Page 76 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts (Hospital for Immortal Creatures #3)

Amelia

The day was passing, and Mikhail hadn’t given her a second thought – at least, there were no signs that he had – even though just twenty-four hours ago, his mouth had been fused on hers with the desperation of a man clinging to his last breath.

What had she expected? For him to seek her out and apologise for his behaviour? Had she hoped they’d carry on with what they’d started?

Amelia sat up in bed. No matter how much she’d tried to, she couldn’t drift off.

She uncurled her fingers, revealing Callan’s watch. What kind of name could a watch have? Or a necklace?

Her hand sought the two-headed snake on her neck. A gesture that was becoming a habit.

Renenutet’s Necklace. Re-nen-nu-tet.

Amelia’s feet touched the floor as an idea popped into her head. According to what she’d read, Renenutet’s name meant ‘the giver of names.’

She set the watch aside, removed the necklace, and clasped it in her hands, running her fingers over the intertwined snake heads. The object was far more than just a magical artefact. If she could discover what that ‘more’ was…

There had to be a place, a book, a passage – somewhere on Earth – that would reveal the truth about the Sacreds.

A bright light drew her attention to the watch resting on the white bedspread. The dial had come alive with the colours of the rainbow, swirling and merging in endless spirals.

Amelia watched, holding her breath, afraid to blink for fear of missing the dance of changing colours.

In an instant, the vivid hues reached out to her like tendrils.

Perhaps she should have pulled back, but she didn’t.

She let them coil around her fingers, spread across her skin, and envelop her.

Her vision blurred for a heartbeat before clearing again.

And she was no longer in her room.

Above her, a massive chandelier hung, its curved arms rising upwards, ending in shallow cups with lit candles.

Her back rested against a hard surface, and she felt something sticky on her stomach. She sat up, examining it in her hand. A raw steak?! She darted her eyes about and realised she was the centrepiece on a long wooden table, surrounded by bowls of fruit, baskets of bread, and more raw meat.

She was dressed in nothing but a bra and some fringe that served as a skirt. At least the necklace still hung around her neck, and the smooth surface of the watch was cold against her palm.

Okay. So far, so good…

She concentrated on pinpointing her location. It wasn’t just a room, but a vast hall with towering, opulently decorated walls and ceilings embellished with golden ornaments. Larger chandeliers. More gold. In the distance, a pair of double doors remained shut.

Behind her, dishes clattered. She swivelled towards a man with a shaved head, seated at the far side of the table, tucking a white napkin into his collar. He acted like Amelia didn’t exist.

She held her breath, afraid that any movement would alert him to her presence. For some reason, he wasn’t acknowledging her, and she preferred they stay that way. It was as if he couldn’t see her…

Was she dreaming? She took the opportunity to examine him.

His bright red tailcoat with golden ornaments matched the lavish surroundings and highlighted his large frame.

Even seated, he was tall. He reached across the table to grasp the salt shaker, giving her a chance to study his profile.

A rather delicate nose, expressive lips, unusual, rounded ears, and…

prominent scales that formed a crest, beginning from the middle of his crown and running down the back of his head, vanishing beneath his collar.

She was now convinced he couldn’t see her, but still, she cautiously shifted her leg across the table, grimacing at the piece of meat covering her left thigh.

The man’s movement made her stop. He grabbed a bell from the table and shook it. The sound echoed throughout the empty hall. Then his deep voice rang out between the high walls. “Do something with my dinner before it escapes.”

Then his eyes fixed on her. His irises were emerald green with elliptical pupils.

Amelia tumbled to the floor, knocking over a bowl of fruit. His face twisted into a bored expression before he wrapped his long fingers around the eating knife.

Amelia stepped back, not daring to look away. He let out a loud, exasperated exhale and yanked the napkin from his collar, tossing it onto the table. His chair scraped along the smooth floor.

Amelia didn’t wait for him to stand to his full height of over two metres before summoning the necrosis from her hands. If there had been a moment when she’d needed it, it was now!

A sound behind her caused her to turn around.

“I told them to prepare her for dinner! Not that she will be the dinner.” The steps of the newcomer’s golden slippers echoed through the hall.

The woman approached Amelia with the graceful walk of someone at home in their element.

