“Sounds fun.”
“It will suck, but I need to learn how to fight with more than my fists. You going to be okay by yourself?”
“So long as Blue stays locked up, I should be fine.”
“What about this sucker?” His gaze fixed on the meteor he held up. “Do I need to worry about any aliens popping out?”
“Doubtful. Even if it had some viable matter in its core, it needs to feed before it becomes dangerous. But just in case, before cracking it open, I’ll don a full hazmat suit and use a containment box.”
“Be careful.” His expression turned serious. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I’m not the one about to get thumped on. Come see me later if you have bruises that need tending.”
“Gonna kiss them better?”
“Maybe,” she purred, again wondering where this woman had come from. She’d not been this flirtatious since her college days. Apparently, her time with Grayson had unlocked that free spirit from years ago.
“Is it wrong that I hope I get my ass kicked?”
Her laughter had him grinning until the lights flashed three times.
“What’s that a signal for?” he asked.
“Probably for us to stop flirting and get to work.”
“Or a warning. Let me go in first.”
“Planning to fight with your hands full?”
“I’ve got years of experience dropping gloves fast. I’ll be fine if you get the door for me.”
The outdoor lock hadn’t been engaged, and so she wasn’t surprised to see the back of Asterion’s head through the viewing window of the secured chamber.
“Doesn’t look like there’s any trouble,” Grayson noted as he heaved the case onto her metal counter and plopped the meteor beside it. “Anything you need before I go?”
She almost said a kiss. Rather than be so bold, she said, “Join me later for dinner?”
“Definitely,” he murmured, leaning in and dropping a kiss on her lips. “I’ll see you in a few hours,” he promised.
She watched him leave and sighed, missing his presence already, wishing they could have spent more time together. A shocking thought to have. Since when did a man distract her from work? She shook her head and opened the door to the containment chamber. “Hey, Asterion. I’m back. How was Blue while I was gone?”
“Savage,” the minotaur replied. “It shows no interest in communicating.” Leila glanced at her trapped subject. Blue stood at the glass, dragging its claws against it, still attempting to break free.
“Did you feed it?” she asked.
“Only once, as I didn’t want it to starve. Only…” Asterion hesitated.
“What happened?”
“The strangest thing. It had some kind of seizure. It sat on its haunches, trembling, and its eyes went milky.”
“How long did it last?”
“Maybe a minute, and when it recovered, Blue bit off a piece of its tail, which it then sat on top of the little hunk of meat I gave it.”
“Indicating awareness that it can create more of itself. An inborn instinct on how to reproduce, which explains the lack of sexual organs.”
“But why the seizure first?”
