I Dated a Mad Scientist by Viola Grace
Chapter Ten
Krizt drove them to the address that Corianne had given her. The staff at the boutique smiled eagerly at her when they saw Krizt, and their smiles faltered when she said, “He’s just my ride.”
The associate who had spoken to her first smiled, and it didn’t look forced. “So, miss, what can I help you find today?”
“Well, my colouration recently changed, and a friend mentioned that you had products that would suit me. So, here I am.”
“Ah. I can definitely help with that. May I have the name of your friend?”
“Corianne.”
The room fell completely silent. The other three staff members went pale and flushed at the same time.
“Oh, you must be Arcady. Come this way. She gave us a general description, but she didn’t get your eye colour right.”
Arcady smiled. “She has very little interest in my eyes.”
Krizt walked up to her and kissed her on her cheek. “Call me when you are finished with your cosmetic rampage.”
She turned and reached for him, but he was gone, and the ladies had her in their clutches. The makeover was about to commence.
The ladies had dozens of questions about her association with Corianne, but Arcady kept the answers all very general. They had met through friends. Corianne knew she was not exclusive. All the questions revolved around Corianne’s knowledge about Krizt.
“I was having lunch with Krizt yesterday when Corianne came by, and we all chatted.”
That seemed to be what they were waiting for. They turned their minds and tiny brushes toward finding colours that suited her new pigment, and Arcady was no longer worried about their choices.
She was completely unsurprised when Corianne entered the boutique wearing a suit that cost more than Arcady made in half a year at both jobs.
Arcady smiled and held out her hand. Corianne took her hand and kissed it, bringing it to her lips and turning it to kiss her palm.
“You look very bright and cheerful today, with a slight lack of sleep. He’s that good?” Corianne raised her bright brows.
“What he lacks in skills he makes up for in stamina. But he isn’t lacking in either.”
Corianne moved in close, and she inhaled and then froze. “He’s a biter?”
Arcady blushed as Corianne’s teeth were very visible at that moment. “He is.”
“You don’t mind it?”
“I don’t.”
“Why isn’t it on your file?” Her murmur was against Arcady’s ear.
“New practice. Didn’t have a record of it before. It will be going in the update,” she murmured.
There was a happy squeal that came from Corianne. She nuzzled at Arcady’s neck, and her teeth grazed the skin, and the casual touch on her breasts let Corianne know how much she liked the touch of sharp, hungry teeth.
She whispered, “Corianne.”
Her patron turned to her and lifted her head, her gaze red and eager.
“Not here. Not now, and not with an audience.” She kept her tone stern.
The staff of the boutique sighed with disappointment.
Corianne smiled. “They haven’t gotten to the lipstick yet.”
Before Arcady could decipher that cryptic statement, Corianne kissed her, going from a press of lips to a deep taste. Arcady touched her face softly as they continued kissing, and soon, Corianne sighed and lifted her head. “You taste amazing, Arcady.” She smiled. “With a hint of coffee.”
“I drink it by the truckload, so I don’t doubt it.”
“So, if I bite you, I might be up all night.” She smiled slyly.
“Good lord. You’ll wear me out.”
Corianne chuckled and pressed her forehead to Arcady’s. “I look forward to the opportunity to try. Hurry up and recover. Call me if you need anything at all.”
They kissed softly, and then, Corianne left after stating that Arcady was to have whatever she wanted.
The staff looked after Corianne worshipfully, and the makeup artist turned back to Arcady. The brush strokes were light and impactful, leaving precise amounts of pigment on her cheeks and eyes. Her lips were coloured with a stain, and her skin tone had been matched with a custom mix of powders.
The mirror showed that her eyes looked huge and her lips looked slightly flushed. They had captured the look of started arousal. “Well done, ladies. You included the eye colour for the evening look as well?”
They nodded. “So, you are really familiar with Corianne?” One of the other staff members asked.
“I am fairly familiar with her. What would you like to know?”
“What kind of treats does she like? We try to have some on hand for our special clients?”
Arcady nodded. “Dark chocolate with raspberry powder and chilies from Argos Chocolatier. She likes expensive things.” She blushed at a memory. “Serve it to her on a small piece of black lace. It will... remind her of something.”
