Page 34 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts

“Don’t lie to me, Victor. You’re putting yourself at risk, acting as if you’re untouchable. Did you hear a vampire turned the other day? He lost control. They shot him on the spot!”

Viktor glanced around, making sure no one was listening. “How long have you known?”

“Ever since you returned from Alberobello, pretending everything was fine after Mikhail drugged you—”

“Stop talking and keep moving!”

They descended a side staircase to the floor housing the assembly hall. The heavy double doors stood wide open, flankedby two guards directing the creatures inside. The long table at the centre of the hall was as they had left it after the last meeting of the Council of Twenty. But this time, Mikhail did not occupy the chair at the head. Instead, Elisanda Grace was poised there, holding a sheet of paper and a pen.

One corner of the room held the others, already packed tightly, and with Viktor’s group added to the crush, breathing became a struggle. Among the crowd, Viktor spotted Vladislav and Elena Nyavolski. The couple was unusually quiet. He rarely spoke with them, since both were kept under tight security.

A moment later, Elisanda began reading from the paper – a roll call to confirm everyone had responded. Both Viktor and Alex were on the list.

Some names went unanswered. Elisanda dispatched guards to fetch the missing, instructing them not to return empty-handed.

“Colleagues”—she set the paper on the table—“I apologise for how we must… handle you. But this is a necessity, given that you’re still bound by your outdated convictions.”

“Outdated convictions, my arse!” Nyavolski’s voice boomed. He towered over the huddled creatures near the wall. “What, that I need air to breathe? You’ve crammed us in here like chickens in a coop, while you stand there like the Queen of England, calling me ‘colleague’!”

Elisanda smiled. “Very well, colleague,” she said, gesturing to an empty chair. “Please, have a seat. You’re the chief surgeon of this hospital and deserve your place at the table.”

“And leave my real colleagues? Not a fucking chance. Stay there and keep pretending you’re in charge.”

The nymph’s blue eyes flared with malice. A guard raised his weapon at Nyavolski.

“This isn’t off to a smooth start,” Elisanda said through gritted teeth. “Listen closely. If you’re holding out hope that thedeceitful manticore will return, you’re sorely mistaken. He no longer exists. From now on, I set the rules, and if you want to live, you follow them.” She scanned the crowd. “Pull yourselves together, because we have serious work ahead!”

The creatures murmured among themselves.

“Silence!” Elisanda shouted. “You have no discipline. No wonder! This hospital was run by a mentally unstable man, after all.”

Viktor dug his claws into his palms.

“I want all surgeons, even those no longer active in the operating room”—she glanced pointedly at him—“to be ready. In the coming months, we’ll have very special patients. Their lives will take precedence over your own, and I expect everyone to remember that.”

“Are these patients human?” Alex asked, pushing through the crowd before Viktor could stop her.

“No, they’re not human,” Elisanda replied.

“Then what makes them special?” Alex pressed.

Viktor’s chest tightened with worry. He had taught her many things over the years. How he wished silence had been one of them.

“You’ll find out soon enough, dear. I’m glad at least some of you show enthusiasm. Trust me, it will make things easier for you…” Elisanda trailed off as her attention shifted towards the door.

A man sauntered into the room, his lips curled in an easy-going grin, hands lifted in an exaggerated pantomime of goodwill – every inch insincere. If Viktor had struggled to contain his rage before, it became impossible now. This man was the most loathsome being in Viktor’s cursed world.

General Petrov. The man who carried on the legacy of the monster who had butchered Viktor’s pregnant wife, carving her alive to study the anatomy of an immortal being.

“Greetings, friends,” the monster said, striding towards the table as if he owned the place.

Viktor’s heart began driving blood to the beast coiled inside him. Wake up. Wake up, it whispered. His muscles tensed, his body already preparing. He would release the wolf, consequences be damned. Losing his life tonight would be a small price to pay for the satisfaction of tearing that wretch apart.

“Viktor!” someone whispered in his ear.

He pivoted on his heel, every muscle locked in painful defiance. His mind and flesh waged war for dominance. The rational part of him clung to restraint, while the wolf roared for blood.

Alex. Alex was saying something. She’d moved closer to him.