Page 35 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts (Hospital for Immortal Creatures #3)

She laughed bitterly. “Viktor, there’s a lot you don’t know. Mikhail’s ring is one of the Seven Sacreds. The Queen is searching for them. Together, they form a powerful weapon – strong enough to make someone ruler of the world. I’m pretty certain your new friend Callan has his sights set on them.”

“He’s not my friend, Amelia, and I trust him no more than I would a venomous snake…”

“Then why aren’t we leaving?”

Viktor held her gaze. “Callan is fighting against the Queen, too. He claims he wants to help us resolve the issue with regeneration. He said he’d talk to you and Mikhail once you’re both ready to hear him out.”

An icy shiver ran down her spine. “Do you honestly believe that man has any intention of helping us?”

Viktor shrugged. “It doesn’t matter what I believe. I had to tell Mikhail everything that had happened in his absence, including Callan’s offer. Mikhail is willing to listen to him, so he won’t leave before Callan returns.”

Mikhail, willing to listen to him?

“That man hates the Queen as much as we do, but he knows far more about her. There’s no harm in hearing him out. Mikhail wants to reclaim the Hospital at all costs. He’ll ally with anyone – especially someone claiming they can help with the regeneration issue.”

Her hands clenched into fists. “Did Callan tell you that he was the original owner of Mikhail’s ring? If he sees Mikhail as a rival, he’ll kill him.”

“ Amelia, there’s no way I can convince Mikhail to leave when he’s determined to stay. You need to understand—” Viktor’s grey eyes bore into hers. “This isn’t the Mikhail you know. This is who he was before he met you. Which means nothing will change his mind once he’s made it up.”

“Where’s the coat Mikhail was covered with when you found us?”

“The coat?”

“Yes, the black coat. My coat.” Since waking, Mikhail had consumed her thoughts, leaving her no time to ponder the Oracle’s letter. “Tell me Callan didn’t take it!”

Viktor spread his empty hands. “Maybe it’s upstairs, in the chest in Mikhail’s room?”

“I need it.”

“I’ll come with you. I’m not convinced it’s a good idea for you to go into his room alone.”

Amelia paused midway up the stairs, blocking Viktor’s path. “No. Mikhail and I have to lay down some sort of truce.”

“Amelia, he doesn’t see you as a woman, but as a threat. Don’t forget that.”

She climbed to the second floor, suddenly consumed by anger. She wanted to scream at Mikhail. He might not remember her, but that didn’t give him the right to act like such a stubborn, arrogant bastard who wouldn’t listen, even to his best friend.

She entered his room without knocking. Let his anger flare. How far would his contempt go? ‘He doesn’t see you as a woman, but as a threat.’ No way.

Disappointment washed over her when she discovered he wasn’t in the room. The window was wide open, and a gentle breeze flickered the candle flames in the corner.

She strode to the chest Viktor had mentioned and opened it; a sigh of relief escaped her at the sight of her coat. Turning it over, she reached into the hidden inner pocket…

Empty.

She searched through all the pockets again, but the letter was missing.

Something in the centre of the room caught her attention. The bed… That wood carving? The Tree of Life.

A noise behind her made her spin around. Mikhail was leaning against the closed door.

“Is this what you’re looking for?” He held up the rolled pages in his hand, the tension in his chiselled features pronounced in the candlelight. She knew him well enough to sense the threat.

“I thought you’d gone,” she said.

“How could I, when I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since you were in my room?”

Hope fluttered in her chest. “Does that mean…you remember?”

He laughed, and although it was Mikhail’s laugh, the vibration of it sent a disturbing shiver down her spine.

“As far as I can tell, your aim was for me to forget. But as I suspected, somewhere along the way, your magic faltered, because I haven’t forgotten everything.

If you were anyone else, you’d already be dead. But you…”

“But I, what?”

He pressed his lips into a tight line of pure disdain. “I was disgusted with myself for almost hurting you earlier. You’ve done something to keep me from retaliating against you, haven’t you?”

