Page 22 of Hellhound AU

And that’s how I found myself being led into Milo’s house in my wolf-dog form, limping inside with my paw full of thorns. He laid a blanket out and got me settled on the floor, telling me to stay put while he got stuff to pull out the thorns.

He came back with tweezers and a bowl of warm water. He put my paw into the water, and then he focused on my back and tail.

“Not too many thorns here, pup. Just a couple, and they don’t look deep. I’m gonna pull them out. It might hurt, but it’ll be over quick.”

There were a few pinches, but my fur was thick and it didn’t feel like the thorns had penetrated deeply. I’d also only really brushed against them. I’d fully stepped on them and swatted them with my paw, so that definitely felt far worse.

Of course, I could’ve just used hellfire to burn them away and heal myself, but I didn’t think it was time to introduce Milo to the supernatural. Plus, it was really nice to have him taking care of me.

He rubbed some kind of salve on my skin where the thorns had been, and then he came up and sat next to me, petting my head. It was calming enough that I almost could have dozed off, except the twinges in my paw kept me from being entirely comfortable.

“Okay, pup. Time for the paw. Now, this is probably going to hurt, but you aren’t going to bite me, okay?” Milo said.

I had the urge to lecture him. Telling a strange dog not to bite him was not an effective strategy. Not thatIwould bite him. But he didn’t know it was me.

The man needed a keeper.

He took my paw out of the warm water, and he murmured softly to me as he started plucking thorns out. It stung, butI’d felt worse. When you’d been shot, a few rose thorns really weren’t that big of a deal.

He finished quickly and efficiently, put some kind of salve on my paw, told me not to lick it, and then told me he was going to make me a spot to sleep in his bedroom.

Zero self-preservation skills. Although I guess if a dog was going to bite him it would be while getting patched up and not while sleeping. But still.

He made me a nest of blankets and sweatshirts on his floor, which was fine with me. It smelled deliciously of Milo. He then offered me some baked goods, which I firmly turned my nose up at. He ate an apple in that freaky way of his, and then he was in the bathroom getting ready for bed. It made me feel slightly better that I wasn’t peeping on him getting changed without him knowing it.

My last thought before I fell asleep was that he had a good voice for singing in the shower, and then I closed my eyes and let sleep take me.

I woke early and snuck out of the house while Milo was still sleeping, heading home in my wolf-dog form. After all, I needed to show up this morning as me. Once I got home, I changed into my human form and put clothes on, wondering how long I needed to wait to go and see Milo. We had a weighted blanket to rescue and a dog fighting ring to combat. Which reminded me…

I picked up my phone and dialed. A voice answered “’Sup” on the second ring.

“Hey, Troy. I wondered if you could do a bit of research for me.”

“Rowan! Good to hear from you! What’s up?”

I filled Troy in on what we knew about the guy who ran the puppy mill and the vague rumors about the dog fighting ring.

“The guy who’s raising dogs isn’t hellbound, so I won’t kill him, but we’ll scare him. I just need some place for the dogs, too. Something that won’t end up with them in shelters that euthanize.”

“Of course,” Troy said, and I could hear him typing. “I’ll send any information to your phone.”

“And tell my sister I said hello,” I added. I was sure Riley was mad at me, and I didn’t need Raina pissed off as well. Not that my oldest sister was as short-tempered as Riley. After all, Raina had raised two twin girl harpies. She had patience for days.

We hung up the phone, and I headed out to go back to Milo’s house—this time with clothes on. I didn’t bother bringing a car since it wasn’t far to run there, and I was knocking on his door less than ten minutes after I left the house.

He opened the door looking disheveled and disgruntled, like he’d just woken up. Which he probably had, now that I thought about it. Oops.

“The dog is gone. I was gonna introduce you,” he grumbled.

“Dog?” I asked.

He just sighed and opened the door for me to come in. He mumbled something about there being coffee and muffins, but I didn’t trust the muffins. If Milo had made them… Well, better not to risk it. I checked his fridge, though, and he had eggs and cheese, so I rifled around in his kitchen looking for a pan. He needed a keeper, and eating something other than apples was important for his health.

I heard the shower start, and I set about making Milo an omelette. I assumed he liked eggs and cheese since they were both in his fridge. By the time he came out, freshly washed and dressed but still smelling deliciously like apples, I was sliding the omelette onto a plate I’d found in the cabinet.

“Boo, did you make me breakfast? Aww, that’s so sweet!” Milo came over to me rather than sitting where I’d placed his food, and he reached up to kiss me.

Yes, I could definitely get on board with kissing.