Page 42 of Stripe Theory

“The centrifuge is toast,” she reported, poking at the melted remains. “Though to be fair, I did kind of turn it into an improvised explosive device.”

“Resourceful.” His grinned. The memory of her quick thinking during the attack filled him with equal parts pride and concern. “Though perhaps we should discuss your definition of ‘reasonable chemical reactions.’”

“Hey, it worked!” She smiled up at him, her hair escaping its messy bun. “Besides, you have to admit watching Damian hop around with melted shoes was pretty satisfying.”

The sound that escaped him might have been a laugh. His tiger certainly approved of her creative defense methods.

Maya limped in, carrying a stack of partially singed files. “Speaking of satisfying, who’s hungry? Hunter’s ordering takeout.”

“You’re injured,” Rehan pointed out. “You should be resting.”

“Please. I’ve had worse paper cuts.” But she accepted the chair he pulled out. “Besides, someone has to make sure you two actually eat instead of just making googly eyes at each other over virus samples.”

Alora threw a crumpled paper at her. “We do not make googly eyes.”

“Sure, sure. And I didn’t just spend twenty minutes watching Hunter do his whole brooding security chief routine.” Maya’s grin turned wicked. “Nice nap earlier, by the way. Very cozy.”

Color bloomed across Alora’s cheeks. Before she could respond, the lab’s security panel beeped a warning. The camera feed flickered, showing static for a split second.

Rehan moved instantly to Alora’s side, his tiger’s protective instincts surging. She laid a hand on his arm, the touch grounding him.

“Third glitch in an hour,” Maya noted, humor fading. “Someone’s definitely messing with our systems.”

“Can you trace it?” Alora asked, already pulling up diagnostic screens.

“Working on it. But they’re good – the signal keeps bouncing around.” Maya’s fingers flew over her tablet. “It’s like they know exactly how to avoid our detection protocols.”

A soft chime announced an incoming message. Jewel’s face appeared on the main screen, looking concerned.

“Rehan, we’ve stabilized Sierra’s condition. Dr. Sky’s treatment suggestions are showing promising results. But...” She hesitated. “The virus markers in her bloodwork... they’re not matching our previous data.”

Alora leaned forward. “Send me the results. There’s something I want to check.”

While she dove into the new data, Rehan paced the lab. His tiger remained restless, sensing threats on multiple fronts. The traitor. The virus. Leeta’s next move.

“Oh!” Alora’s exclamation drew him back. “Look at this pattern in the protein synthesis. During moments of stress, the virus isn’t just accelerating – it’s actively modifying shifter DNA.”

She pulled up comparison charts, her enthusiasm making her practically bounce. Even exhausted and slightly scorched, her brilliant mind never stopped working. His tiger preened at her competence while his human side admired the way her eyes lit up with discovery.

“If we can track these modifications...” She reached past him for another sample, brushing against his chest. The contact sent electricity racing through him.

Their eyes met. The air between them crackled with awareness. His enhanced senses picked up the slight catch in her breathing, the way her pulse quickened.

“Sorry,” she murmured, not moving away. “I didn’t mean to...”

“Don’t apologize.” His voice came out rougher than intended. Without conscious thought, his hand came up to brush a strand of hair from her face.

Maya cleared her throat loudly. “I’m outta here. Again.”

“We should...” She swallowed hard. “The data...”

“Yes.” But he didn’t move away. Couldn’t move away.

A crash from the hallway shattered the moment. Hunter burst in, his expression grim.

“Boss, we’ve got confirmation. The traitor already warned Leeta about Sierra’s treatment breakthrough. They’re regrouping.”

Rehan growled, his tiger pushing forward. But Alora’s steady presence kept him grounded.

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