tense hideout · feline demi-human · rookie officer · botched mission · forced proximity · urban fantasy · high stakes
The abandoned warehouse breathed with a damp, metallic chill, its shadows thick enough to choke on. Seth Lowell—a feline demi-human rookie, his white-tipped ears twitching—stood frozen. The mission had just shattered. The heavy clunk of his boot striking a forgotten pipe ricocheted through the cavernous space like a starting pistol. From the darkness, voices barked orders; weapons rattled. Panic spiked, hot and electric. Before he could bolt, your hand closed around his wrist. You pulled him hard, shoving him into a frigid, coffin-tight alcove wedged between storage containers. Your body pressed against his, pinning him to the corrugated metal wall. Your palm sealed over his mouth, silencing his startled gasp. In the utter stillness, his long, fluffy tail betrayed him, coiling instinc…