She Is Not Human

Chapter 14

The dim light cast long shadows on the floor that swayed slightly with air coming through a ventilation window.

Suddenly, Max tensed up and dodged to one side. Just as he moved, several faint black shapes zipped past where he'd been standing, hitting the ground hard enough to leave deep grooves behind.

Before he could regain his balance, another shadow shot past him. Even though he couldn't see what it was yet, its sharp whistling sound and cool breeze against his face told him how dangerous it really was.

Around him, there seemed to be a faint shadow darting back and forth at high speed. But Max stayed calm; he shifted directions every now and then but kept himself steady.

Then suddenly—c***k!—a jolt of electricity struck out of nowhere! The members of the Radiant Organization who had been protecting Max sprang into action right away to fight off those shadows while gradually moving away together.

Max's gaze flicked around as he kicked open each toilet stall door. These were exactly where those shadows had been trying to keep him away from."

But to his disappointment, the bathroom doors creaked and swayed under the force, yet there was no one inside. Nope, not a single living soul. The woman who had brought clothes for Maya was slumped against the wall, her seven orifices bleeding.

Max had never seen anyone so good at hiding before. If it hadn't been for that woman's scream that tipped him off that something was wrong, he might have missed realizing someone completely unknown was lurking nearby.

Was this all about him or Maya?

Max's face turned serious as the guy on the other side of the wall held his breath; you could feel the tension in that cramped space—it felt like a mountain sitting heavy on everyone's chest.

The man hit by "Dream Death" clearly wasn't as calm and relaxed as Max. His tall, muscular frame was tense, every muscle quivering slightly.

But he couldn't move an inch. All he could do was stare with bloodshot eyes, battling against those crazy hallucinations swirling in his mind.

In front of him, it almost seemed like Maya had come back—her delicate hands gliding over his body until she reached down and gripped him tightly. That rhythm sent waves of heat coursing through him; he couldn't help but let out a groan.

He wanted to hold her close—to melt into her warmth and find some way to release all that heat building up inside!

Then came footsteps that jolted him back to reality just in time for him to catch his breath. There was only a thin wall between him and Max now; exposing himself would be a huge mistake—he couldn't risk it at all.

Max stood there for a moment, but nothing weird happened. He turned towards the sink and switched on the faucet, splashing cold water on his face.

But still, his gaze stayed glued to that flowing water.

Maya felt different somehow this time around—not just like an older brother wanting to look after her anymore; he found himself wanting to understand her deeper each time...

Once emotions got out of control, it was like trying to rein in a wild horse that just wouldn't go back to where it started.

The guy hiding in the wall had just let out a sigh of relief when Max left, but then suddenly, the light flicked on, and the hidden door swung open.

Out stepped Maya, the woman who had ditched him with those words: "I don't want you."

She still wore that indifferent look on her face, her bright blue eyes sparkling.

She tilted her head slightly as she looked at the man pinned against the wall by his guys. Her innocent gaze was locked onto him, full of confusion.

It was her again! How did she find him even in this secret spot they thought only they knew about? The door with its super-secure lock hadn't done anything to keep her out.

“Maya? I told you to wait! What are you doing here?"

Max's voice came from nearby.

The guy holding up the masked man broke into a cold sweat. Their earlier attacks hadn't even made a dent in Max; he seemed totally untouchable—only their master could possibly take him on right now, but unfortunately for them, their master couldn't move!

But as Maya approached, something triggered again inside his master—the d**g kicked in—and his eyes went all hazy again.

Those greedy red eyes roamed over Maya's brows, nose, and cheeks before zeroing in on her soft lips. He wanted nothing more than to pull her close and taste that intoxicating flavor for himself.

"What are you staring at?" Max's voice got closer now; there was definitely some caution behind it.

Maya pointed: "Are you looking for them?"

Her question sent chills down everyone's spine. Max appeared next to Maya, then wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace.

Meanwhile, one of the masked man's subordinates tried to grab his boss and make a run for it—but they were blocked by Max and his sister!

