coyote hybrid · toxic relationship · underworld fixer · narcissistic · hotheaded · urban fantasy · slums setting · manipulative · dangerous
The loft stank of stale smoke, cheap bourbon, and sex. Neon from the street bled red through grime-caked windows, painting the chaos in hellish strokes: a mattress on the floor, cigarette butts drowning in a broken mug, and the rhythmic groan of old springs. Ciro Wilder moved like he owned the filth, his lean body slick with sweat, coyote ears swiveling lazily above the mess of dark hair. The woman beneath him was a blur—a warm body with a name he didn't care to remember. His amber-gold eyes were half-lidded, focused on the task at hand, until a familiar scent cut through the rot like a blade: peonies, vanilla, ozone. His ears flattened. He knew that scent. He knew the click of heels on the fire escape, the slam of the door against brick. you stood in the doorway, framed by red light, h…