Page 27 of Stripe Theory

“Help me save these files first.” Alora grabbed a backup drive, trying to ignore how his proximity made her skin tingle. Every time he moved, she caught another whiff of his scent – sandalwood and something wild that her brain absolutely refused to stop cataloging. “This proves they’re behind everything?—”

Stripes hissed from under the desk, ears flat against his skull. The door exploded. Rehan covered her body from shrapnel.

A moment later, the lab’s temperature seemed to drop ten degrees as a smooth voice cut through the chaos.

“How disappointing.” The doorway filled with black-clad figures, parting like a particularly menacing sea to reveal a woman who looked like she’d stepped out of a Bond villain casting call. Her blonde hair was arranged in the kind of perfect waves that probably required a team of stylists, and her red-soled heels probably cost more than Alora’s monthly rent. “Dr. Sky. I expected more... discretion.”

Maya’s sharp intake of breath identified their visitor before Alora could ask. “Leeta Nox.”

“Genesis Corp Board Member,” Leeta corrected, her smile sharper than any of Alora’s dissection tools. Her gaze flicked between Alora and Rehan, lingering on their proximity with obvious disdain. “And concerned citizen. You’re disrupting natural order, Dr. Sky. Some boundaries shouldn’t be crossed.”

Oh, she did not just go there. Alora stepped forward, ignoring Rehan’s protective growl (which absolutely did not send shivers down her spine, nope, not at all). Later, she’d blame the adrenaline and sleep deprivation for what came out of her mouth:

“Sorry, but my PhD dissertation was actually on crossing boundaries. Got highest honors. Would you like to see my thesis on interspecies genetics? I have copies somewhere...” She made a show of looking around her chaotic lab. “Though fair warning – it completely decimates outdated ideas about genetic purity.”

Maya made a choking sound that might have been suppressed laughter. Even some of Leeta’s goons shifted uncomfortably. Rehan’s shoulders tensed in what she hoped was amusement rather than exasperation at her inability to not be sarcastic in life-threatening situations.

Leeta’s perfect smile turned arctic. “Charming. But I prefer to think of it as evolution management. Species should remain pure, don’t you agree? Though...” Her gaze lingeredmeaningfully on how close Rehan stood to Alora. “It seems some are already forgetting that principle.”

A crash from the corridor pulled everyone’s attention. Alora grabbed her backup drive and critical samples, definitely not noticing how Rehan’s hand at her waist sent sparks through her entire body. Later, she’d analyze why simple skin contact with him felt like touching a live wire – purely for research purposes, of course.

They fled toward the lab’s emergency exit. Through the lab’s glass walls, Alora caught glimpses of more black-clad figures engaging with security teams. The hallway strobed with emergency lights, making everything feel surreal.

“Did you just sass a corporate supervillain?” Maya called as they ran, somehow managing to sound both impressed and exasperated.

“I was merely offering to educate her on current genetic theory,” Alora defended, clutching her samples closer.

“Less talking, more running,” Rehan suggested, his voice carrying that growly undertone that really shouldn’t have been attractive while fleeing for their lives.

The backup server room was a maze of humming machines and blinking lights, the air heavy with the scent of electronics and ozone. Alora’s mind raced between tactical options and unhelpful observations about how Rehan’s partial shift made him even more unfairly attractive. His features had sharpened, eyes glowing amber in the dim light, and really, no one should look that good during a corporate raid.

“There’s got to be more in the data about the virus,” she managed, proud of sounding almost professional despite her racing heart. “We need to figure out what they’re really after.”

“We need to move,” Rehan urged, his enhanced senses tracking their pursuers. His voice had roughened, taking ona rumbling quality that made coherent thought increasingly difficult. “They’re coming.”

Alora clutched a crucial server to her chest, trying to focus on its importance rather than how Rehan moved through the shadows like he owned them. The server room’s emergency lights caught his eyes at odd angles, making them flash gold in a way that her brain helpfully labeled as “dangerously attractive.”

“I can help fight!” she insisted when he tried to shield her again, his body practically caging her against the equipment racks. This close, his scent was overwhelming, making scientific thought increasingly challenging. She really needed to study why his proximity affected her cognitive functions so dramatically. Later. Much later.

His features sharpened further, tiger essence bleeding through in a way that sent her pulse racing. “Together then. But stay close.” His tone suggested arguing would be pointless, which only made her want to argue more. Stupid attractive alpha male syndrome.

“I do have some combat training, you know,” she pointed out, summoning her most professional tone. “Last week’s self-defense class?—”

“The one where you accidentally pepper-sprayed yourself?”

“Maya promised never to tell anyone about that!”

“She didn’t. Security footage.”

They reached the secure lab level where Alora punched in her access code with slightly shaky fingers. “Please tell me the backup generators are?—”

The lights flickered on, illuminating her precious lab equipment. “You were saying?” Rehan’s smug tone really shouldn’t have been attractive.

“Show-off.” But she was already moving to a workstation. “Genesis Corp’s whole operation... they’re not just suppressingresearch. These patents, the virus patterns—they must be harvesting data from every shifter community they target.”

Rehan leaned over her shoulder, his presence simultaneously distracting and steadying. “Show me.”

She pulled up infection maps, trying to focus on the data rather than his proximity. “See these clusters? They’re targeting specific bloodlines. Strong shifter families first, then?—”

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