Page 28 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts (Hospital for Immortal Creatures #3)

Amelia gaped at the vampire she’d met the previous year at the Hospital. The last time she’d seen her, Diana had pleaded with her to return some items to Constantine. After that, she’d disappeared – to a tournament.

Kathrine’s subordinate whipped his gun towards the newcomer with lightning speed, but he wasn’t quick enough.

The element of surprise shifted the advantage to the vampire, and she fired first. Her shots struck their mark without hesitation.

The reptilian staggered, clutching his bleeding chest, and collapsed into the dust. The air thickened with the scent of blood.

He wasn’t dead – the Chosen regenerated quickly, and he’d likely be conscious again within minutes.

Amelia hurried to his side, avoiding his face as her hands snatched his weapon.

She’d never fired a gun in her life, but she would now if it meant survival.

Her fingers clenched around the pistol’s grip, and she aimed it at Kathrine.

Kathrine assessed Diana and Amelia. “Two against one? Well, I won’t miss the chance to fire before I fall.” Her attention drifted to Constantine, leaving no doubt about who her target would be.

He, on the other side, didn’t seem bothered by the threat. One shot stood between him and death, yet he was grinning as if he were watching the most entertaining spectacle of his life.

An invisible clock ticked in Amelia’s ears, a reminder of their limited time. And then, the solution struck her. She marvelled that it hadn’t occurred to her sooner. “Hold her!” she commanded the Shifting Net.

Before the others processed who she was addressing, the Sacred unwound itself from her arm and shot towards Kathrine.

Midair, it expanded, forming a hunting net once more.

The reptilian fired at the threat, but her bullets hit the ground without effect.

The force struck her and wrapped around her in a tight grip.

Kathrine reached for the knife strapped to her thigh, attempting to slash the strands, but her blade was just as ineffective. She gave up when the net squashed her limbs against her body. Finally, she lost her balance and tumbled to the ground.

Diana called out, “Seems to me you don’t need saving after all. Guess I’ll be on my way…”

“Don’t you dare!” Constantine shouted.

Amelia glanced at the car, where Mikhail was sleeping. Kathrine had seen the net. Now, Amelia had no choice but to flee.

Or to kill the reptilians.

Her grip tightened on the pistol. She had no guarantee it would kill them, but if she fired enough rounds… Or borrowed Diana’s sword to sever their heads…

Had she just considered killing two reptilians so she could return to Antambazi?

The sound of another approaching vehicle snapped her into action.

***

Amelia

“Go, now! Constantine barked at Diana. “She’ll be too busy dealing with us to come after you.”

Diana stepped closer to him, her toffee-coloured eyes studying the headlights of the black sedan. “More reptilians? My sword has been terribly disappointed that it didn’t get to sever a head.”

He turned towards her. “Diana… run!”

Amelia felt like a cornered animal. Diana could escape, but she could not. For her, only one option remained.

The net uncoiled from Kathrine and leapt onto the car’s roof. The driver stared at the windscreen as it darkened with strands resembling serpents. Someone tried to climb out of the back door, but the net held them mid-motion. Amelia struggled to believe how easily the power obeyed her.

Gunshots cracked through the forest, shaking the silence. Within moments, a second body collapsed on the ground. Amelia surveyed the scene, trying to make sense of what had happened, and came to one conclusion: Diana had shot Kathrine. Multiple times.

“Go!” Constantine shouted.

Amelia’s legs refused to move. The Queen was trapped inside the car and might carry, if not all, then at least some Sacreds. If Amelia could connect with them as she had with the net, she could steal them now.

“The Sacreds could be in the car,” she said to Constantine.

“If you call back the net, bullets won’t stop the Queen,” he growled.

He was right.

Amelia glanced at the car where Mikhail lay hidden. She would rather die than see him strapped to that machine again. He was more important than the Sacreds or her Oracle mission.

Her gaze shifted to the net restraining the car and the Queen. She assumed that with the help of the other Sacreds, the Mother of Reptilians would soon break free and reclaim the net for herself.

It’s temporary. I’ll come back for you. Amelia silently bade the artefacts farewell and sprinted to the car.

“Get in the driver’s seat! Take the gun!” Constantine pointed to their beat-up car. “I’ll grab the reptilians’ SUV to make sure they have nothing to chase us with, in case they wake up in the next few minutes. Diana, are you coming?”

Amelia climbed inside and glanced back to confirm that Mikhail was still there and breathing. Leaving the gun on the seat beside her, she started the car with a heavy heart and drove along the path. In the rearview mirror, she saw Constantine turn the reptilians’ vehicle around and catch up to her.

Her foot slammed down on the accelerator, propelling the car to reckless speeds given the twists and rough terrain. Yet the landscape offered them no favour. It was far too open, the path scarcely wide enough for two cars to pass, let alone to hide if needed.

After ten minutes of switching between the accelerator and the brake, they reached a flatter stretch of land.

The forest receded, giving way to broad, undulating hills on either side.

On one of the distant slopes ahead, Amelia spotted a black vehicle – reptilian.

It tore down the incline at a terrifying pace, its trajectory fixed upon intercepting theirs.

If neither party yielded, the inevitable point of impact lay at the foot of the hill. It was an ambush.

“Damn it!” Amelia yanked the wheel, gripping it tighter to maintain control. The car swerved into the field and jolted violently.

Constantine mirrored her manoeuvre.

Amelia drove across the field, then up the hill, constantly checking the mirror and the road ahead. When she reached the summit, she descended the other side but lost sight of both SUVs in the mirror.

She reduced speed, hoping to spot Constantine, but… how would she recognise him? His vehicle was identical to the reptilians’. If one approached, she wouldn’t know whether to flee or stop.

She exhaled sharply, focusing her attention on the windscreen. From this point onward, she was on her own. Her only priority was getting Mikhail to safety.

The forest loomed ahead, forcing her to decide between left and right. She slowed down to evaluate her options… A shadowy figure appeared out of nowhere in her path. She slammed the brakes hard, but it was too late. The car collided with the indistinct obstacle.

As Amelia jerked the wheel, the tyres lost traction.

Before she could regain control, the front of the car crashed into a tree.

No airbags deployed. Her forehead struck the steering wheel with brutal force, and a gush of blood filled her nose.

Sharp pain exploded in her temples, sending her mind into a haze.

Mikhail. She had to make sure he was all right. But her body refused to move.

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 – undeserved time. 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.