Holding the floral arrangement above her head, her body was covered by flower petals and chocolate. Corianne looked at her and bent her head to take the small morsels of chocolate between her lips and flicked them with her tongue over the course of two hours. The chocolate had melted, and so had Arcady by the time she was done.
She shivered. “That is my advice.”
Her artist smiled. “A shared event?”
“A planned event. She is very innovative.” Arcady got the box inside the tissue inside the bag and bowed slightly to the women. “Thank you for your assistance. You are sending that photo to Corianne?”
The artist grinned and nodded. “Just as she ordered.”
Corianne was going to have to hide that image from Zera’s online bots. She would have to be quick. Even the images from the night of the attack didn’t show her face. The escorts’ faces were removed from digital servers around the world the moment they started showing up. The only exception appeared to be the drawn artwork that Salat was creating as he doted on his kitten, and now the angel was rising in Aksalla.
Arcady exited the boutique with her bag, and Krizt walked up to her and offered his arm.
“Arcady, you look stunning and a bit aroused.”
She chuckled. “Thank you, and that is what a bit of precise colour can do for a lady.”
He pressed a kiss to her neck and paused. “Corianne was here.”
“Yes. The boutique alerted her, and she came to check up on me and make out with me a little.”
He snorted and touched her lips. “She kissed you here?”
“Yeah, she did.”
He kissed her lightly.
“And here?” He caressed her neck.
“We are drifting from public greeting into foreplay, Krizt.”
He chuckled and pressed a light kiss on her neck. “Good point. We don’t want to draw the ire of security for being two actives making out.”
She chuckled and yanked on his horn. “No. We wouldn’t.”
They started a slow walk, and she noticed the bag dangling from his fingers. “What’s that?”
“I got you some hair clips to hold your hair in the twist you prefer. What else do we need to do?”
“Update my appearance with the peacekeepers and report the theft of all assets from my accounts.”
“Right. We will do that next then head to Z-Tech and get your new credentials, so I don’t have to go with you everywhere in the building.”
She batted her lashes. “Then lunch?”
“Not until you are wearing something more fun.”
They were heading toward the parking area when a peacekeeper stopped them. “Dr. Krizt and Arcady?”
They glanced at each other and then nodded. “Your assistance is requested at our headquarters, Doctor. Your boss told us where we could find you.”
“Yeah, she’s good that way. We will follow you as I require my vehicle for the rest of the day, and my head structure does not fit into most standard configurations offered by back seats.”
The man nodded. “Ask for Captain Morswin.”
Krizt nodded.
Arcady smiled, and as they headed to the vehicle, she brought up all alerts and found nothing. They were buckled in, and she muttered, “They want to question you about the blood samples found at the scene.”
“Ah, yeah, I did break a nail.” He put the vehicle in gear, and they exited the parkade. “They probably want to arrest me for my part in the massacre, which was most of it.”
“What happened there?”
“Zera called me and told me where you were. I didn’t know that all her escorts had trackers.”
“Oh, yeah, under our navels. For just that purpose. Keeping us on the grid when other things can take us off.”
“I didn’t see that in the scan.”
She chucked. “It is just a tiny monitor bead activated by extreme pain, panic, or presence of sedating drugs. The moment those kick in, a beacon is activated.”
“So, that is how she tracked you.”
“Yup. Good thing, too, or I would be dead by now.”
His hands flexed on the controls, and the vehicle swayed. “Please, refrain from mentioning that.”
“Why? It was an actual thing.”
“Because my other half appeared, and he tore some folks apart. He does not like the thought of you out of his grasp. He’s possessive.”
“So, a separate consciousness?”
“Yes.”
Arcady grinned. “Neat. So, what stopped him?”
He pulled in to park at the peacekeeper headquarters. “You were crying.”
She blinked. “What?”
“You had started to cry, were covered in blood, and the marks of them tearing at you were still in your flesh. He was... concerned. He gave you over to the team member, and you were brought to the hospital to be stabilized so I could put you in the tank.”
