Chapter 71

“On the other side, watching. Don’t worry, they will snuggle together and be fine.”

“She didn’t like the idea very much,” I commented, with some irony.

“I think what Nika doesn’t want is for someone else to smell Rex’s scent on her clothes or skin, but we can’t do anything about it. She doesn’t change shape, she doesn’t have hair to protect herself, and neither do you,” he explained to me, speaking almost in an inaudible whisper, and it was scary to see his jaws moving to speak right at my eye level. The way his black lips articulated was amazing, even though on the outside it was the same snout as any animal. “Don’t be afraid, I’m not going to do anything to you. You can stop shaking now, Johanna.”

“I’m not afraid, I’m shaking because I’m cold, but it will go away. You’re a stove, you know?”

I want to believe that the way he showed his teeth meant a smile. After a while, he yawned, showing me the true magnitude of his fangs and the rows of sharp teeth in his