Chapter 7
SEVEN
A week later, Alora, along with Maya, hummed along to “Roar” as she arranged her test tubes in what she considered a perfectly logical order.
Her new lab in the Biogenetics building in Manhattan buzzed with controlled chaos: equipment whirred, data scrolled across multiple screens, and Stripes the cat supervised from his perch atop a stack of research papers.
The lab door slid open with a soft hiss. Rehan Kedi strode in, immaculate in a charcoal suit that probably cost more than her monthly rent. His amber eyes scanned the room, taking in the tiger-striped sticky notes decorating her monitors, the scattered papers covered in her looping handwriting, and the array of coffee mugs sporting science puns.
“This isn’t a lab,” he muttered under his breath. “It’s a zoo.”
“Welcome to the jungle, Mr. Kedi.” Alora grinned, catching his comment with her back turned.
His lips thinned. “Your research protocols?—”
“—have produced more breakthroughs in tiger shifter genetics than any other lab.” She spun in her chair to face him, raising an eyebrow. “But please, tell me how my coffee mug collection offends your sensibilities.”
“The mug isn’t the issue.” He picked up one that read ‘Schrodinger’s Cat Lives!’ with two fingers as if it might bite. “Your entire approach lacks structure.”
“Structure?” Alora bounced to her feet, energy coursing through her as it always did when defending her methods. “Science isn’t about rigid rules, Mr. Kedi. It’s about adaptation, creativity?—”
“And safety protocols?” His gaze fixed on the centrifuge she’d modified yesterday. “That machine isn’t meant to run at those speeds.”
“Sometimes you have to push boundaries to get results.” She moved to the centrifuge, adjusting settings with practiced confidence. “Watch.”
The machine hummed to life, spinning faster than its original specifications allowed. Rehan’s shoulders tensed, his predator’s instincts clearly sensing trouble. “Dr. Sky?—”
“Trust the process,” she said, typing commands into the control panel. “If we combine the viral samples at this speed while introducing the catalyst?—”
A loud pop cut off her words. Purple smoke billowed from the centrifuge, accompanied by a shower of papers as the air displacement sent her carefully sorted stacks flying.
Rehan moved faster than she thought possible, placing himself between her and the malfunctioning equipment. A low growl rumbled in his chest—not quite human, not quite tiger.
“Relax, Mr. Kedi.” Alora laughed, waving a hand through the smoke. “If we’re not blowing things up, we’re not learning.”
“Learning doesn’t justify recklessness.” His voice turned arctic, though something else flickered in his eyes as he watched her brush purple powder from her lab coat. “This is exactly why we need protocols.”
“Says the man who moved at superhuman speed to protect me from a minor smoke bomb.” She met his gaze, challenge sparking between them. “Seems like someone’s instincts don’t always follow protocols either.”
His jaw clenched. Before he could respond, Maya burst into the lab, probably drawn by the commotion.
“Do I smell burning...” Maya’s eyes widened, taking in the purple-tinged scene. “Never mind. I don’t want to know. Alora, supply closet, now.”
“But the samples?—”
“Will survive five minutes without you making them explode.” Maya grabbed Alora’s arm, dragging her toward the closet. “Mr. Kedi, feel free to... prowl, or whatever it is you do when you’re not glowering at innocent scientists.”
The supply closet door clicked shut behind them. Maya turned to Alora, her hazel eyes gleaming with that particular shifter knowledge that made Alora nervous.
“You know he can’t stop tracking you, right?”
“Tracking me?” Alora frowned, absently reorganizing pipette boxes. “Like... keeping tabs on my work?”
Maya’s laugh held a distinctly feline purr. “No, sweetheart. His tiger is tracking you. It’s a shifter thing.”
“That’s ridiculous. He barely tolerates me.”
“Honey, that man’s inner tiger is about as subtle as your lab coat.” Maya gestured to Alora’s outfit, which today featured cartoon tigers doing the cha-cha across the pockets. “He’s positioned himself between you and danger twice in the last ten minutes.”
“The centrifuge wasn’t dangerous?—”
“He didn’t know that. His tiger saw a threat to you and reacted.” Maya’s grin turned wicked. “Just like he keeps finding reasons to check your lab personally instead of sending his army of minions.”
Alora’s cheeks warmed. “He’s investing millions in this research. Of course, he wants to monitor progress.”
“Mh-mmm.” Maya’s knowing look spoke volumes. “And I’m sure his enhanced senses focusing on you every time you move is purely professional interest.”