She unbuckled and waited for him to open her door. He held her hand to ease her out of the vehicle, and she took his arm as they walked past a number of peacekeepers, who looked at their obvious active status, but they didn’t say anything.
Inside she smiled as she saw the team member that she was most familiar with. She had a soft spot for the blood drinkers. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, perky butt, and he was better at night. His red eyes and black hair made him a creature out of myth and legend.
Krizt nodded. “Tycho. What are you doing here?”
He grinned. “Hey, Krizt. I am the local teams’ lawyer, and I have been loaned out to you for this occasion.”
“Oh. Do they rent you by the hour?” She slapped her palm over her mouth when his gaze focused on her with his lenses slid down.
“You are the infamous Arcady. I have heard a lot about you. Zera is a big fan of your ability to keep Krizt on track.” He held out his hand, and she lifted her fingers to his. The moment he made contact, her eyes went wide.
Krizt smiled. “You have met him before.”
She withdrew her hand as Tycho froze. “I wasn’t what he was looking for.”
Tycho smiled slightly. “I think that status has shifted. You are allowing biting now.”
She blushed and touched the side of her neck. “Uh, yeah.”
Krizt sighed. “Him, too?”
“Yeah, but we just had a normal date.” She wrinkled her nose. “Ish.”
Tycho laughed.
“Krizt will be my primary once I am listed as recovered.” She felt Krizt relax under her hand.
“So, he is your physician and your lover?”
“Don’t forget boss.” She smiled at Tycho.
“Ah, how could I forget. You are still going to play as scientist and assistant?”
Krizt murmured, “And experimental subject. That is the one that gets me excited. Her genome is on the cusp of another activation. It is very interesting.”
She shivered when he said that. There was something in the tone that said he wanted her strapped to a table with scanners on, and there was going to be a lot of investigative contact.
Tycho looked her over, and he smiled. “Well, we are here to deal with a few unsolved matters, so we shall get that over with and then perhaps... lunch?”
He was looking at her when he said that, and she felt her heart speed up.
Krizt chuckled. “It might not be a bad idea. I can barely keep up with you.”
She covered her eyes with one hand. “Oh, god.”
Krizt stroked her cheek. “You also have a lot to give, boss. You know what people need.”
“I know what they need and what they want, and sometimes they are very different things.” She glanced at Tycho. “He’s already had something to drink today, so he is dealing with a want. He just learned that an okay toy has an extra level he didn’t unlock.”
Tycho grinned. “That does sum it up.”
“He’s a regular with Zera, so there isn’t much I can offer him.” She shrugged.
Krizt snorted. “I think you will find that the potential in your blood offers quite a bit to any who can earn your favour.”
The peacekeepers were gathered and watching. Tycho looked at them and sighed. “To business, I suppose.”
The captain was waiting for them, and they were directed to a boardroom. A city attorney was there and sitting silently to one side. He introduced himself and then resumed his observation.
The captain introduced himself to Tycho, and Krizt then looked at Arcady. “I am not sure that I know why you are here, Miss.”
She hid behind Krizt and looked at him with huge eyes. “If this is about the night I was taken, I should be here.”
Krizt looked at her in surprise, and then, he shrugged in resignation. “This is Arcady. She was at the heart of the investigation. She was the victim of the event.”
The captain approached her slowly and extended his hand. “Miss, you don’t match the description.”
“Dr. Krizt had to fix me. I was broken.” She hid her face against Krizt’s sleeve, careful not to smudge her makeup.
“How do you know Dr. Krizt?”
She smiled shyly and peeped out at him. “He’s my boss. I am his assistant, and I do things in the lab that he can’t because of the horns.”
“How long have you worked for him?”
“Eight months. I was hired because I was helpful.” She looked at him with wide eyes. “Now, I don’t know what I am. My eyes are purple, my hair is white, and I am a bit taller than I used to be.” She smiled and looked down. “My clothes still fit.”
The captain exhaled and looked at Krizt. “Please, have a seat. You, too, counsel. Miss, I think you should sit in the hall. The sergeant will give you a nice cup of coffee or hot cocoa.”
She crawled into Krizt’s lap. “I am staying here.”
