“What do you mean?” Henry asked, as his hellhound’s instinct for danger twitched.
“Um. It’s a bit hard to describe,” Luna said, shaking her head. “Anyway, isn’t this… a bit of a mundane topic of conversation right now? I just found out you’re a hellhound, and now we’re sitting around chatting about my weird prank text messages!”
Reluctantly, Henry had to agree with her – he hadn’t even managed to tell her yet about her being his fated mate. But at the same time, he could sense there was something wrong here, aside from the fact thatno oneshould be causing Luna even the slightest bit of distress, prank or not.
If we find out who they are, we’ll see how they like being confronted with an angry hellhound.
With difficulty, Henry pushed the thought down. Not that he was against doing it, of course, but he didn’t even knowwhohe’d be directing his anger at, and until he found that out, he needed to keep his wits about him instead of succumbing to animal rage.
“Itiskind of weird though,” Luna said after a moment, frowning. “Not that I want to keep harping on about the textmessages when I havesomany things to ask you about being a hellhound. But it seemed for a moment there like… the person sending them knew what was going on in my life at the moment they were sending it. Like… like they werewatchingme, somehow.”
She shivered, clearly uneasy, and Henry’s concern – and anger – rose higher.
“Watching you? What do you mean?” he asked, careful to keep his voice as level as he could.
“Um. Maybe I’m just being silly, though,” Luna said, giving him a sheepish look. “And it’s really not that important.”
“Luna, you’re not being silly, if it’s got you worried.” Henry leaned forward, hoping he wasn’t coming acrosstoointensely. Sure, Luna hadn’t seemed in the least bit scared of him so far, but he waswaytoo used to monitoring himself around people to break the habit now. “Can you tell me what you mean? You said it felt like someone was watching you?”
Luna hesitated a moment longer, before shrugging. “Well, what the hell. I guess if you can confess to me about being a hellhound, I can get up the courage to tell you about this stupid thing. It was just that… well, while I was at the festival getting things to eat and… doing other things… I kept getting text messages that seemed to be talking about theexactthing that had just happened. Like when I couldn’t get some food I wanted, I got one saying that all my desires would be thwarted. And then an umbrella almost fell on me, and I got one saying that it was dangerous to ignore his ‘wrath’ or something…”
Luna trailed off, grimacing.
“And also some other stuff too,” she said quickly. “But I probably don’t need to go into that.”
The more Henry listened, the more concerned he became. “Sounds like this is more than just a prank. I don’t like it. At all.”
Luna raised her eyebrows, a surprised expression on her face. “But it’s just some joke, right? I mean, someone at the festival could have been doing it. You know, just following me around and seeing what I was doing, and then typing up a message… actually you know what, that would actually beworse, wouldn’t it? That would mean someone was stalking me, right?”
Henry nodded. Inside him, his hellhound was bristling and snapping, furious at the thought thatanyonewho might wish Luna harm could have been anywhere near her.
“I don’t like that idea at all, Luna,” he said, hearing the anger in his own voice – but somehow, it didn’t make Luna start back from him at all. She didn’t even seem to notice it. “In fact, I don’t even like the idea of you being alone right now.” He glanced down as Fillmore gave an indignant yip. “As good of a guard dog as I’m sure this little guy is.”
Luna let out a low, shaky burst of laughter. “Your hellhound form seems like it’d be the best kind of guard dog there is,” she giggled, and to Henry’s ears, she sounded just alittlebit manic – though he couldn’t really say he blamed her for that. It sounded like she’d already been having quite a trying afternoon, evenbeforeshe came back here to find him in her room in a state of, well,undress, and then having to deal with the knowledge that he was a hellhound.
“I could do that then, if you wouldn’t mind it.” The words were out of Henry’s mouth before he had a chance to think through what he was saying – and he could tell from the startled look on Luna’s face that she was as surprised as he was.
“Uh… you mean… be my… my guard dog?” she said slowly, her beautiful green eyes seeming to get wider with every word, as a pink blush rose on her freckled cheeks.
She’s gorgeous,Henry thought wistfully as they stared at each other in silence – and her beauty wasalmostenough to make him forget the incredibly awkward thing he’d just said.
But not quite.
“I mean… no, that was a stupid thing for me to say,” he said quickly, shaking his head. “I just blurted it out without thinking –”
No!his hellhound howled suddenly, cutting him off with the force of its fury.You finally just said therightthing for once! She needs our protection – show her that we can protect her! That as long as we’re here, nothing and no one would dare to touch a hair on her perfect head!
Henry resisted the urge to shake his own head as he tried to clear it over the sound of his hellhound howling and raving.
It doesn’t work like that for humans,he told it desperately.She doesn’t even know we’re mates yet, and this isnotthe time to tell her, when she’s just found out she might have a crazy stalker!
Are you stupid? This isexactlythe right time to tell her,the hellhound snarled in return.What better way to comfort her than for her to know she has a hellhound by her side for the rest of her life?
Gritting his teeth, Henry ignored the hellhound as best he could. Luna washardlygoing to want some guy she’d only just met hanging around her anyway, so all its arguing was moot –
“I’d really love that, actually. I mean, if you wouldn’t mind. If you don’t have anything else on.”
Henry blinked, staring at Luna where she sat across from him, her hands clenched in her lap, but her eyes bright and hopeful.
