"That is very disgusting,” I state. “Is it supposed to be that...juicy?" Really, it's blood that is pooled at the bottom of the Styrofoam container. I try not to be grossed out, but it's difficult.
"Have you ever had steak tartare?" she asks.
"That would be a firm no."
"Well, then you can't say anything. The staff keeps it on hand, especially for me and cadets like me. I am definitely not the only one who enjoys it. Try it. It’s guaranteed not to be a shifter."
She stops walking, and with her fork, she digs into the raw ground beef and reaches over to me, letting it hover near my lips. It doesn't smell all that bad, but it's the look in her eyes that makes me pause.
Mila's blue eyes seem to be on fire as she watches for my reaction. I lean forward, close my lips around the prongs, and take the bite into my mouth. Savory sourness bursts on my tongue.
"Hmm." I swallow slowly, my gaze still glued to Mila's. "It's actually pretty good."
She tosses her long red hair over her shoulder with a triumphant smile. "Technically, I just watched cannibalism."
My face falls for all of two seconds until her laugh bubbles out of her. "I'm joking, but your expression was well worth it. FUC would never use non-certified dealers, so all the food here is guaranteed to be non-shifter.”
She scoops more of the tartare onto the fork and cocks an eyebrow, daring me to take another bite. I do, but this time, I reach out for her fingers, stabilizing her shaking hand.
“Does this curb the vampire bat’s craving for blood?”
Mila rolls her eyes and starts walking, munching as she goes. “It depends. Sometimes, as soon as I shift, I’m flying off to the nearest mammal to get a fix. I have to do it, though. We die if we don’t ingest blood at least once a night. It’s barely a teaspoon of blood, so the animal doesn’t even feel it."
"I guess it makes sense that your mother would have a fascination with blood."
Nice one, jackass.
Did I really have to go there?
"Sorry,” I mumble. I do find the information interesting. Markov is a hematologist who is also a vampire bat. That’s just a fancy way of saying that she is a blood doctor who actually needs to ingest blood to survive.
Mila’s eyes catch my own, and she shrugs. "Totally fine,” she says. “You're not wrong."
In short, Mila is fascinating. She is equal parts chaos and control.
She keeps surprising me. Coming here, I knew I was getting an expert in all things Sveta Markov. I didn't expect to be working with Markov's daughter. And I sure as hell didn't anticipate that she would have a war room dedicated to her mother’s crimes.
To solve them. To give the families some closure. It takes a special kind of person to do that, and I admire Mila.
It takes strength of character to do that.
Mila isn't conventional in the least, which is usually my type. But there's something about her that calls to me. Typically, the women I am attracted to are predictable. It's what I prefer.
I never know what might come out of Mila's mouth next, and I've known her only a few hours.
If anything, working with her should prove to be interesting and a test of my composure.
5
Mila
I don't even have to knock on Director Cooper's office door.
It swings open to reveal my boss in all her tall, powerful glory. She's dressed in a killer red power suit, and her face is pulled into an unimpressed look.
"Took you long enough. I was just heading out to make sure you found our resident Dracula." Her words are aimed at T-Bone, who is standing right beside me.
I barely contain my eye roll. Director Cooper is a badass, and I definitely don't want to piss her off. I deal with all of her vampire jokes because I am extremely grateful to work for her.
As a bat, I’m in an odd position. Though I am a mammal, I fly. My body might by furry, but my wings aren’t. The Avian Soaring Society has been trying to get me on their team since I applied for FUC. They firmly believe that my expertise should be theirs, and theirs alone. But ASS is a stuffy place. I’m much more comfortable working here for Alyce. She has fought to keep me, and I don’t want to let her down, giving her faith in my abilities.
Really, it’s too bad it’s not the Mammal United Coalition instead of the Furry United Coalition. I’d never be asked to join ASS if the name was different.
"We were discussing Markov and our strategy," T-Bone cuts in before I can say anything.
"Good. That's good. We just sent out two of our teams to join the RCMP's manhunt. Are we still sure that we shouldn't alert the media?"
"I have the same concern," I say, earning me a nod from Director Cooper.
"Yes, I think it's best." His voice is clear. "I know you don't agree."
"I see it as your organization trying to save their own hide from public outcry. This is exactly why we wanted Markov kept in a FUC facility in the first place."
"Well, seeing as her victims, all hundreds of them, were human, we had to put her in a human prison. There was no other way to work around it. Or so I was told, because, let's be completely honest, that decision was made fifteen years ago when FUC was relatively new. Did the organization even have the resources to hold shifter prisoners then?” He gives Director Copper a small smile, but she doesn’t go for it. “Besides, it was way above my pay grade. I wasn't even a cadet yet. I'm sure we will agree that she needs to be relocated to a FUC jail once she is captured."
"I agree." Director Copper settles behind her desk, and she gestures for us to come in. "But I didn't
