Did I really just hear her say that?
“I mean. Really,” she said again, after swallowing heavily. “Only if it’s no trouble. You probably have plans –”
“I really don’t!” Henry blurted out, before he could second-guess himself. And it was true – he really didn’t. His entire plan in coming here had simply been to hang around in the woods in hellhound form until he figured out why animals had suddenly become irresistibly fascinated by him.
Speaking of…
Henry frowned as he realized that, once again, while he was with Luna, he hadn’t actuallyhadany animals popping up all over the place to try to nest in his hair or make a home in his pockets. Even Fillmore seemed quite content to simply loll on the ground at Luna’s feet, rather than clamber all over him while covering his face with sticky, slobbering kisses.
It was clear that finding out Luna was his fated matehadn’tbroken the curse – or whatever it was. The bear visitor had been proof enough of that.
Butperhapsbeing near to Luna meant that whatever it was was just less effective?
I’ll think about that later,he told himself. Right now, he had Luna to think about.
“You… you mean that?” Luna asked, as if she was hardly daring to hope she’d heard him right herself.
“Yes, I really do,” Henry said, trying to keep his voice level. “If it’d make you feel better to have me here, then I’ll stay here with you.”
A look of such pure relief washed over Luna’s face that for a moment, Henry couldn’t think of anything else. Was Lunareallythat happy that he’d just said he’d stay?
Of course, it had to be the mate bond, even if she didn’t know about that yet.
But the idea that someone – anyone – found his presence a comfort rather than a threat was an idea that Henry knew he’d have to take some time to get used to.
“It really would, I think,” Luna said in a small voice. “I just feel like… I don’t know. Maybe I’m going nuts. Am I just being paranoid, do you think?”
“If you’re worried, then that’s all that matters,” Henry said. “And anything I can do to help, I’ll do.”
“That’s really sweet of you,” Luna said, her blush spreading across her cheeks. She glanced out the window to where the light was beginning to fail, the sun low between the trees, which cast long shadows across the ground. “I really, really appreciate it. And honestly, even though it’s still pretty early, I’m exhausted. I was going to get some work done, but I just don’t know if my brain is up to it – I’m fried. I think I just want to get to bed early and try for a do-over tomorrow.” She glanced at him, licking her lips. “But… um. There’s really only one bed…”
“I can sleep on the floor,” Henry said automatically – and really, he could. “I’ll just shift into hellhound form and sleep on the rug. I do it all the time back home. I’ll be perfectly comfortable.”
“Oh… okay,” Luna said slowly, looking at him with just thesmallesthint of incredulity on her face. “Sure, if you’re… really,reallysure that’s what you want to do.”
You absolute fool!his hellhound roared at him as Henry shifted, and Luna headed into the bathroom to get changed into her pajamas.You total and complete moron! Our mate was hinting she would take us into her bed, and you’re curling up on the floor! She is ours, we are hers, and she knows it – she wants us! You are denying her! What kind of mate are we to her?!
If he’d still had hands, Henry would have clenched them. As it was, he simply sat down and waited for Luna to emerge.
I know that,he told the hellhound.But I haven’t been able to tell her that we’re mates yet, and now isn’t the time – like she said, she’s exhausted, and she doesn’t know what’s going on. If I… took her up on her offer now, it’d mean something differentto me than it would to her. It’s not fair. She has the right to know before we go any further.
Perhaps the hellhound could see what he was saying, as it only gave him the hellhound equivalent of aharumph!before falling silent, just as Luna emerged from the bathroom, Fillmore at her heels.
“Sorry, I only brought my dorky pajamas,” Luna said, gesturing self-consciously down at her bright pink flannel pajamas, which were decorated with a pattern of what appeared to be a cartoon dog pushing a lawnmower, with… bone-shaped bubbles coming out of it?
It was a pretty cute look for her, he had to admit. Though he thought that Luna could make a potato sack look cute.
He whuffed out what he hoped translated as a reassuring laugh, and he supposed that he must have been more or less successful, because Luna visibly relaxed.
“Oh,” she said suddenly. “That reminds me – I tried to give Fillmore a treat earlier today, but he was a little too, uh, distracted, somehow, to take much notice of it. But I feel bad – perhaps I’ll give him a little something now.”
Henry cocked his head as Luna opened the minifridge set into the cupboard of the kitchenette, interested to see what kind of thing a dog like Fillmore could possibly consider a treat – well, aside from being spoiled and adored, of course.
But as Luna drew Fillmore’s treat from the fridge, he felt his hellhound’s nose suddenly start to go wild.
Is it? Is it really?it thought wildly, its hellhound mind suddenly going in a whirl.It is! It is! Our mate is truly a goddess among women! A paragon! An angel!
Because what his hellhound’s nose was detecting was very definitelycheese.
