Page 92 of Anatomy of the Immortal Species

Closing the door behind him, Constantine glanced at Zacharia absorbed in his phone. The tension emanating from the group reminded him of the stillness before a storm unleashed its fury. At least they were all present and appeared unharmed.

“Well, did you have fun, friends?” Constantine settled into the chairman’s seat.

“I. Will. Kill. Her,” Helena seethed, emphasising each word.

Viktor stopped mid-stride. “That’s enough! She said she was sorry. She’s apologised a thousand times…”

“She’s sorry?” Helena shouted. “She’ssorry?! Do you know what they do with thieves to teach them a lesson? I’ll tear off your hands, you little brat!”

Viktor was at her side in a heartbeat. “You lay a finger on her, I’ll tear off your head!” He leaned over the table.

“Would you both shut the hell up already?” Nyavolski roared. “You’re all to blame! We never should have gone there! Those damned genetic tests! We almost ended up as crispy critters!”

“The important thing is that it all ended well…?” Alex ventured, her voice thin and uncertain.

Helena shot her a withering glare. “Shut up, you little—”

Nyavolski slammed his fist on the table. “Youshut up, woman!”

Constantine waited a beat, then said, “Can someone explain what happened?”

Amelia stepped forward, arms crossed. “We obtained the genetic material as planned and were heading out, but after Zacharia and I exited the temple, the entrance sealed itself, trapping the others inside.”

Nyavolski gesticulated. “The vampire, who seemed like some kind of damned doorman, claimed we stole something, so the temple locked us in. There was some sort of enchantment that prevented items from being taken out. We assumed they were talking about the genetic material…”

“Yeah, but then that vampire started rifling throughherstuff!” Helena jabbed a finger at Alex. “Turns out, the temple locked us in because she stole a golden plate.”

“I didn’t think anyone would notice!” Alex mumbled. “It was such a rare opportunity. I wanted a keepsake from the temple…”

Constantine raised a hand, silencing her. “What happened next?”

“They seized my bag with the genetic samples and said they’d burn it because it contained ‘unholy tools’!” Helena fumed. “Can you imagine, necromancer? My cursed luck! If I’d been ahead ofthe little thief, I’d have been out of the temple with the samples, and she’d be the only one stuck inside, punished under their warped laws! But I was behind her and got trapped. They bound us and dragged us through a maze of tunnels to a meadow in the mountains, where there was a ritual fire and a bunch of dancing lunatics…” Helena glared daggers at Alex. “The whole wretched Beduin tribe was there! We had no idea what was going on, so we waited for the right moment. Then they brought out a sarcophagus with a mummy and placed it next to us. They were going to sacrifice the mummy… and us!”

“After Zacharia and I found ourselves stranded outside, unable to reopen the temple entrance, we sought another way in,” Amelia continued. She recounted how Ban Ban had carried her to the same meadow, and had planned to take her for his bride as the vampires worshipped the Horned God. She had proclaimed herself the Oracle, which had caused a diversion.

“Amelia’s performance distracted the vampires just long enough for me to sneak in and untie the others. Before they realised what was happening, we’d already made our escape. Then I grabbed Amelia and sprinted through the mountain,” Zacharia added.

“And now, here we are,” Viktor concluded, a bitter smile playing on his lips.

Constantine reclined in his chair. They hadn’t just desecrated one of the most sacred sites in the immortal world with his damn approval – they had also failed to secure the genetic material they had sought. Now, he had nothing with which to negotiate Mikhail’s release.

“Ah!” Helena interjected. “I almost forgot – we stole the mummy they were about to burn. So at least we can proceed with the tests.”

Constantine felt a knot tighten in his stomach. “Say that again?”

“You heard right.” Nyavolski shook his head. “My bloody wifemade me carry a damned mummy while we fled from a pack of crazed vampires!”

“I wouldn’t say crazed…” Helena murmured.

“How the hell did you do it if the temple locks down at every theft?” Constantine asked.

Zacharia beamed. “We did not steal the mummy. It was already out of the temple, on the field. We just carried it across the alternative route I found in the mountain.”

“Icarried it!” Nyavolski barked.

“We don’t know if the magic catches living beings at all. We might have made it out the first time if she”—Helena pointed at Alex—“was not a creepy little thief.”

Constantine sensed an invisible noose constricting around his neck. “Whose mummy did you take?”