44

Mikhail looked out the tower’s window, admiring the brewing storm. Winter ruled over the mountain, despite it being late autumn. The cold winds threatened the peaks, bringing frost and snow to every corner. The weather reflected his own mood.

He could barely make out the slight silhouettes of the edges of the building through the raging blizzard. Maintenance of the roads to the building required considerable effort, but the staff were used to it. It happened every winter – never this early, though.

Funny, wasn’t it … how something needed to cloud his vision, for him to see the images in his head clearly. The puzzle pieces started clicking into place. Answers – not so much…

Mikhail twisted his lips with disappointment. He’d known it from the start, hadn’t he? That didn’t make it any less disheartening.

It had been two days since the Oracle’s death. Following her passing, the Council had openly risen against him. They’d voted against his proposal to perform an autopsy on her. “Desecration!” They’d called it. “Disrespect! The Oracle is a sacred being who has to be buried in her rightful place – the Temple of the Dead Undying – not be tossed about on top of dissecting tables and disembowelled!”

It seemed everyone believed the death to have been natural. Everyone except Mikhail.

“Three weeks ago, someone tried to kill her, now she dies of natural causes?” Mikhail had asked the others, astounded.

“Let’s not put our tinfoil hats on, please,” someone had retorted.

Sixteen hands! Sixteen goddamn hands had risen against his proposal. It almost seemed like the topic had been pre-discussed and settled already. Jaguar was the only one who had abstained from voting. Viktor and Constantine hadn’t been present. In the end, Mikhail had been forced to accept the majority’s wish.

So be it.

They had no idea how much easier they’d made it for the killer.

Sighing, he tore his eyes from the view outside and headed down the creaking stairs, to the antechamber of the lower floor.

When he entered his room, Amelia’s blue gaze raced over him. “Mikhail, is everything okay? You were gone over forty-eight hours.”

He paused in his steps, leaving a good distance between them. “The Oracle died.”

Amelia’s eyes became even bluer and wider, and the shadows beneath sharpened.

Mikhail scanned the room, looking anywhere but at her. Her citrus and rose geranium scent lingered in the air. And with every inhale, the memory of the night they’d shared – of how she’d felt against him – threatened to pull him under. The beast raged at the thought.

“Some claim it was natural causes. I believe she was murdered,” he said, bringing his attention back to Amelia.

“Is there evidence of murder?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Not exactly.”

“Surveillance cameras?”

“Have not yet been installed in that sector.”

“Maybe it really was natural causes, then…”

Mikhail crossed his arms over his chest. “That would be a mighty coincidence.”

Amelia studied his face. He didn’t need to see the reaction in her eyes to know that his own had changed colour.

“You’re angry about my visions,” she finally said.

“Why would I be?” He ground his teeth, forcing himself to take a breath. Nothing could stop the accusing torrent of words escaping him, though. “Is it because if you’d told me sooner about your secret conversations with the Oracle, I’d have placed guards in front of her door? And by doing so, I wouldn’t have been left wondering if she was murdered or not?” Why hadn’t he placed guards in front of her door? Had he really believed only her healers and himself had access to the room?

Amelia dared a step closer. “You told me she was ill a long time. Maybe she just didn’t survive the attack…”

“I don’t need your theories, Amelia.” His voice was ice cold.

She pursed her lips, pausing her advance towards him. “I’m sorry, but…”

“Do you realise I’ve been trying to talk to her for weeks? And I couldn’t because she was unconscious. And this whole time, you had a direct connection to her. A connection that could’ve given us – could’ve given me – much more information about what’s going on!”

“It wasn’t exactly a two-way thing.”

“That’s not what it sounded like to me. ‘I said words, and asked questions, and she responded.’ Was that not what you said?” He uncrossed his arms, his mind seething with resentment. “Had you told me about this earlier, I could have found a way to make it a two-way thing.”

“I didn’t know it was her voice in my head! And then…”

Excuses. Why was he not surprised? Don’t they all do that when the situation gets rough?

“But you knew you were dreaming of my memories, right?” he said.

“No. Mikhail, I told you…” Amelia shook her head, pleading filling her gaze. “In the beginning, I didn’t know they were memories. I thought they were just my dreams.”

