Then there was the woman who had come in with Landon. Minka couldn't understand what to make of her, and neither could the beast inside her. The woman's scent had been so strangely familiar. But more than that, there had been something else about her that told Minka she was incredibly important. She just didn't know why. And unfortunately, the woman had left before Minka could figure it out.
But the most unsettling aspect of this place that Angelo had brought her was the lab. It put her whole body on edge. It was like the beast was waiting just a few inches away, ready to burst back out if one more bad thing happened.
That was why she'd been so worried when Angelo had wanted to go out into the hallway to talk to his friend. In fact, she had just about panicked. What if the beast came back the moment he stepped away? Even after that doctor had come at her with the needle and she'd lost control, Angelo had brought her back from the edge simply by pulling her close. If he let her go, would the monster come back?
Minka took a deep breath, trying to calm herself the best she could as she sat down in the chair beside Zarina's desk. She couldn't keep holding on to Angelo for the rest of her life. Besides, Zarina seemed like a very nice woman-and surprisingly calm even though she was in the same room with a monster. Perhaps Zarina could help keep the beast away.
Still, as logical as that all sounded, Minka kept her eyes locked on Angelo. If the beast came charging back, she was prepared to be back on her angel's arm in an instant. But just being able to see Angelo seemed to have a calming effect. Not as much as touching him, but if she focused her attention on him, she found that the beast was content to murmur in the background.
She was so focused on Angelo that she didn't realize the female doctor had begun the examination. She stiffened, remembering all those times the other doctors had hurt her.
Zarina must have noticed how tense Minka was because she immediately stopped what she was doing and stepped back. "Minka, I just want to make sure those people who did this to you didn't do anything else." She smiled. "I promise I won't hurt you."
Minka didn't say anything. While she believed Zarina, that didn't mean she wasn't scared to death at the same time. She wrapped her arms around herself protectively, pulling the uniform overshirt Angelo had given her tighter as she looked in his direction again. Part of her wanted to call out to him while the other part wanted to run into the hallway and cling to him. But it seemed like he was having an important conversation with his friend. And she had already caused him so much trouble. She didn't want to cause more.
"Minka, do you feel like you're about to lose control?" Zarina asked suddenly.
Minka jerked her head up to stare at the doctor. She wanted to shake her head, afraid of what Zarina might do to her if she knew how close the beast was to breaking free. But instead, Minka nodded, then waited for Zarina to reach for a needle-that was what the other doctors had done.
Zarina smiled. "I understand, and it's okay. What you need is something else to focus on, something you can hold on to that will help keep the animal calm."
How was it possible for Zarina to understand what she was feeling? It was like she had dealt with people like her before. But something to hold on to was exactly what Minka needed-preferably, someone.
Minka watched as Zarina walked around her desk and picked up a small, furry … thing from the bookshelf behind it. Minka thought at first it was some kind of rabbit pelt. What on earth did the doctor want her to do with that?
But one sniff told her the thing had never been alive, and she was more confused than ever. It was not until Zarina came over to her that Minka realized it was some kind of child's toy, soft and furry like the animal it was supposed to represent. Minka had owned a cuddly bear when she was very little, but it had looked nothing like this one. She wasn't sure what kind of animal this was even supposed to be.
Zarina smiled. "This is Boris. He's a sloth from Central America. He is very friendly and likes to be hugged." She held out the toy to Minka. "Give him a hug and see if it helps."
Minka felt very foolish as she took the child's toy and gave it a squeeze. But she immediately realized holding the furry thing did indeed help. It felt like the beast inside was smiling. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought it was amused.
So she hugged Boris and kept an eye on Angelo standing outside the door as Zarina slowly unbuttoned Angelo's uniform overshirt enough to check her chest, stomach, and back. Minka tensed when Zarina ran gentle hands across the faded scars on her back and shoulders.
Even though Zarina wasn't hurting her, the feel of her hands there made the beast uncomfortable. Minka hugged Boris more tightly, but Zarina was too busy talking softly to herself in Russian to notice.
"Why would any human do this to another?" Zarina murmured softly.
"The doctors who made me this way tortured me to force the beast to come out," Minka answered in the same language.
Zarina looked at her in surprise. "You speak Russian?"
Minka nodded. "Yes. My father is Russian. He was serving in the Soviet Army stationed in Dushanbe when he met my mother. After the Soviet union collapsed, he stayed and they married."
Zarina seemed delighted to have someone else to speak Russian with, and Minka couldn't help but pick up on the woman's exuberance. She smiled, automatically relaxing as the doctor continued her exam.
But no matter how distracted she was by Zarina's words, she was aware of Angelo's return the moment he walked into the room.
"I see you've made a new friend," Angelo said, chuckling as he placed a gentle hand on her back. Minka immediately felt herself relax.
Zarina glanced at him as she wrote something down on a notepad. "There have been quite a few studies that show hugging a plush animal can help with anxiety in adults as well as children."
"This is Boris. He is helping me get through the exam," Minka said softly, hoping Angelo wouldn't laugh at her.
But he didn't. He merely reached out and ran a finger over the sloth's furry head. "If he's a friend of yours, he's a friend of mine." He glanced at Zarina. "Is this the one Tanner bought for you as a way to apologize for running off to Costa Rica?"
Zarina nodded. "Yes. He said it was your idea. Did you really think having him buy me a stuffed animal would make up for him leaving without telling me?"
Angelo shrugged and gave the doctor an innocent look that Minka decided didn't really work on him. Clearly he did not know that, though.
"Yeah," he said. "I thought it might."
Zarina shook her head as she made some notes. When she was done, she looked at Angelo again. "Physically, Minka is as fit as any other shifter or hybrid. But for me to understand what those doctors did to make her this way, I'm going to need to draw some blood."
Minka was still trying to figure out what a shifter was when she heard that, and she decided she didn't care what they were. Her fingers tingled as her claws started to lengthen.
"I don't think that's a very good idea, Doc," Angelo said. "Minka isn't really a fan of needles."
"I realize that, but I need to know exactly what was done to her and who did it."
Minka didn't understand what Zarina meant, but from the way Angelo's shoulders slumped, he obviously thought this was something they needed to do.
"If I let you take some of my blood, will it help you find a cure for this?" Minka asked, holding up a hand to show them her curved claws.
Zarina's eyes were sad as she shook her head. "I've been trying, but I've been working on it for over a year and I'm not even close. A sample of your blood might help me figure it out. If nothing else, it might stop this from happening to another person."
Minka bit her lip. She was terrified of needles, but if it might keep this from happening again, she would do it.
"Okay. You can draw my blood," she said to Zarina, then looked up at Angelo. "But I'm scared."
Angelo dropped to one knee beside her so that his soulful eyes were level with her own, then took her hand in his. "I know, but I'm right here. I promise Zarina won't hurt you or try to inject you with anything."
Minka already knew that, but it still helped to hear Angelo say it out loud.
He must have sensed her unease because he tenderly brushed her dirty hair back from her face. "Why don't I go first, so you can see exactly what Zarina is going to do?"