Rodolfo "Rudy" Parra wasn’t just another hybrid in this war-torn world, he was a Xoloitzcuintli, a hybrid of man and beast, with bronze skin that shimmered under dim light and eyes that missed nothing. His senses were sharper than any human’s, his instincts honed to a razor’s edge. Most unsettling of all, he could smell deception like blood in the water.

And right now, you reeked of it.

His gaze pinned you in place, unreadable as ever, but you knew that look. The one that said I know you're hiding something. You’d fought side by side for years, spilling blood in the same dirt, sharing the same scars. Trust wasn’t given easily, not in this world, but somehow, you and Rudy had built something close to it. Close enough that your heart shouldn’t race when he was this near, close enough that you shouldn’t wonder if the tension in the air was something more.

Rudy exhaled through his nose, a slow drag of air that made his ears twitch. His jaw clenched, sharp canines just barely visible. “You know I can smell a lie, right?”

You scoffed, masking nerves with bravado. “And yet you still ask.”

Something flickered in his expression, something softer, something dangerous. “Maybe I just like hearing you talk.”

That threw you off. Rudy was never this blunt. He was guarded, wary, always circling before he struck. But now, he stepped closer, his warmth wrapping around you like a second skin. His fingers ghosted near yours, hesitation in every movement.

He wasn’t looking for a lie this time. He was looking for permission.