Chapter 2

• "To be polite, don't you introduce yourself first before you ask a lady for her name?"
• A grin could be seen on his face, at least for a tiny moment, before he put on an expressionless face again.
• "You are right. I would like to apologies most sincerely for that. Hans Axel von Fersen, nice to meet you."
• I had to laugh... good try. No one has ever tried to use false names with us. He offered me his hand for a handshake, which I skillfully ignored, hiding my right hand slightly behind my coat.
• "Hans Axel von Fersen yes... then I am Marie Antoinette, very pleased."
• "............. "
• "We're a non-profit organisation, so if you don't want to give me your real name, that's perfectly fine. We don't write invoices here, but your attempt was very creative."
• "You amaze me. I've been using this trick for years, but you're the first person in a while to see through me and recognise the historical context, Doctor."
• "Hmm, or I'm a fan of historical films, who knows. So Count von Fersen, you clearly don't know the woman. I don't recognize, that she was the victim of a crime, so there's no reason for you to be here any longer. So what do you want?"
• I turned around to my desk and placed my glasses on the table. When I look back to the stranger, he was standing right in front of me, just a few centimeters from my face. His eyes looked red in the light of my desk lamp. Or maybe Contact lenses? He just looked at me, but didn't touch me. He didn't even blink.
• "Very interesting. Thank you very much for your time, Mrs. Doctor."
• "Erm... you're welcome?"
• He had a slight accent, which I hadn't noticed before. His English is so fluent. Presumably European? Never mind, not my topic. Without saying another word, the stranger left the treatment room. It was only when he was out of sight, which I blew out the air I had unconsciously been holding. My heart was racing as if I had run a marathon.
• I slumped down in my chair and tried to regain my composure. After a few minutes, I was at least able to get back to work. I took a blood sample from our sleeping beauty and had a quick test carried out in the makeshift laboratory next door. It was inconspicuous for all known drugs - just a little alcohol.
• We just waited and at around 5am, just as I was handing over to the early shift, she woke up. The Woman had no memory of the evening in question, nor of the man who brought her in. She thanked us, gave us all a few pounds as a token of appreciation and disappeared through the front door in good health.
• My journey home was quick and unspectacular. I threw myself onto my bed and looked up at the ceiling. Alone in my grandparents dilapidated house, nothing was really mine. The plaster was slowly falling off everywhere, the old floral wallpaper was peeling off the wall and the heating only worked poorly. But the house was paid off, close to the underground and I only needed 20 minutes to get into the city centre of London. Even in its dilapidated state, the land was worth a fortune. But selling was out of the question at the time. I needed to be close to London to earn at least some money.
• I remembered my old life as one of the leading doctors in surgery at King Edward VII's Hospital. When my grandfather died in Japan, I returned to my grandparents in the UK. I was 18 and had top grades. In no time at all, thanks to my memory and my desire for perfection, I raced through Cambridge medical school and finished several semesters ahead of my peers.
• Then I went the hard way. Pathology for a year, followed by several years in the emergency department. I did everything and was everywhere possible. I even took extra courses in drug manufacturing and alternative medicine. I wanted to know so many things. It was like someone was behind me, constantly pushing me and telling me, I had to get better. At almost 30, I was one of the best doctors in the country and hospitals were eager to employ me. I'd been living well.
• Until that one day... when someone killed my grandparents. It was never officially clarified, who it was. I was the prime suspect for 1 year until my lawyer was able to prove, that I was in the middle of a 10-year- old boy's ribcage at the time of the crime. I was acquitted, but my reputation was not. And so, I was plagued by nightmares... at first daily, now only very frequently, of a life that was long behind me. A life that I didn't want to lead and was over, when I entered Great Britain.
• I curled up in a fetal position in my bed and tried to shake off the thoughts of death and loss. Before I closed my eyes, I thought for a moment about this beautiful man. I had seen many men, even if I had never touched one, except for the ones on my treatment table. A buzz filled my whole body as I see him in my mind... he was out of this world. Almost too perfect and radiant.
• ***At the same time***
• "Why are we here again, Marcus?"
• "Because Dragan wants us to keep an eye on her."
• "Yes, I know that, but why? She smells like a normal person, so nothing special."
• "Don't say that until you've met her, Kynell."
• "Dragan, where have you been all this time?"
• "I had to run a few errands, Marcus. Is she home by now?"
• I joined Marcus and Kynell at the edge of the 4-storey building, which was directly opposite the doctor's house. The moment I left that charity hospital, I couldn't get her out of my mind. She didn't belong there; she exuded something that made her stand out and the way she had dealt with me....
• "Why are we watching this woman, Dragan?"
• Kynell growled and became impatient. His blood boiled far too easily - typical Lycan.
• "She may be exactly what we were looking for."
• "So she's a doctor. Are you really sure, brother? We've already found so many, who we thought were perfect, until they all ran away in fear. But if we don't find someone soon, Lucia and everyone else in the castle might soon find it unacceptable. It's hard enough to find trustworthy staff at all."
• "Yes... I think it's her. She wasn't afraid of me Marcus. Not even a twitch of the eyelids and I was standing right in front of her."
• "Then let's go down there, give her the offer and get out of this pool of sin. It stinks everywhere here, no matter where I go."
• "Calm down Kynell. I'd like to test her first and you know what works best."
• I gave Kynell a quick glare and he understood immediately. The look on his face spoke volumes. But it was still the best test. Marcus took a deep breath and cleared his throat.
• "So I guess that concludes our meeting for today. Our possibly new Doctors neighbor is very tempting and just right for my night, so excuse me for today."
• Marcus jumped down from the building, crossed the street and rang the doorbell of a clearly gay, dark- skinned man with long dreadlocks. He was still wearing the pink shorts that had caught Marcus's attention. Kynell laughed and patted me on the shoulder.
• "See you tonight then, I'll get ready for our performance."
• "Do that."
• I stayed behind alone and watched the sunrise. Dr. Selena Darvis... let's see if I'm wrong or not.