Dear God, was there any way to persuade him that she hadn’t enchanted him? “You wonder why you can’t harm me? Because you love me! You love me, Mikhail, and no matter how much you lie to yourself, your heart knows it’s true.”

He laughed again, more harshly this time. “That’s not love, but lust, creature. Should I tell you how your magic works?”

“Lust?”

Mikhail stepped closer. “I’m furious about everything your magic has done to me, but I can’t stop craving your kiss.

” His burning gaze dropped to her lips. “I imagine burying my fingers in your hair, pulling hard. Dragging my face along your neck and breathing in your scent, intoxicating from the very first moment. Sucking your nipples and sinking into the heat between your thighs… Giving you pleasure you don’t deserve. ”

Amelia stiffened, her breath catching. She had expected anything but this. Despite his contempt, his words affected her.

He crossed his arms and leaned in closer.

“Tell me, creature. If I surrender to your magic, will it be enough to break its hold over me?” His voice was rough, the sound sending a tremor through her knees.

Then, suddenly, his tone sharpened. “I challenge you! Remove your spell, or I’ll make you regret ever deciding to enchant me. ”

But Amelia didn’t flinch at his growl because…he desired her. Perhaps this was the way to help him regain his memories? Her vision nagged at her.

Could she win him over again?

“You couldn’t do anything to me that I’d regret,” she said. “I know your true self better than you do right now, and you’d never hurt me.”

His eyes darkened with menace. “Careful, creature! My restraint is on the verge of collapsing.”

That was what she was counting on. Mikhail might not remember her, but his attraction to her remained. She only had to provoke him into surrendering to it.

She inched closer until she could feel the heat radiating from his body. “I want you to touch me,” she whispered.

He didn’t move, but the golden hue in his eyes darkened further.

Amelia took his hand in hers and placed it on her thigh, guiding their intertwined fingers down along the fabric of her dress, stopping at its hem. Without breaking eye contact, she slid his hand to the inside of her thigh and began moving it higher.

A low growl escaped his throat when his hand brushed against the delicate material of her underwear.

“You’re a curse,” he hissed, just before he kissed her.

Grabbing the back of her neck, he pulled her towards him. She clung to his shirt, desperate to feel him closer. His familiar scent overwhelmed her senses as his tongue invaded her mouth, insistent and dominating.

It was chaotic and rough. Their teeth clashed, and her mouth filled with a metallic taste – she wasn’t sure if she’d bitten his lip or he had hers.

He lifted her, forcing her legs to wrap around his waist. The feeling of his firm body spread warmth through her.

Pressing herself against him, desperate for the relief only he could provide, she buried her fingers in his hair.

Another growl rumbled from his chest, making her pulse with need.

Without breaking their kiss, he carried her to the bed and laid her down.

He pushed off her long enough to remove his grey shirt over his head, revealing the sculpted muscles of his chest and abdomen, along with the four scars she’d come to cherish – simply because they were his.

When he unzipped his jeans, Amelia’s breath hitched.

This was her man, and he was magnificent.

He stood at the edge of the bed. Despite his apparent desire, his jaw was clenched tightly. “You have no idea what a mistake you made when you forced me to go mad over you.”

He grasped her hips and flipped her onto her elbows and knees. She complied without resistance. She’d foreseen it happening.

Mikhail leaned over her, his breath hot against her cheek. “Now I’m certain you cast a spell to drive me insane. Over you.”

His bare chest pressed against her back, the heat of his skin burning through the fabric of her dress. His arms caged her in.

“How long will you keep deluding yourself that it’s magic?” she gasped.

He squeezed her thigh hard enough to make her wince. “It’s the same magic you used to get my ring!”

She clenched her teeth. “You gave me your ring because you wanted to protect me.”

“Where’s the ring, witch?!”

“Exactly where you wanted it to be, Mikhail! With the Queen!”

The sound that burst from his throat was a mixture of a growl and a scream.

He was transforming.