“Miss, there are going to be some rather gory photos. We need to discuss the damage that the doctor did.”
She looked over at the captain. “I was there. I know what damage was done, and I know what he stopped from being done. Run your little slide show.”
The captain’s brain had to change gears as she went from being a cute little scared bunny to a bunny with teeth.
The enhanced video showed her being strapped down onto a chunk of rock, her legs splayed wide. The blood on her head was evident. Twelve men were circling and trying to get their nerve up to attack.
She spoke softly. “Pause the video.”
She looked at the captain. “Three minutes to enter the park and splay a woman out for gang rape. There are three peacekeeper stages in the immediate area, and while an alert was actually called in, there was no one sent until this moment. Continue the video.”
The captain went wide-eyed and continued the video.
The red stripes began to appear on her skin as they clawed her. One man took a place between her thighs and reached up to tear her panties away when he disappeared. The screaming started.
The blue and silver blur moved, and red exploded a heartbeat later. She watched as her hands and legs were freed, and she did the classic protective move and curled on her side and then lay still with the blood pooling on her skin.
An attacker came back with a pipe and moved toward her. His arm just came off.
That was the point where the team and the peacekeepers showed up.
“Pause the video.”
The captain paused it and looked at her warily. Tycho had his smirk hidden behind his fingers.
“So, what I want to know, is the delay because I am an escort, an active, a woman, or that it was right around break time for standard peacekeepers?”
The captain blinked. “It doesn’t explain the active that slaughtered those men.”
She held up her hand. “Please. He defended my life. He saved my life. He made sure I was safe. Play the footage.”
The careful lift and handing off to Hron were shown from multiple angles. Krizt’s transformed face was wider, his shoulders were massive, claws were long, and his total physique could have rivalled the heavy-lifting team members. There was blood dripping from his fangs, and he nuzzled her before he handed her over. Zera and the team then interceded and got him out of there.
“Our concern is over the sudden appearance of a new activation.”
Krizt was amused as she said. “What do you mean?”
“This aspect isn’t on our books.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Are you going to shoot me now?”
He blinked. “No, of course not.”
“Rape me? Bludgeon me? Punch me?”
“No, that is ridiculous.”
“Right. So, you are equipped at this moment to do all of those things. What you lack is the will and motivation. Krizt has this secondary form that he has access to. What he does not do is abuse it. This night, the night in question, he had will and motivation. He and I were co-workers who had a personal and un-acted-on attraction. We spend over nine hours a day together and some weekends at Z-Tech. So, before we could even have our first date, someone tried to brutalize and kill me. That provided him with the will and motivation. I would have done the same for him, in a somewhat less spectacular fashion, because I am not equipped to tear someone in half.”
The captain looked at his talking points. “Uh, right.”
She smiled and cuddled against Krizt. “Also, Doctor Krizt is listed as a physically manifested active. As you can see, he is. Physical manifestation is just that. No more, no less. The healing that I got in the tank to reinforce my shattered skull caused me to alter into a physically manifesting active with secondary intuitive skills. I was going to come in today to upgrade my status because I am a law-abiding citizen. I am even a legally registered escort.”
She stroked Krizt’s jaw, and he looked down at her, and she kissed him softly.
Tycho looked at the captain and the attorney for the city. “Your thoughts?”
The attorney smiled. “There is nothing to go on here. The families of the dismembered have no grounds to pursue a class action suit. Miss Arcady has more right to sue them for the alteration to her biology that was necessitated by the injury they caused.”
She smiled. “If you are eager to prosecute someone injuring the public, I can offer my brother Thomas. He has been defrauding the city by getting grants and pocketing the money for years.”
The attorney smiled. “Is he an active?”
“He is not.”
The smile got wider. “Can I give you my card?”
She lifted her wrist. “I normally don’t take numbers from humans.”
He winked. “Neither do I. What’s your BDC number?”
“Seventeen, but my biology has taken a turn.”
He smiled, and his fangs were exposed. “I can tell.”
She got his number and sent copies of the reports to him. She had everything ready to go. She had never blushed while sending incriminating documents before, but there was a first time for everything, and she had saved her first time for Krizt. Any other biters would just have to get in line.
