Page 112 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts

Mikhail pushed off the wall and approached her. “If I’d stepped in, you wouldn’t have had the chance to do… whatever that was.” He reached for her hand and lifted it between them, examining her fingers. “So, what the hell was it, anyway?”

She gestured to their touching hands. “You were brave to take the risk.”

“Don’t tell anyone about this.”

Her muscles tensed as she pulled her wrist back. Not that she’d intended to boast about melting someone’s flesh with her bare hands, but whether she kept it a secret was her choice. “And why shouldn’t I?”

Mikhail’s expression softened. “It’s an impressive skill. Let it be a surprise for your enemies. The Oracle’s letter mentioned you had another power. Maybe this is it?” He gestured to her hand. “I wasn’t exaggerating when I said I’d teach you how to protect yourself. Now, it seems, you’ll need to learn to defend yourself using this weapon. Did you feel anything before it happened?”

Amelia remembered the surge of rage when she’d seen the necklace around the witch’s neck – and the unbridled fury when she envisioned the woman touching Mikhail. “I was angry she held the necklace.”

“So, I’ll have to piss you off for it to happen again?”

She gave him a sidelong glance. “Shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Good. Now let’s go and tell the others what happened, leaving out the part about the killing. We attacked the witch and took the necklace. End of story.”

As they started for the door, Mikhail added, “For the record, I would’ve ripped her head off if I’d thought for a second you were in real danger.”

She didn’t reply, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that much had changed over the last few hours. The necklace now hung around her neck. She’d wielded power. And the dynamics between her and Mikhail had shifted. It wasn’t love – not even close to what they’d shared before – but it was something she couldn’t yet name.

When they stepped into the courtyard, Viktor was there, his hair dishevelled.

“Where the hell were you?!” His frantic gaze locked onto the necklace. “You did it?”

Jasmina and Presiyan emerged from behind the house, each carrying a weapon.

“Viktor said you got pulled into a portal,” Presiyan said, gesturing at Amelia with his pistol. “What’s that around your neck, little Oracle?”

Callan appeared from the other side of the house, observing the necklace with keen interest.

“It really was a witch’s portal,” Mikhail said. “What I don’t understand is why Viktor didn’t fall into it, too.”

The lycanthrope ran a hand through his hair. “I realised the note was going to pull Amelia in, so I told her to drop it, but it was already too late.”

“How long were we in there?” Amelia asked.

“Exactly five minutes and thirty-three seconds, comrades,” Presiyan said.

Amelia met Mikhail’s gaze. His features were as stern and uncompromising as ever, but in his eyes, she read it: the unspoken change that had taken place between them over the past hours. A truce. A partnership.

She pressed a hand to the necklace at her throat. For so long, she’d believed being with Mikhail was all she needed in this world. But today, she had touched her own strength.

And the feeling was intoxicating.

Part III

42

Mikhail

When they returned to the cabin, everyone was in high spirits – except Mikhail. The death caused by Amelia’s hands was as impressive as it was unsettling. He wouldn’t pry into her feelings or bring it up tonight, but neither did he plan to join in the celebrations as if he had no concerns.

He declined the drink someone offered him, while music played from a phone resting on the kitchen counter. On Presiyan’s orders, Mor and Alex had prepared the cabin for a feast, stocking the cupboards with alcohol and food. They had also managed to get the electricity working again, so they wouldn’t have to rely on candlelight.

Presiyan raised his glass of whatever concoction he was drinking. “I hope all our future missions end with the same success and ease!”

Mikhail slumped on the sofa, tempted to remind Presiyan that the mission had been ‘easy’ only for those outside the magical trap.