Ebony hair cascaded like a waterfall over her shoulders and the golden metal corset that covered her chest. A gold skirt with large slits on both sides hung from her waist, and her golden velvet skin gleamed above the belt, with several navel piercings.

She stopped beside Amelia and pointed at her, shaking the dozens of golden bracelets that started at her wrist and went up to her elbow. “Darling, this is Amelia. Don’t you remember I told you about her?”

The man shrugged. “I thought she was part of a new game you made up for me.”

The woman laughed. White teeth against peach-coloured lips. Perfect skin and a sculpted body. But there was something unusual in her features that prevented her from being defined as a beauty. Her nose was a straight line, descending from her forehead without a single curve. Like a snake’s.

The woman smiled. “Welcome to Surat. The planet of the humanids.”

Amelia shifted her gaze from her to the man and back again.

“This is my husband, Sobek.”

Sobek?

“And I’m Renenutet.”

Amelia’s jaw dropped.

***

Amelia

“How is this possible? How… did I end up here?”

Sobek had returned to his chair and was reaching for some food. Renenutet settled Amelia at the centre of the table and sat opposite her husband. She relaxed into her chair, eyeing Amelia from beneath her black eyelashes. “You have no idea how you ended up on Surat?”

Amelia shook her head. “The last I remember, I was in bed. On Earth.”

Renenutet wrinkled her nose, a gesture that softened her snake-like appearance. “You need to be careful with travel. You were unconscious when you arrived. If you had wound up somewhere else, you might not have woken up in good condition.”

She was speaking as if Amelia had made a habit of this. “Right. I’ll keep that in mind – except I don’t usually travel between planets. I don’t even know how I did it now.”

Amelia’s eyes followed the dishes on the table as they gradually filled up, as if invisible servants were bringing the food. As soon as a dish with roasted steak appeared in front of Sobek – thank goodness he didn’t eat raw meat – he quickly devoured the food.

“You came here by channelling the powers of the watch and the necklace,” Renenutet explained.

“The only way a creature with your density could reach me.” Her brown eyes lingered on the necklace.

The elliptical irises had threads in them that gleamed with the intensity of pure gold.

“The Sacreds are fascinating objects. Each of them carries a certain power, but their combinations are even more impressive.”

“I thought they could only be activated – all seven, together. No one mentioned they could be…combined,” Amelia said.

Renenutet pointed a finger at the empty glasses before them, and a dark purple liquid filled them. “The Sacreds are like an alphabet. With them, you can write. You can create…” She gestured with her hand towards the glasses.

Amelia took a sip. The drink caressed her tongue with a softness she hadn’t expected.

It had the scent of fruit and something unfamiliar, which made her muscles relax.

“Will you tell me their names? I read that your name means ‘giver of names’ and… I assumed you named the Sacreds or have some connection to them.” She paused, taking another sip.

“Before I ended up here, I was thinking about that. It’s probably what sparked my travel. ”

Renenutet curled her lips and glanced at her husband. “I like the openness my wine prompts.”

A wave of anxiety swept through Amelia’s chest.

“Don’t worry. It won’t hurt you. Why do you want to uncover their names?”

“To stop the Mother of Reptilians.” Damn, this wine did loosen tongues. What if Renenutet and Sobek were supporting the Queen?

“Someone has to do it,” Sobek remarked with a full mouth.

Renenutet stared at her for a long moment while chewing her steak, and those golden-threaded eyes seemed to pierce beneath Amelia’s skin. Finally, she set down her knife and fork and wiped her mouth with her napkin. “What have you learned about the Sacreds?”

“That the humanids gifted them – one to each species on Earth.”

Renenutet took a sip of her wine. “The Earth race always had magic within them, but they didn’t always know how to use it.

Many years ago, on Surat, we decided to teach the Earthlings how to activate their innate magic.

That was before the Sacreds were ever created.

Many of the ideas that helped develop Earth’s civilisation came to fruition thanks to this magic.

But every magic, even the purest at its core, requires something in return. The Higher Powers demand compensation.”

“Why did you want to help humans?” Amelia’s fingers itched to touch the necklace, but it felt improper to show such possessiveness.

Renenutet lifted one shoulder. “Because I saw a race with potential. A race with the ability to love. Such generosity in giving love is rare, even on Surat. And after all, we are all made from the same dough. It’s the duty of the more developed species to help those who come after.”