Page 54 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts

Rough hands seized her and dragged her out of the car.

No, she couldn’t let the reptilians capture them! Not after everything.

She struggled against the hands dragging her, but in vain. With tremendous effort, she turned her head to face her captor.

She gasped in shock. And in fear. “You…”

He sank his teeth into her neck, drawing blood.

Amelia strained to break free, but his grip was unyielding. With each heartbeat and every drop of blood drained from her, strength ebbed from her limbs. Her body grew weightless, her senses dulled, and the world around her began to fade. Inch by inch, her life was slipping away.

She closed her eyes.

She had failed.

***

Constantine

As soon as Amelia and Mikhail’s car disappeared behind the hill, Constantine changed direction. He hoped the reptilians would take the bait. His goal was to draw them away, allowing Amelia the opportunity to find an open road and get to safety.

“I don’t see them anymore,” Diana said.

Constantine still found it hard to believe she was in the car with him. It was miraculous that he hadn’t yet bombarded her with the torrent of questions racing in his mind. Instead, he concentrated on the road ahead because ensuring Amelia and Mikhail’s escape was what mattered most.

Amelia didn’t know one thing. If, a century ago, Mikhail hadn’t forced a human surgeon to perform an operation considered impossible at the time, Constantine wouldn’t be alive today. To stand up for someone’s life when you’ve already given up on it is an act that binds you to them forever. That was what the manticore had done for Constantine when the rest of the world had pointed accusing fingers, ready to destroy him simply because of his necromancer blood.

To him, the last century was borrowed time –undeservedtime. And Amelia was mistaken if she thought he wouldn’t sacrifice everything he had to give his only true friend even the faintest chance of happiness.

So, when the reptilians followed his lead, a grin spread across his face. He sped up, relishing the thrill of the rough terrain beneath the wheels. On the seat beside him, Diana reloaded her weapon.

They entered a narrow stretch, bordered by trees on both sides. Shortly after, the reptilian SUV appeared in the rearview mirror. The pursuers gained speed and closed the gap until they were mere inches from the rear bumper.

Constantine’s grin widened. “I hope they’re not stupid enough to—”

The reptilians rammed the back of his vehicle, but he managed to hold his ground.

“They’re trying to force us off the road.” Diana glanced over her shoulder between the seats. “And they’re going to shoot,” she warned, moments before gunfire erupted.

The reptilians’ front windows were down, and bullets whizzed from both sides. When one of them struck the rear tyre of Constantine’s SUV, the vehicle wobbled but kept going, maintaining its speed. That was when Constantine spotted the ravine by the roadside.

He slammed on the brakes and swerved to the side, allowing the reptilian vehicle to pull level. Before their driver realised what was happening, Constantine yanked the wheel, forcing his car into theirs and knocking it off course.

The reptilians lost control, careened off the road, and plunged into the ravine, flipping several times before coming to a halt.

Diana lowered her window and fired at the wreckage, missing her target. Constantine pushed the battered vehicle to its limits, maintaining as much speed as the damage permitted. When the disintegrating tyre gave out, he had no choice but to pull over.

“We’re walking,” he announced.

The two of them grabbed their weapons and entered the forest, staying close to the road to avoid losing their bearings. Constantine paused at every shift in the breeze, analysing the scents in the air. He wanted to believe Amelia and Mikhail were far from here by now. Amelia must have considered she’d need to swap cars since theirs probably had a GPS tracker.

After walking in silence for a while, Constantine came to a halt.

“We’re still a long way from the village. Why are we stopping?” Diana asked.

Because he needed to confirm that the woman standing beside him really was the one who’d haunted his thoughts for months.

Part II