Page 24 of Relentless Touch

“Not a wolf,” Kevin said. “I can smell the difference. Something less mainstream, but with an edge.”

Kenai tapped his nose. “I’m a maned wolf. The name is misleading. I’m not a wolf. And my shifted form looks just like a fox, but with stilts, but I’m not a fox either. I had a very confusing childhood,” he joked. “It’s just easier to say ‘maned wolf’ than ‘giant demon fox/not fox with a goth fur collar.’”

“You gotta show me some time,” Kevin said. “Honestly though, I think I saw one on Animal Planet. They look like the dog version of a flamboyant drag queen.”

“Thank you! Finally someone gets it.” Kenai smiled. “It’s nice not to have to hide what I am. Amy and Tyler are human, so we have to be careful what say around them, you know? You also have to be careful about dropping food.” Kenai leaned in and whispered, “If you accidently drop the expensive meat on the floor, especially steak, the skin under Rio’s eyes will start twitching, which means he’s marked you for death and will gladly stuff you in the walk-in.”

Kevin saw the mischief in Kenai’s eyes and decided to play along.

“Is that what happened to the last chef?” he asked, sucking in a breath. “Kenai, this is important. Did Rio eat the last guy?”

“Pfft. If he did, the police would never find out. His techniques for hiding evidence are legendary.”

“He told me he has a collection of bodies in his basement. Should I be worried? Is that a red flag?”

Their laughter filled the quiet kitchen. Even exhausted, Kevin noticed he felt better. Lighter. Like the tension he lived under from Izan’s threat had taken the day off.

Kenai caught him watching the window. “You good?”

“Mostly,” Kevin said. “I’m trying, but some scars run deep.”

“Trauma stuff.” Kenai shrugged. “Not your fault, man.”

“Is this your side hustle?” Kevin chuckled. “Amateur therapist?”

Kenai grinned. “No, just a trauma connoisseur myself. Racked up a few years in the foster system before someone adopted me.” He reached for the fridge. “You want something to help you chill out?”

Kevin blinked at that, but curiosity got the better of him. “Like what?”

Kenai tipped his head toward the walk-in. “Trust me. I got you.”

“What is it?” Kevin squinted warily, but it didn’t stop a smile from creeping up. “If you tell me it’s a healing tonic, I’m going to launch myself into the sun.”

“Nothing weird.” Kenai disappeared into the walk-in. A loud clatter filtered back, followed by a metallic bang and then a soft “damn it” under his breath. A few seconds later, he emerged with a small blue can. It read, in lurid neon letters, Black Lightning.

Kevin took it, turning it over in both hands. “Energy drink?”

“Nope. It’s the opposite. Nonalcoholic but loaded with things that reset your nervous system. Not FDA approved, but that’s only because of the caffeine loophole. Drink half if you want to chill, the whole thing if you want to sleep twenty hours.”

“Isn’t that just…drugs?”

Kenai shrugged, like that was the whole point. “Call it what you want. Sometimes it’s the only way to get your body to stop acting like there’s a fire in the living room.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Only if you’re human.” Kenai waggled his eyebrows. “Which you’re not.” He nudged Kevin with the can. “Try it. I promise on my maned wolf’s honor it won’t kill you.”

Kevin eyed the can one more time then frowned. He looked at the stairs leading to Rio’s office, but there was no sign of movement. Why not? If anybody needed something to blunt his edges, it was Kevin.

“Okay,” he said. “But if my organs liquefy, I want you to lie and say I died in a knife fight.”

“Deal,” Kenai said. “Let’s drink it in my car. No reason to sit in here with the smell of floor cleaner. Besides, I got snacks. Sweet and salty.”

Kenai chucked a thumb at the side door. “You coming?”

“Yeah.” Kevin followed him toward the door.

The hallway was cold compared to the kitchen, the air sharp and tinged with citrus cleaner he’d used to mop the floor. As he walked, a flicker of worry made him glance backward. The upstairs light was still on. How much longer was Rio gonna take?