Page 5 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts (Hospital for Immortal Creatures #3)

Alex

Viktor would kill her if he found out she’d ventured out of her room to pace around the Hospital in the middle of the night.

And then, instead of delivering a eulogy, he would spend three days lecturing her lifeless body about the dangers of wandering the corridors alone, when the entire building was teeming with reptilians and humans.

It didn’t matter to him that the Hospital’s layout was second nature to Alex, and she navigated its floors with the agility of a woodland mouse.

Some habits were hard to break, where Viktor was concerned.

She held her breath, waiting for the enemy at the far end of the corridor to pass. She couldn’t deny the thrill of observing not one but two species unfamiliar to her up close.

Humans resembled immortal creatures in their…

well, human forms. No wonder that was what the first form was called.

Alex found it somewhat disappointing that there was nothing particularly impressive about humans.

Their sweat had a peculiar smell, and the jokes she overheard from the soldiers were often vulgar.

Perhaps if they didn’t always wear those black masks, they might’ve been more intriguing.

Reptilians, however, had shed their masks by the second day of the Hospital’s siege.

That was why, the moment they appeared at the other end of the corridor, Alex recognised them.

She spun around and retreated without a sound.

As fascinating as they were from a scientific perspective, she didn’t want to cross their path.

Encountering them often led to a run-in with an electric baton, and that was not on her wish list – not even for the sake of adventure.

Reptilians were cruel, malicious, and deliberately vicious. They carried a scent of sea salt and algae, and their secondary form was somewhere between humans and amphibians with odd noses. Alex couldn’t understand why they insisted on showing off, considering they resembled squashed frogs.

She would love to dissect one of them! Alex grinned with a sinister sense of satisfaction.

She ascended the stairs, hoping they would go in a different direction.

While part of her enjoyed the thrill of being chased through the corridors, overall, the new regime wasn’t pleasant.

Even though the reptilians had declared that the Hospital would continue to function as before, nothing was the same.

Rumours spread that anyone seeking treatment at the Hospital had to swear loyalty to the Queen of the Reptilians. Loyalty sealed with blood magic.

Some claimed to have seen an ayradjakli accompanying the Queen and collecting blood pledges.

Alex had never encountered an ayradjakli in person but disliked them in principle.

Their hypnotic powers were far too dangerous.

And their magic went well beyond ordinary witchcraft.

Blood pledges were nasty business. Not as catastrophic as opening portals, but every bit as insidious.

Alex eagerly awaited the day when both humans and reptilians would kneel in submission. He had promised her that everything would return to the way it was, that she would be safe – as would Viktor, her brother, and all the good, innocent creatures in the Hospital.

He, the Horned God.

He might as well have been called ‘the god of her wet dreams’.

She blushed, shame washing over her. Her head spun, and a pleasant warmth spread through her abdomen.

Who could blame her? He was the most incredible man.

The smartest. The most charming. His amber eyes pierced her with promises of fulfilled desires.

His lips tempted her like nectar draws a bee, though Alex hadn’t yet dared to land.

Once he had fully recovered, Alex hoped he would appreciate her as worthy of him.

Although he might be the most remarkable man in the world, she wasn’t far behind.

Fate had brought them together for a reason, and she intended to prove it to him.

He already valued her qualities; now, he needed to recognise her as a woman.

And Alex was trying to hurry it along. The things she did for him… If she were religious, she would have sought out a priest for confession.

And if Viktor ever found out, her punishment would be worse than divine wrath. He would lose his mind if he caught her stealing from the Hospital’s blood reserves. Rightfully so! The stocks had become scarce since the takeover, and it wasn’t fair to deprive the patients.

But what choice did she have? She couldn’t deny him . The Horned God needed blood to recover and help them all escape.

The lack of mobile service made communicating with Bobby – her blood supplier – difficult.

She had to count on luck for the right timing.

Plus, she had to feign interest in Bobby every time.

The Horned God had taught her how – a sliver of skin, eye contact, wet lips, an accidental touch, compliments.

She could be feminine. Seductive. She’d spent the last twenty years of her life reading romance novels.

Why he thought she needed lessons, she couldn’t fathom.

Sure, at first, Bobby had mistaken her confident stride for a limp and her fluttering eyelashes for conjunctivitis, but he’d eventually concluded that she was just nervous because she liked him!

And from then on, everything had gone according to plan.

Alex reached the shut doors of the Blood Bank and scanned the corridor for guards.

Loosening the ties of her cloak, she slipped inside.

Bobby was on duty – she spotted his white coat at the end of the corridor and sauntered over with a deliberate sway in her hips.

Her figure wasn’t much, but judging by Bobby’s dilated pupils, it was enough.

“Hey there, doll!” he grinned.

Doll! What sort of address was that for a woman of science?! Thank goodness no one was around to hear it, or she would have died of embarrassment. She hid her irritation behind a broad smile. “Hey, genius!” she cooed. “How’s our joint project going?”

To justify their meetings, the pair had begun an experiment with ten mice kept in an ideal environment with abundant resources.

“Breeding like crazy!” Bobby replied.

Breeding like crazy. That was the code. He had a bag of blood ready for her, and it was safe to take it. Together, they entered the dark room where Bobby could hand over the promised supplies. She hoped he wouldn’t repeat his attempt to kiss her.

* * *

Disgusting!

He’d kissed her. With tongue!

She’d never imagined her first kiss would be with Bobby, and worse, all in exchange for a bag of blood. Shaking off the memory, she hurried with renewed determination to the Horned God. He was hiding in a modest room on the seventeenth floor.

When Alex entered, the place was steeped in darkness. His figure was visible on the bed. The moonlight illuminated one side of his face, reminding Alex why her breath always caught in his presence.

His facial features were a blend of beauty, symmetry, and masculinity.

His amber eyes held a fiery glow that only enhanced the allure of the intelligence behind them.

And his body – despite Viktor’s shabby clothes – was broad and athletic.

With defined muscles and smooth, lightly tanned skin, free of scars and tattoos.

At least the parts of him Alex had seen.

“You got the blood. Well done,” he said.

Alex’s chest swelled with pride, but she feigned nonchalance. “It wasn’t without complications…”

The Horned God rose to take the bag of blood. “Somebody saw you?”

“No…” Alex frowned. “But I had to kiss Bobby! When we entered the blood room, he cornered me. Said he couldn’t wait any longer…”

The Horned God chuckled. “You excelled at seducing him.”

Of course! If she hadn’t done so, there wouldn’t be bags of blood. For some reason, Alex had hoped to provoke his jealousy by mentioning the kiss. “Apparently, I did too well,” she emphasised, but he wasn’t listening as he prepared to drink the blood.

Alex still couldn’t understand his true nature.

He was neither witcher nor vampire, yet he possessed telekinesis and fed on blood.

But then again, why was she surprised, given that he had once been a mummy retrieved from the Temple of the Dead Immortals and was now walking around as a fully formed man?

She stared at him in awe while he drank the blood. He was mesmerising, majestic, and even slightly menacing. Her type of man.

The Horned God drained the blood without spilling a single drop. A faint crease formed between his brows, accentuating his charm. “It will suffice for now, but it’s far from enough.”

Alex would do anything to please him. “Bobby will be on duty again in two days. I’ll go.” Whatever it takes.

The Horned God smiled. “Thank you.”