I suppressed a shudder as my heart pounded unexpectedly hard, where a new sound flooded my chest with vibration. I did not want to accept it, but the Badgre’s touch evoked a purr as uncontrollable as the growl from seconds before. Tegra-Gale looked at me, and I thought I saw that sadness in his eyes again.

“These are the things I am trying to teach you to suppress, little kit. They are not wrong, but they are too easily turned against you. They do not make you weak, but people will use them to hurt you.”

His hand did not withdraw as I expected. It lingered, and I didn’t breathe, feeling as though any motion on my part would bring on his more familiar side, that which would turn around and slap me, or knock me down, but he didn’t. He walked away without dismissing me, and I stood there, still motionless, still imagining the the warm weight of his hand on my neck.