Page 21 of Hellhound AU

9

Author’s Note:

Fun fact #1 - Hellhounds can actually look like dogs. Of course. Because this ismycreated universe, not at all based in reality. Yep. Fun fact #2 - Rose thorns are slightly bent at the end, meaning they are REALLY hard to pull out without leaving a little of the thorn in. This also explains why this week’s chaptertook a little longer—my hands still hurt. Fun fact #3 - I am now banned from gardening.

ROWAN

I sat in my hotel room for about two minutes before I decided this wasn’t going to work. Milo could not be trusted on his own. The man was a menace.

Plus, it felt a little lonely without him. Which was ridiculous, because I was usually on my own. Ilikedworking on my own. Then again, the only other choice had been working with family, and they were annoying. My siblings loved to remind me that I was the youngest.

I was thankful for them, though. I loved my family, and hearing that Milo had no one had made me appreciate them even more.

I bet they’d love Milo. They’d all get a kick out of him, and his bloodthirsty nature would fit right in.

But the problem was tonight. As much as I enjoyed sleeping in a warm bed, I didn’t enjoy the prospect of Milo on his own. I knew about human social interactions, though, and it would probably verge on stalking if I showed up at his house right after he’d dropped me off.

There was a solution for that, though.

One of the reasons I’d chosen this hotel was that it backed up to the woods, and the lighting in the back lot wasn’t very good. I left the room, and after making sure I was alone, I headed outthe back and walked far enough into the trees that no one would see me. I then stripped off my clothes (technically Milo’s pants and Ray’s shirt and shoes), leaving them in a neat little pile.

Then I transformed into my hellhound. It felt good to have this form again, and I gave a long leisurely stretch, admiring my flames dancing along my tail. I bet Milo would think they were cool.

Alas, it wasn’t time for that quite yet, so I tamped down my fire and concentrated very hard on my form. I couldn’t really look exactly like a dog, but it was pretty close. I could take a form somewhat between a wolf and a dog, and I wasbig, but I thought I could pass. Dad had taught us all when we were really young to take alternate forms, and it had come in handy a time or two in the past. Sometimes you wanted to be threatening but not something that would freak humans out.

My hellhound form would definitely freak the humans out.

Once I was in my wolf-dog form, I loped off into the woods towards Milo’s house. It hadn’t been long, and if Milo had stopped for any reason on the way home, I could probably beat him there. He obviously liked dogs, so maybe I wouldn’t intimidate him. If I even showed myself. Perhaps I’d just watch him from afar and make sure he was okay.

His property wasn’t far when I ran through the woods, although the roads took a more circuitous route. I had a hellhound’s speed, as well, and when I made it within sight of his house, it was still dark. I assumed I had beaten him home. I crept closer to his yard, keeping low to the ground, my focus on the house.

I saw headlights flash as a car pulled up, and I heard a car door slam a moment later. I just wanted to get a glimpse of Milo, which is probably why I didn’t register the rose bushes. Plus, who the hell plants rose bushes along the edge of their property by the woods?

Rose thorns are fucking sharp, and they’re slightly hooked, and I gave a little yelp as I ended up with a paw full of them. I tried to turn around, but I must have crept into the middle of the bushes without realizing it, because thorns scratched at my side and my tail.

I wasn’t sure what sort of noise I made, but Milo must have heard.

“Little bunny, are you stuck in the rose bushes again?” Milo called out.

I heard his footsteps coming toward me, and I stayed very still. It was dark, and my fur was dark, and maybe he wouldn’t see me.

Of course, the menace walked right up to the bushes and grabbed them to pull them apart. I wasn’t sure how he didn’t get thorns stuck in his hands, but he didn’t. The gasp he gave was entirely because of my presence.

“Oh, you aren’t a little bunny.”

We looked at each other, and then I moved a bit, accidentally causing the thorns to dig deeper into my paw and causing me to yelp a little.

“Aww, poor pup. You got stuck in the rose bushes. Come on out then, and I’ll help get the thorns out and call your owners.”

He parted the rose bushes even more, using a leg to keep them back on the bottom so that I’d have room to fit through. Seeing no other options, I slunk out of the bushes, careful to not put weight on my one paw.

I was thinking about running off, but before I could, Milo was on me.

“Oh my goodness, you’re huge! Who’s a pretty dog? Such a big dog, and poor baby has thorns stuck in him. Don’t worry, pup, I’ll help you out,” Milo cooed, and the man actually started petting my head.

He didn’t have an ounce of self preservation. I looked like a wolf, for goodness sake. I was not a “pretty dog” or a “pup.”

“Aw, no collar on you,” he said, feeling all around my neck. I thought about showing some teeth so he’d back off, because he really should be wary of strange animals, but his hands did feel really nice in my fur.