After Dave showed her a fraction of his altered appearance. Akaisha couldn’t believe that he was a failed experiment. It made sense if she remembered everything taught to her about lycanthropes. Their metabolism is impossibly fast. They formulated a special-grade medication for them because of the way their body metabolizes anesthesia. If I had worked within Dave, he would have been extremely powerful. Not as powerful as an alpha would be, but pretty close. It also made sense why he seemed to run hotter than other people. It was a lot to tell her. It was even risky to ask her for help.The thought came to mind that it was a ploy. Dave could be attempting to lure her into a trap. She hoped that wasn’t the case, but anyone tied to the professor could very well be just as bad as him. Which was evident by his junior. The one she had never met but knew about. He seemed to be a successful experiment, too. She looked around the disorganized room. It smelled of stale air. Mahima’s dressing ro

 She looked around to see her new coworkers scanning their work. Handheld computers were a thing of the past. Holographic screens and the mind took their place. With her empty desk, there was nothing for her to do but settle in. Being a former assistant, Akaisha didn’t have much to bring down with her. Someone came up to her as she stood near the desk. It was an elf. Compared to Acheki, they were smaller and thicker. The Elven race had their differences, just as humans did. The man spoke to her. “Ms. Akaisha?”“That’s me. And you are?”He bowed in greeting to her. “I’m Ralev. I’ll be your assistant.”Ralev had something about him that didn’t seem pure elf. It would be rude to ask about his background. Instead of digging into his background, she asked what was important. “Right, I did get an assistant. So, have you scheduled the time with Professor Mozart?”He nodded

Surprisingly, when she had gotten back to digital press, Ralev had been searching for her. His exasperated features didn’t make him look any better. He came across as the same hardass just several minutes prior. As soon as he spotted her, Ralev rushed towards her. Grabbing her hands. “There you are! Where did you go? There’s a meeting in progress.”Akaisha pulled her hand from his grasp. “Really? That’s news to me.”“Yes, well, it’s my fault and Mitchum will have my ears if I don’t bring you there.”She stepped back away from him. “Sounds like what I’m hearing is that if you don’t get me to the meeting, you will be in trouble. And the only reason why you want me to go there is so you don’t get your ass chewed out. Am I right?”“Yes! Mitchum is scary when she’s angry.”Mitchum didn’t come across as a scary person, but first impress

While Akaisha slept in his cruiser, Jalefel waited with Dave, and Amethyst until her cab arrived. The two men chatted while they waited. It was an awkward conversation. “So, how’d that case turn out?”“Which? I work a lot of cases.”“The one at the restaurant with Akaisha and myself. And the meta humans.”Jalefel nodded his head in remembrance. “Right, the case that started it all.” He thought about the way Dave spoke of Akaisha. He could understand why he felt so strongly about her. “The perps are in jail and Akaisha is free. There’s not much else to tell about it.”He went quiet. Dave tried to ask another question. “Are all your cases like that?”“Not all of them. Sometimes there are murder cases. My unit works a case anytime there’s a meta human involved.”“What about lycanthropes?”Jalefel stared at him, inspecting Dave. “Sometimes, but most of them have their own laws and deal with the fallout within their pack. The same with elves. Only when it involves normal humans do we get i

She knew that. She knew he wouldn’t let her be. She would never be free of him or his sociopathic son. “You haven’t bothered me since I ran away. Why do you care what I do now? Just tell me where Junior is?”“Will you kill him?”“Why does it matter? It’s not like you ever paid any attention to him.”“That’s where you’re wrong. Junior is my son. He is my mini me. Another version of myself. I wouldn’t dare give his whereabouts to someone that wanted to kill him.”She didn’t know what else to do or say to him. In his twisted way, he was trying to be a good father, despite the fact that one of those people that Junior took was Dave. “And will you forsake two of your children for one?”He tilted his head. “What do you mean?”“Junior abducted Dave. He wants my life and Dave’s abilities in exchange for having my coworker rel