Page 34 of Dead Heat

His head bobbed. “You raise an excellent point.” His gaze skated to the bowl on the island. “I like bananas.”

I separated a banana from the bunch and tossed it to him. It seemed wise to keep a little distance between us, in case he got any more creative ideas.

He ate the banana, chewing thoughtfully. “What about ghosts? Do you think I could get it on with them?”

“You’re not that desperate, Alessandro.”

“Yet,” he emphasized. “We don’t even know if this is the end of it. I could wake up tomorrow with a shrunken head.”

“Then the receding hairline will be less obvious.”

He met my gaze. “I wasn’t talking about that one.”

“Right.”

He tapped his screen. “The list is done.”

I glanced at his text message. “Hyena girl? Was she a shifter?”

“No, it was her laugh.”

“That’s all you remember about her?”

He shrugged. “That was her defining characteristic.”

I sighed and switched to the most promising entry. “What can you tell me about Raina Balodis, aside from her name?”

“Leggy blonde. Met her at a music festival. She invited me into the portable toilet with her.”

Nana Pratt gasped. “But that’s so unsanitary!”

No one could argue with the guy’s charisma. “How was that remotely comfortable?” I asked.

He shrugged. “We only did it in there once, then we went back to my place, until she shifted and ruined the vibe.”

“Werewolf?”

He shook his head. “Swan.”

“There aren’t any swan shifters.” Most likely, Raina had the ability to take multiple forms. I still needed more information to narrow down the possibilities.

Alessandro contemplated the list. “She did have a bit of a temper, but I didn’t take it personally.”

“Maybe you should have. What happened?”

He averted his gaze. “She wanted me to … connect with the swan. When I refused, she hissed and bit me.” He rubbed his arm. “It was a painful pinch. Worse than my cousin Gianna and hers leave bruises.”

“That’s it?”

“Yep. She switched back to the willowy blonde, gathered her clothes, and left in a huff. Didn’t even bother to put them on first.”

“She just stormed out of your place naked?”

He nodded. “I should probably mention the wings.”

“As in spicy chicken?”

“As in she sprouted them. I caught a glimpse of them as she slammed the door shut behind her.”

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