-five out of fifty isn’t bad, right? You’re zero for two… Heads or tails?”

“Sorry, Alex, I’ll pass.”

“Afraid of what you might learn about yourself? How muchyou can rely on your inner voice?” The girl patted her chest. “Knowing when it’s your mind and logic talking, and when it’s your intuition? The last two were tails. Logically, it should be heads now, right?”

“I guess…”

“Don’t guess. Decide!”

“All right. Heads.”

“Because it’s logical, right?”

Amelia didn’t respond, and Alex revealed the coin. “Tails again!” she announced with glee. “If you keep at it long enough, you’ll learn to recognise your body’s signals – when it’s coming from your brain, from logic and knowledge, and when it’s your heart, your intuition. The truth is always in what your heart tells you. Follow it, and you’ll never go wrong.”

Sudden turbulence interrupted her next toss. Alex continued, “Some species have stronger intuition than others, you know. Lycanthropes and manticores, for example. Probably because of the powerful animal spirits we carry within.”

“Vampires have an animal spirit, too,” Amelia said.

Alex laughed. “Vampires have a bat spirit. Not exactly terrifying. And aside from their fangs, they don’t really have any animalistic traits. They don’t even grow much in size when they shift, so they don’t need a wardrobe change, nor are they restricted to wear only natural fibres…” She wrinkled her nose. “But lycanthropes and manticores, like I said, have a much stronger sense of smell than most other species, and a better… intuition!”

Without giving Amelia a chance to respond, Alex said in a business-like manner, “I’m a lycanthrope by species, female by sex, and a scientist at heart. Medicine is both my passion and my expertise. Sometimes, I wish I’d been born a regular human – I’d have had access to so many more places to study medicine. Instead, I’m stuck at the Hospital for Immortal Creatures. Itmight sound cruel, but the problems with regeneration have been a fantastic opportunity for young creatures like me who are thirsty for knowledge. Of course, it’s also why I can’t unlock my secondary form yet, but I’m working on a formula that might fix that…”

Amelia leaned her chin on her fist, her elbow resting on the armrest. Alex was a fountain of information. Her blunt, almost crude honesty had a certain charm. With her rugged leather boots, brown tights, and rolled-up striped shirt, she resembled more an archaeologist than a medic.

“I’m telling you all this so you don’t mistake my scientific interest for idle curiosity,” Alex continued, relentless in her chatter.

“I’d never think that…”

“Then would you tell me how your physiological needs changed after your incredible transformation from human to immortal? Do you still have to… go number one? Is that what humans call it? How about number two? Forgive me, I sometimes still think of you as human.”

“Are you seriously asking me this?” Amelia wrinkled her brow.

“Yes.” Alex waited, eyes locked on Amelia’s.

“All right. Since my transformation, my physiological needs have drastically decreased, but they haven’t disappeared completely.”

The girl tapped her lower lip with a finger. “Haven’t disappeared completely… Care to be more specific?”

“No.”