A part of Minka knew that, of course, but hearing it out loud terrified her so badly, the control she'd had a moment earlier started to crumble. Her breathing came faster. Then her claws and fangs popped out. Suddenly, the urge to tear into something was overwhelming, and it was all she could do not to lunge at the woman across from her.
"Zarina, I cannot stop it," she growled. "Get out and lock the door. Find Angelo. Hurry!"
Minka expected Zarina to run full speed for the door, but the other woman stood up and immediately came around to her side of the table and shoved Boris into her hands. Then, as if she didn't even care that Minka was a split second away from turning into an animal that would shred her to pieces, Zarina knelt down by her chair and started talking to her softly in Russian.
Minka closed her eyes and hugged Boris, desperately trying to keep the beast in its cage. But the beast was winning; she could feel it taking control.
Zarina stayed right beside her, telling her to relax, telling her that it would be fine, to think about Angelo being nearby, to think about his arms around her.
Minka wasn't sure how long it took, but when she finally opened her eyes, Zarina was back in her seat, writing notes on a pad. Somehow, the Russian doctor had successfully kept the beast from getting out.
"I'm sorry," Minka said softly. "I don't know what happened."
Zarina glanced up from her notes with a small smile. "Yes, you do. You got scared at the thought of Angelo not being here with you, and you lost control. All the more reason to learn some different techniques to control your darker side."
Minka didn't say anything. She needed Angelo like she needed air. Without him, she would be an animal in a cage, just like she'd been in Tajikistan. She'd escaped but would never be free of the one thing that truly haunted her.
Tears stung her eyes, and she blinked them away.
She was about to ask what these other techniques that Zarina had mentioned were-not that she thought any of them would work-when she picked up a familiar scent that immediately put her on alert.
Zarina must have seen her tense because the doctor turned toward the doorway the same time Minka did. It was the rat-faced man from yesterday, the one she instinctively knew would always be a threat to her.
He gave her an appraising look, his gray eyes taking in the tea and the Danish and the way she was still clutching Boris to her chest.
"Is the hybrid sedated, Dr. Sokolov?" he asked.
Zarina stood up and moved closer to the door, as if to keep him from coming in. Was it her imagination, or did he actually take a step back? That was odd, considering Zarina struck Minka as one of the least intimidating and most compassionate people she'd ever met.
"Of course, I haven't sedated her, Dick. That would be unnecessary, not to mention rude."
That was his name-Dick.
From Minka's time on the base where she'd worked with the U.S. military as a translator in Tajikistan, she knew the word dick was slang for male genitals. It clearly fit him.
Minka was so caught up in those thoughts that she almost missed what Dick and Zarina were saying, something about where Minka had been found, how she'd become a hybrid, and why she seemed to be so much more in control than any other hybrid the DCO had found.
"Sergeant Rios found her somewhere in southeastern Tajikistan," Zarina said. "Minka escaped from a facility almost certainly run by the two doctors who were working with Stutmeir, but she very rarely saw them. She was heavily drugged when she escaped and wandered for weeks. She has no idea where the actual lab facility is."
While Zarina had technically answered the question, she was leaving out many of the more important details Minka had told her. That surprised Minka. She'd thought Zarina was a very honest person, but now she was lying so calmly and convincingly, it was hard for Minka to doubt what the doctor was saying. Zarina knowingly lying to a man who was obviously very powerful in this place told Minka how much the doctor distrusted Dick. It convinced her even more that she was right to hate him.
Dick's eyes narrowed as they fell on Minka. "That's disappointing to hear. And the improved control that she appears to exhibit? Is that a coincidence, or does she represent a new radically improved generation of hybrid?"
Zarina shrugged. "I've already looked at her DNA. There aren't any significant differences between her and the first generation hybrids we've already studied. Perhaps she's more docile simply because she's a woman."
Minka frowned. She and Zarina hadn't talked about this subject at all, and Minka wasn't really sure what some of the words they were saying meant. But even so, she could instinctively tell that Zarina was lying about this, too.
Dick snorted as if Zarina's answer amused him. "Maybe. Perhaps you'll learn more after you've had time to study her." He regarded Minka again. "She's definitely not like the others. There's something about her that's familiar, though-I just can't put my finger on what it is."
He stared at Minka for another moment, then turned and walked out without saying anything else. The moment Minka heard him reach the end of the hallway and turn the corner, Minka looked at Zarina.
"You lied to him. Many times."
Zarina nodded as she walked back over to the table and sat down. "He's a bad man and can't be trusted. The only people you can trust here are Angelo, Landon, Ivy, John, and me. There are several others too, but you haven't met them yet. I'll make sure you meet them soon though, so you know who they are."
Minka was about to ask Zarina if the other hybrid-Tanner-was one of those people when she caught another scent out in the hallway. But it wasn't Dick this time. It was Angelo.
He walked in a moment later, Landon and John right behind him. He was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, like yesterday, that showed off his well-muscled arms. He had his silky, dark hair loose instead of in a ponytail, too. She decided she liked it that way.
A feeling Minka could only call giddy coursing through her, she jumped up and greeted him with a smile. He grinned and took her hand, and just like that, a sense of calm washed over her. As Zarina had said, it was probably not good that she was so dependent on Angelo. But what could she do? Her soul wanted what it wanted.
Beside Angelo, John smiled at her. "I just wanted to stop by and make sure you were doing okay."
She smiled back at him. "Yes, thank you. For everything."
Minka knew he was responsible for her having the freedom to leave the complex and stay with Angelo, and she appreciated that gift. It was strange how different this man was from Dick. Even though each had an air of power, John's presence was tempered with compassion, while power seemed to be the only thing Dick was interested in.
"If there's anything I can do to help you feel more comfortable here," John continued, "please just ask."
She considered that. There was only one thing she could think might help make her feel more comfortable, so she asked.
"Could you make Dick go away?"
John exchanged looks with Landon and Zarina. "We'd all like that. But unfortunately, he's difficult to get rid of."
"Dick came sniffing around right before you got here," Zarina said. "He's intrigued by Minka as much as he is afraid of her. I told him things I thought might deter him from delving too deep, but he's smart enough to know she's unique. He's going to keep poking around to see what Minka knows about those doctors and why she's so different from the other hybrids."
"Dammit," John muttered. "Unfortunately, I can't completely keep Dick away from Minka, but I can try to get in his way. He's digging for someone on the Committee, and I want to know who." He gave them a nod. "I'll see you later."
Zarina motioned to the nearly full tray of pastries on the table as John left. "Eat the rest of these. I'll just end up eating them all myself if you don't."
Minka laughed as Angelo and Landon practically attacked the tray. It looked like they hadn't eaten in days. She liked watching Angelo eat though, especially the way he licked his fingers in between each bite. She had no idea why she found it so intriguing, but she did.
"I think Dick has already noticed the similarities between Minka and Ivy on some subconscious level," Zarina said as she sipped her tea. "He's as perceptive as a fence post, so he hasn't made the connection yet. Right now, he simply thinks there's something familiar about Minka. But given time … "