***

Amelia

She struggled to keep her balance in the vulnerable position he’d placed her in. Her knees sank into the mattress, her palms searching for purchase on the covers.

Mikhail loomed above her, fully transformed into a manticore.

Anyone else would have turned away in horror, but not her.

She’d missed the softness of his fur, the masculine scent of his animal form, the sense of safety when he enveloped her.

Yet, it was not a body meant for love. It was forged for battle.

Now, reliving the vision, she understood Mikhail’s intent, and it had nothing to do with the ring, no matter what his words suggested.

He wanted to show her the essence of what he carried within, believing it would scare her off and make her regret getting close.

But she’d already seen it all. And she would prove to him that what they shared had never been a lie.

She flinched as he grabbed her dress, tearing it to shreds.

In her vision, she had focused on the bed frame, counting the leaves of the Tree of Life in a desperate bid to calm her frantic heart.

In reality, that storm would only settle when Mikhail remembered her.

Because that was the real cause of her panic.

Not the fear that he might hurt her, but the terror of losing him forever.

And God… She was scared. Terrified that the man who’d once touched her with adoration no longer had any memory of her existence.

In the vision, she had hesitated – because at the time, she hadn’t been sure it was Mikhail behind her. Now, the thoughts of him being lost forever made sense. But she refused to let them become reality.

His hand slammed against the bed frame, rocking it. It wasn’t a hand at all but a massive paw, black claws unsheathed. In the vision, she’d been crying because fear had overwhelmed her. Amelia, however, wasn’t going to.

Something brushed against her neck. The heat of his presence was just inches away. He sniffed her, and his scent filled her nostrils – familiar, painfully so.

A sudden weight pressed down on her neck, forcing her face into the pillow. With effort, she turned her head to make breathing easier as he bore down on her.

Amelia caught her reflection in the mirror across the room. In the vision, she had broken. She had surrendered. Maybe that was its purpose – to remind her that she was meant to fight for them.

The beast pushed its snout into her face, sniffing her. She shut her eyes. Something soft brushed her cheek. It was not fur.

When Amelia opened her eyes again, Mikhail was in his human form. She glimpsed their reflection in the mirror, their naked bodies. His frame nearly overshadowed hers. They appeared intimate, as if about to make love, rather than what she had braced for just moments earlier.

“Mikhail…”

He retreated from her, scanning the room. She reached out to touch him, but he brushed her hand aside and stood, reaching for his clothes.

“Mikhail, stop. Let’s talk…”

He dressed.

“Mikhail.”

At last, he fixed his gaze on her, his dark expression stopping her in her tracks. “Stay away from me.”

He headed for the door but paused on the threshold. Then he turned back. Walking to the bed, he crouched – not to return to her, but to retrieve Gea’s letter from the floor.

“That’s mine,” Amelia said, sitting up on her knees.

He glanced over his shoulder at her. “It’s mine now.”

Mikhail left the room, and she had nothing to wear to follow him. Wrapping the blanket around her body, she stared at the Tree of Life carved into the bed frame.

It was ridiculous, how she’d once judged the woman in her vision for her sacrifices, not realising that it had been her all along. In truth, what she’d been willing to endure was a trivial price for fighting to reclaim Mikhail. She was prepared for much more. Yet, she’d achieved nothing.

He’d taken Gea’s letter. She wasn’t angry – she hoped he would read it. At least then, he might learn that his accusations were baseless.

“Interesting tattoo.”

Amelia turned towards the door. Under any other circumstances, she might have felt something, but now she was too numb to care. And, in part, she had been expecting this meeting ever since she’d seen him in her vision.

She met Callan’s amber eyes.

“Apologies,” he said. “I was passing by and noticed the open door. I glimpsed the tattoo on your back for a moment, and it seemed rather fascinating.”

This man sounded nothing like the threat she’d imagined. Then again, her entire perception of him had been coloured by a vision that had evidently merged Mikhail’s actions with Callan’s subsequent arrival.

She tightened the blanket around her chest.