It occurred to me Aurie was half-worried I harbored a back-channel to her sister or that I was in cahoots with the enemy. Wrong. The secret I was keeping had nothing to do with the case.

With my back to my companions, I moved from the couch and let the silk kimono slip to the floor. It fell quickly as if gravity was working double-time. Aurie emitted a startled gasp while Zyr whistled low and slow.

I didn't turn around. I was terrified. I had always felt like a circus attraction. This time I was putting myself on display. But it was the same way Death had forced Aurie to be her most stripped-down self. I also sensed Zyr felt somewhat naked without his badge. We could be vulnerable together.

I squeezed my eyes shut and faced them, and Zyr audibly shifted in his seat. My Empathy lit up with his emotions, but I tried to ignore what I sensed because it didn't feel like mere curiosity. It felt like something much less temporal. Something that would have to be addressed later.

When I peered at Aurie, her pupils skimmed over me, lingering at my chest, coursing past my abs to the dark thatch of pubic hair. She saw the male genitalia, and her relief flooded me. A part of her had feared I had tentacles or worse. In reality, at first glance, I appeared standard-issue. Only at first glance. Biting my lip, I reclined in bed and watched her reaction swiftly change as I revealed the rest of me.

"Oh, wow!" she yelped in shock. Her gaze flew to Zyr and back to me.

My cheeks burned as I reached for the kimono. "That's that," I murmured.

"Wait!" she stopped me.

Unable to face her again, I froze as she walked up behind me. My throat swelled, and my ears rang. She wasn't ready to know the truth. She wasn't ready to know. Memory flooded me with the jeers of people who had stumbled upon my secret in the past. Men who had hurt me because I was a freak.

The kimono was a flimsy shield. I wished I could make myself small, invisible. My heart beat painfully in my chest, louder than the thunder and rain. When a hand touched my shoulder, I resisted. But Zyr stepped in front of me and tucked a knuckle beneath my chin to lift my face to his.

"That was very brave of you," he whispered. I closed my eyes as his lips coasted over mine. His stolen kiss briefly replaced the taste of despondency. As I raised my gaze, I saw him glance over my shoulder. "Well, what do you think, Aurie?" he asked.

I tossed my head in a silent bid to be spared. "It's alright. I know it can be a bit disturbing," I tried to sound understanding. I didn't want to feel her dismay again. Yet, I couldn't stop what I sensed, any more than I could stop Zyr from asking.

Aurie stunned me by wrapping her arms around my waist from behind and resting her cheek against my back. "That's not what I think. I think," she said, "you're a gift worth unwrapping."

"What a polite way of saying I'm not what you expected," I allowed with a tiny smile.

"No, you're not!" She giggled, but I sensed her acceptance and something else: Her determination to be open-minded. "Now that I know the truth about you, does this mean you'll stop running away every time we kiss?"

"Come again?" Zyr asked, curious and turned on, per my Empathy.

"I never ran," I corrected as I shimmied out of the sandwich that they made of me.

Aurie playfully caught my hand before I could escape. "Oh, really?" she intoned. Her mischievous expression gave me butterflies. I raised a finger and said her name in warning, but she put her arms around my neck and cozied up anyway. I tugged the lapels of the kimono shut just in time. Zyr watched us with interest.

I rallied him. "Would you kindly explain she needs friends more than lovers?"

"Hey, you were the one who suggested otherwise," he laughed. The wolf dropped to the mattress with his hands behind his head. I tried to pretend I wasn't affected, but Aurie sidled even closer, planting desire everywhere she touched.

"Okay, what is this?" I smirked. It seemed she was trying to prove a point. To herself or me, I wasn't sure. Was she trying to see if "the feeling" remained now that she knew I was intersex?

"What is it, you ask? A prime example of what I was saying earlier. Here you are, mansplaining casual sex like you guys know what's best for me. What about what I want?" She pouted.

Her lips were so close to mine. I was mesmerized, no matter how I attempted to look away. Undercurrents of arousal swirled between us. "The feeling" was still there, alright. I started to explain what a bad idea this attraction was. Instead, I found myself wondering what exactly she wanted.

"Well, what do you think is best, Aurie Edison?" I asked.

"We could retry the one-night stand." She raised a brow with a half-smile. "All three of us this time," she clarified. Snorting, I retreated a step and shook my head at her, but she was serious. Zyr was as befuddled as me. Aurie parked her hands on her hips between us to show she wasn't backing down.

"We've already established casual sex won't get you to the Light," I scoffed.

"This isn't about the Light. I'm taking Selfish Alley for my own satisfaction like you told me to do. Remember? No regerts. Yes, I said 'regerts.' So, let's do this. Want some candles to set the mood?" she asked, grinning. I stared in amazement. Boldness was crazy sexy on her. Her yearning to explore something different emanated in waves. It was hard to tell where her lust ended and mine began.

"No." Zyr's baritone cut through the heightened sexual tension. Aurie's enthusiasm flagged. Maybe I was a little disappointed he turned us down, too.

"You heard the man," I mumbled. Never mind the desire. I shared the detective's concern something like this would cross a line that couldn't be uncrossed. To defeat Cyprian, the three of us needed to be distraction-free. And since sex couldn't cure what ailed our dear ghost, it wasn't a risk worth taking.

"Seriously? Neither of you gave it much thought," Aurie pointed out.

"On the contrary. I've been thinking about it longer than I care to admit, but do you know what you're asking, Aurie? Come here." Zyr beckoned as he hit the light switch. She trudged over, and he cupped her girlish face and stared down at her. "We won't be lighting any candles. We have to be adults about this and..." He flashed a teasing smile. "Grown-ups do it with the lights on."