“Whatever.” Mikhail’s insides boiled with cold rage. “You could have told me about them. Then I would have been sure something was happening. With you. We could have stopped the attack on Dave, dammit!”

“I wanted to warn you about him, but you weren’t here. I was locked up. No phone.” Amelia scowled, then added, “Not that it matters if I have one, anyway. I’ve been calling you since yesterday and you never picked up.”

He sneered. “Didn’t it occur to that pretty little head of yours that I wasn’t in the mood to talk?”

She flinched at his words. “Mikhail, I know I shouldn’t have hidden it from you and I’m sorry I did, but—”

“But if you hadn’t, things would be very different now,” he finished for her.

More than a hundred years! That was how long he’d spent in search of a cure for the immortals’ regeneration issues. And his only lead was gone, because the woman before him had decided to keep things from him.

Amelia stiffened, her tone giving away her frustration. “Different how, exactly? You wouldn’t have turned into a monster and nearly scared me to death? You wouldn’t be so rude?”

“And here I thought you were starting to like me.” He mocked, refusing to admit her words hurt him. So, she really did see him as a monster. For a short time, he had believed that Amelia was into him. Her ragged breaths and intoxicating smell, while she had trembled with arousal underneath him, had indicated as much.

He couldn’t help but wonder how real any of her attraction had been, or whether it was all a ruse to manipulate him. She wouldn’t be the first to use sex as a bargaining chip. Wouldn’t be the first to pretend to be driven by her lust for him.

His anger surged again. The reminder of Valeria’s deception still stung, and Amelia’s secrets had awakened that old wound. The two women blurred in his mind, their intentions eerily similar. His beast snarled.

“Did you enjoy how I made you come, Amelia?” His voice sounded more like an animal growl, but he fully intended his words to cut as much as hers had. “Or was it just for show? What’s your goal here?”

“What’s my goal?!” Rage burned in her eyes. “I want to leave!”

“Ah, the truth emerges. So that’s what your little show was all about?” Mikhail smiled with malice. “Well, I’ve got news for you. You’re not going anywhere.”

“Oh, yes, I am. We had a two-week deal. The two weeks are up. I’m leaving – today .”

Mikhail snorted, finding her tantrum amusing. “Get a grip, little beast. There’s no deal. Never was one. I hadn’t planned on letting you leave, not when you clearly play a role in all this.”

Amelia shook her head. “And to think all this time, I was ready to uphold my end, had you not started to behave like an absolute asshole.”

He stared back at her, unaffected. Yes, that’s who he was and the sooner she realised it, the better.

Amelia’s anger dissipated, leaving behind a hurt expression, like a door had been slammed shut on her hopes. “I was right to doubt your intentions of letting me go. At least you finally admit it now.”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t figure it out earlier, and used other ways to influence me. Did you think seducing me would get you an easy exit?” Mikhail ran his gaze up and down her body in a way that didn’t allow any doubt as to the meaning behind his words. “You’re a better liar than I gave you credit for.”

“I never lied!”

“Lied, concealed, is there a difference?” Mikhail shrugged, then headed for his wardrobe. Inside it were only black clothes.

Amelia raised her voice, irate once more. “You can’t keep me here against my will!”

“Sure I can.” He faced her. “It’s exactly what I’ll do. I can’t kill you because I owe it to the Oracle, and I’ll most likely be needing you at some point. Until then, I can keep you here and use you however and whenever I see fit.” He turned to the wardrobe and haphazardly snatched a few shirts and pants. “Don’t waste your time trying to call anyone. That old phone I gave you has been disconnected as of this morning.”

“Mikhail, please… You can’t do this to me.”

He could do whatever the fuck he wanted. My turf, my rules. And no amount of pleading from her would change his mind.

Without casting a single glance in her direction, he went out into the hallway and rushed to the door.

Then a thought struck him. My turf, my rules, huh? And yet, someone had been toying with him for a while now. No wonder . He was immortal and he’d allowed himself to be tricked by a human – a new low for him. Last time, the trickster had been an immortal woman. This time, it was a twenty-five-year-old human. When would he learn?

He glanced at the clothes in his hands, and cursed under his breath.

Not soon enough, it seemed. He’d forgotten to grab boxers, too.