Startled by what happened next, he stumbled backward and hit the ground hard.

So, when Max took a closer look, all he could see were the long, fair legs and the tight round butt of the guy in that dark little space. The well-built man's broad back was facing him, smooth and clear.

Then there was another guy lying underneath him with his legs spread wide open, making things super awkward real quick. Max snapped into action, covering Maya's eyes with his hand.

"I can't see."

"I know," Max said firmly as he stopped Maya from trying to peek.

"Your hand is blocking me," she complained while grabbing at his fingers and twisting her body around. But his grip was like iron; it wasn't budging at all.

Her long eyelashes brushed against his palm, sending a strange tingle up his arm. He stiffened for a moment before glancing back at the two guys, who looked frozen because they had been interrupted. He shrugged it off casually, "Good thing it's blocked. There's nothing worth seeing with some smooth dude."

"Why not?"

"No reason," Max cut her off before she could argue any further and pulled her away from that scene.

As they stepped out of that dim room again and closed the door behind them, Max left one last comment hanging in the air: "Continue."

The masked man who had been on high alert suddenly felt blood rush to his throat after hearing what Max had just said—he almost coughed up blood again!

"Boss, I'll get right on it," one smart subordinate noticed how fired-up their leader looked and quickly put on a fake smile before slipping away fast.

"What are they continuing?" Maya asked as they walked out together.

"Just some people's interests—you don't need to worry about it," Max replied casually, but didn't hide the intense look in his eyes.

He quickly sent out several commands through whatever device he had without letting Maya catch on to anything important happening.

Then he paused at the entrance to where they'd just been and gave her a serious look:" I heard from little Eric that you really want that thing?"

"Uh-huh." Maya nodded. She never beat around the bush when it came to what she wanted. Honestly, she wanted him way more than that.

"Go ahead. "I'll wait for you." He pointed to the VIP room next door, his eyes losing their spark but filled with indulgence. He reached out to mess up her hair but stopped halfway there. His long fingers curled into a fist, and he tucked it behind his back.

He still remembered when Maya had shoved him out the door, her face all red with anger as she yelled, "This is for someone I like! You can't touch it!"

Even though things seemed a bit better between them now, just because Maya didn't bring up the past didn't mean she'd forgotten about it. He didn't want to poke at her sore spot.

But Maya had no clue about his inner struggle. She walked right by him, keeping her gaze straight ahead while her long black hair brushed against Max's hand, making him let out a barely audible sigh.

Just as she was about to push open the door, it swung wide and a middle-aged guy stumbled out, red-faced and clearly drunk.

The guy wasn't old or anything; he was decked out in flashy jewelry with an expensive chain hanging around his thick neck, giving off serious nouveau riche vibes. He was already big and now swaying all over like he owned the place.

As he passed by Maya, he suddenly turned his head with a creepy smile on his face.

When Maya caught sight of that nasty look in his eyes, her instincts kicked in just as this guy wrapped one of those steel-like arms around her neck from behind and pressed a knife against her heart.

His grip was so tight that Maya could barely breathe. All she could do was hold onto his arm tightly—the energy she'd built up over days ready to explode at any moment.

Timing was everything here. If she played this right like last time with that masked dude, she'd hit hard and fast before they knew what had happened.

After all, she couldn't recharge her energy right now. Every time she tried to gather some power, it meant she'd have to "hang tight" for ages just to get back up.

Just when she was about to make her move, Max, who had been standing off to the side, spoke up.

"If you're here for me, you'd better let her go."

He didn't budge at all from start to finish; his voice was calm and collected. But even just standing there, the guy didn't dare underestimate him. The calmer Max seemed, the more sure he felt that he could save Maya in a heartbeat. This dude knew about Max's skills.

"I know you, Max. I'm here for both you and her." The man slowly started unbuttoning his shirt with his free left hand and ripped it open to reveal something inside.

He grinned and said, "Let's chat nicely. If you play along, she'll be safe. Otherwise… well, I don't care if we both end up dead!"