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The moment the creature prowled toward me, everything happened at once.

By instinct, my metal arm tore free from my synthetic skin, but the creature’s massive strides shook the floor with every step, and I already lost my balance, and hit the ground hard. I tried to get up, but Mina was already there.

In front of me.

Shielding me with her body.

Her long black capelet swept through the air as she stepped between me and the creature. My eyes widened, my mouth falling open as her fiery red hair filled my vision, cutting me off from everything else.

Mina protects me. Fuck.

As I stood there with my mouth agape, trying to grasp the reality of this, a sharp crack split the darkness. A bolt of electricity arced from her palm and struck the creature full in the chest. Its knees gave out, the massive frame swayed before collapsing, hitting the floor hard enough to shake the walls.

When the creature finally lay still, Mina wheeled on me.

“What are you doing here? You could’ve died! Are you stupid?”

Her shout snapped me out of my daze. I got to my feet quickly, and met those eyes, blazing with fury… My throat went dry. Damn, she looked so cool, so hot like this. She was scolding me, making me the target of her anger…

Is this real?

“I was… looking for you.”

Her expression changed, fear giving way to confusion, then something that looked like hope, and I already regretted it. I was about to continue when the low murmur of another voice pulled her attention sideways.

“Hey, Silvia… can you hear me? Silvia?”

Her cop friend was murmuring to the creature. Mina crossed to where it had collapsed, crouching beside it, and spoke to it the same way her friend was. I waited. I wasn’t entirely sure why, only that I owed her, at minimum, a goodbye.

“Girl, this cannot get out. People were filming. Fuck, how do we even contain this—”

Mina rubbed the officer’s back. “I’ll make some calls. Just make sure Silvia’s alright.”

She walked back slowly, and I looked anywhere but at her. When she cleared her throat, I immediately turned.

“I’ve got something to take care of. Don’t you dare disappear. We need to talk.”

She didn’t wait for an answer, and I only could stare after her. I couldn’t quite kill the smile spreading across my face, or slow my pulse. It had been so long since she had bossed me around, regarded me like I was hers to deal with.

I licked my lips, but my throat still dry. When I finally gathered myself, I followed her way the exit.

My gaze dropped briefly to the horrific body on the floor, then to the officer beside it. What exactly was Mina involved in? I had always assumed she only wrote news and columns. So why did she carry equipment capable of dropping a mutated human with an electric charge? When the night was over, I intended to look into that matter.

Outside, the crowd had nearly disappeared. Only one figure remained beneath a streetlamp: Mina, phone pressed to her ear. And other than her, a headache lad staring at me.

“Brother…” Bugan approached with his head bowed, sheepish and small. I exhaled, but felt more tired than angry, so I allowed him speak. “I… I know how it looks. But I did it to protect you.”

I arched a brow. “By telling everyone I’m a mad scientist?”

“You know nothing, brother. They want you dead.”

He was about to press further, but Mina ended her call and walked over, her gaze moving between us before settling on me.

“Am I interrupting something?”

Before Bugan could speak, I cut in. “No. He was just leaving.” I gave him a pointed look. “Call Arga to come get you.”

Once my brother vanished into the night, I turned back to her, struggling to suppress a smile.