Page 40 of Mortis

“You can drop dead, you fuckin’—”

His insult died when he spotted Kael standing directly behind me. Like, directly behind me. So close I could feel the warmth radiating off him through both our clothes. He’d shifted back into his human form before we’d left the flat, and was still wearing the unfortunate outfit I’d found for him the night before.

“Oh, you brought your stray with you.” Arlo smiled, blissfully unaware he was talking to a monster. “Hi, Kael the Vegetable.”

“I’m a vegetarian,” Kael corrected politely.

Arlo looked at me and lowered his voice. “So we’re still going with that, then?”

I shrugged.

Best not to pull on that thread.

“Where’s Grandad?”

Arlo leaned back in his chair and jiggled the mouse to wake the computer. “Client meeting in the office.”

“Didn’t fancy getting involved?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

His upper lip curled. “It’s Sandra Burnham.”

My expression immediately matched his. Sandra Burnham was the retired headteacher of the local Catholic school.

She was also a raging homophobe.

It didn’t surprise me that Grandad had left Arlo at reception. While I lived almost exclusively in jumpers and comfortable jeans, Arlo’s wardrobe was more expressive. He couldn’t have cared less whether something came from the men’s section or the women’s, provided he looked good in it.

Sandra, on the other hand, had never been shy about sharing exactly what she thought of his clothes. Or him. If we weren’t the only funeral directors in Blackthorn, my grandad would happily have told her to piss off elsewhere. But business had been slow over the last couple of months, and in a town this size, we couldn’t afford to turn people away.

Whoever had died, they were probably just relieved to be away from Sandra.

“Did you speak to the police?” Arlo asked, idly spinning the pot of Adler & Sons ballpoint pens between his hands.

I slid it back into place, ignoring the offended noise he made. “I stopped by on the way here.”

I’d made Kael sit on a bench outside the station and ordered him not to move or speak to anyone while I gave my statement. It had only taken twenty minutes, and I’d kept my explanation painfully vague. When the officer promised they’d close the investigation as quickly as possible, it was obvious we both knew they were never going to find the culprit.

Thankfully, said culprit was exactly where I’d left him. Sitting obediently on the bench, quietly watching people wander past without the faintest idea the demon from the forest was admiring the morning traffic.

“Anyway,” I continued, stepping away from the desk. “I’ve got some bodies to deal with.”

“Have fun with that.”

I walked past the display of coffins and urns, Kael padding obediently behind me like a puppy. We were almost at the door to the staff area when Arlo called after us.

“Get Kael some different clothes, Teds. I can’t take him seriously in a T-shirt that says I HEART MILFS.”

I waved him off and pushed open the door.

“And tie his hair up,” Arlo added. “A face that pretty shouldn’t be hidden behind a curtain.”

I glanced up at Kael. His hair was just as black in his human form, but instead of drifting like smoke, it fell well past his shoulders. Long strands hung in his face, barely hiding the intensity of his stare and the sharp lines of his jaw.

Monster or not, Arlo had a point. Kael was handsome. Painfully so. I had a feeling that if someone brushed his hair back, the full effect might actually be dangerous. Christ. I’d nearly climbed the walls after accidentally headbutting his muscular chest this morning. Not to mention my unsolicited close-up of the truncheon he usually kept tucked beneath all that fur.

“Teddy?”

Kael’s voice yanked me back to reality. Unfortunately, it also made me realise my eyes had settled on the dick print straining against his ridiculously tight joggers.