Page 59 of Stripe Theory

“I can handle myself,” she reminded him, stretching up to press a swift kiss to his lips. “Trust me.”

“Always.” The intensity in that single word stole her breath. “But if you die, I’m bringing you back just to kill you myself.”

“Same goes for you.” She forced herself to step back, though every cell in her body protested the separation. “Now go be heroic somewhere else while I save the day with science.”

“Is that what we’re calling your creative interpretation of lab safety protocols now?”

“Go fight bad guys,” she laughed, shoving at his chest. “I’ll see you when this is over.”

His expression softened as he caught her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm that made her heart skip. Their connection pulsed with shared emotion – not just desire now, but something deeper, richer. Something that felt remarkably like forever.

The sound of gunfire snapped them back to reality. Rehan straightened, shifting seamlessly into his role as alpha. “Hunter, coordinate with the eastern teams. I’ll take the west entrance. No one gets past us.”

They split up – Rehan and Hunter heading out to organize the defense while Alora and Maya raced for the roof access. The mate bond stretched between them like a golden thread, carrying his presence even as the distance grew.

Maya’s voice crackled through her earpiece as they climbed stairs. “Did you finish making out with your mate, or should I hold off the bad guys for another five minutes?”

FORTY-FOUR

“Iwasn’t—” Alora started to protest, then caught a whiff of Rehan’s sandalwood scent still clinging to her suit. “Shouldn’t you be focused on the homicidal mercenaries instead of my love life?”

“Multitasking is my superpower. Also, your lipstick is smeared.”

The roof access door burst open under Maya’s kick. Evening air hit Alora’s face, carrying the metallic tang of weapons and something else – a chemical undertone that set her scientific instincts on high alert.

Mentally, she caught flashes of his battle – claws extended, enemies falling, his power a controlled storm.

“Two teams converging,” Maya reported, her playful tone shifting to pure predator. “They’re boxing us in. Whatever Leeta’s planning with those environmental controls?—”

“It ends tonight.” Alora pulled up the building’s maintenance systems, fingers flying over the interface. “I’m thinking if we reverse the pressure gradients in sectors three through seven?—”

“That’s your ‘about to do something crazy’ face.”

“It’s my ‘about to do something scientifically improvised’ face. There’s a difference.”

“Yeah, the crazy ones usually involve more explosions.” Maya’s head snapped up. “Down!”

Gunfire erupted as they dove behind an HVAC unit. Bullets pinged off metal mere inches from their position.

Focus on the mission, she sent the words to him.I’m okay.

His response carried equal parts love and frustration:If you get shot, I’m never letting you leave the lab again.

The mercenary leader’s voice carried across the roof: “Surrender now, Dr. Sky. Genesis Corp would prefer you alive.”

Maya snorted as she shoved Alora behind larger equipment. “Do bad guys actually take classes in cheesy dialogue? Because that was straight out of Evil Villain 101.”

“You should hear their monologues,” Alora muttered, never pausing in her hacking attempts into the environmental controls. Just three more firewalls to crack. “Last week, one of them actually used the phrase ‘resistance is futile’ without irony.”

The distinct click of a weapon being armed cut through their banter. A mercenary had circled behind their position, his rifle aimed at Alora’s head. Maya moved faster than human eyes could track, shoving Alora clear as the shot rang out.

White-hot pain blazed across Alora’s shoulder as the bullet grazed her. Great, just when the previous injury stopped hurting, her other shoulder was shot.

Rehan’s fury – his roar echoing up from the lower levels, could be felt more than heard. His rage and fear crashed through their connection, nearly overwhelming her.

Stay focused. She grit her teeth against the pain.Just a scratch.

“Your tiger boyfriend is definitely going to murder someone over that,” Maya commented, taking down two mercenaries with brutal efficiency. Her tiger’s speed made her nearly invisible in the dim light. “Also, you’re bleeding on your tablet.”

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