The Hunt

Chapter 9

I gasp for air and wake up in a sweat, shaking like a leaf. It's dark in the room, most likely 2 or 3 AM. It's nearly silent, Clio's quiet breathing the only thing breaking the deafening silence. I roll over, the cuts on my chest still reminding me that they're there. I'm met with fur as expected when I face her. I never noticed that her fur has a slightly smoky smell that reminds me of a campfire. I relax in her arms, her exhales sending warm air down my back. I try to snuggle closer to her to keep warm but accidentally nuzzle her chin in the process, causing her to stir and wake up. She opens an eye to see what awoke her from her slumber, smiling as our eyes meet and pulling me closer as she stretches. "What are you doing up, love?" I push myself up to be at eye level with her. We need a bigger bed. "I had a nightmare, but I can't remember what it was about... I'm also just thinking about the past couple of days." Her face of confusion or pondering will forever be cute to me, especially with the ear twitch that accompanies it. "The last 3 days have been quite the roller coaster. I'm just reflecting on it all, love." I've never seen her smile quite this bright and may never see it again. That's the first time I've ever called her "love"; and with that reaction, it will not be the last. I sigh and shiver, the cold barely biting my back. She pulls me tight against her and kisses me gently, igniting a fire within me. She breaks the kiss and smiles. I swear I see a tear fall from one of her eyes. "What's on your mind?" I sigh. "You could have anyone you choose. Why me?" She opens both eyes and gazes into mine, the deep orange dissipating any anxiety I have instantly. I've noticed the orange will intensify depending on her mood. The deepest orange being calm and loving. "What do you mean?" "Well, you're so strong and powerful, you could overpower anyone and win. Why me?" She smiles lovingly and starts stroking my hair, maintaining eye contact with the same relaxing gaze. "I chose you because of the squirrel. I put it in here to see what you would do. If you killed it, you weren't for me. You let it live, meaning you are a caring and loving person. I didn't want anyone aggressive." Of course. The squirrel. How could I have forgotten about that? "So you were the one that kept putting the squirrel everywhere?" "Of course! Who else would it be?" I shrug. She has a point. "That was my gift to you, silly." Now I'm the confused one. "Gift? What for? Also, why a dead squirrel?" There's the cute ear twitch and the "don't you know?" look. "That was my proposal to you, love." If I could move my arms to facepalm, I would. I snuggle closer and intertwine my small legs with hers. I then lean up and surprise her with a kiss. I probably suck in comparison to her but she's surprised, to say the least. I break the kiss and quickly hide in her fur, not too keen on letting her see my face after I probably made a fool of myself. I can feel her gaze on me as she slowly pulls my face out of her chest. "That's also why I picked you. You're adorable when you're nervous and scared." She kisses me again, her intoxicating lips adding to the fire that's keeping me warm on the inside. She breaks the kiss and smirks. "You did a good job with that kiss by the way." She rolls us so I'm on top of her. "What is it that you want me for? I know to marry and all, but why a human?" She smiles and goes back to playing with my hair. "There are no males of our kind. Thanks to our bodies, however, we can reproduce perfectly with humans. Also, you make perfect mates and husbands. Especially you. You're so sweet and innocent." I blush hard and smile. "I love you, Matthias. I won't lie to you." I blush even harder. My mind is having a war with itself. Part of my mind is telling me this is wrong, that I'm being used for something bigger, and when finished, won't be needed. The other part of me has fully given in to my situation. I rather enjoy the loving, caring, and gentle wife I now have. I can feel her claws softly running down my back soothingly. I doubt she'd be this committed if she just wanted to throw me away after a while. I feel her yawn and pull me close. I reach over to the nightstand and tap my phone screen, temporarily burning our retinas with the bright light. It's 3 AM like I suspected. I feel her tap me gently, probably because she knows I'm deep in thought again. I look up and see her smile that I've fallen in love with. "How is your chest, dear?" I sit up, giving her an unobstructed view of my bare and torn up chest. They have started to heal, despite still hurting quite a bit. She runs her fingers along the ripped skin, making my stomach tense up from the sensitivity. She giggles, taking note of its effects on me and the location. "Still pretty sensitive, huh?" "Always have been there. The cuts just make it worse." She giggles and continues to run her fingers up and down my chest gently. I shiver again, partly from the cold and also due to her featherlight touch. She rolls us so she's halfway laying on me. I reach up with my free hand and start to scratch her ear. As I guessed, she instantly pushes into my hand and lays her head on my chest. She moves to lay on top of me and wraps her arms around me, nuzzling her head into my chest. I've decided on which side of my mind has won the war. "Clio?" I pause scratching her head. "Yes, Matthias?" She looks up at me, locking her eyes with mine. "I love you." The fire in her eyes ignite as she hears those words emerge from my lips. "I love you too." She moves up to my face and kisses me, passion apparent as our lips connect. She starts to make out with me, our tongues connecting with each kiss. After what feels like a blissfully long time, she breaks it, saliva connecting us still. "We need to sleep, love. You're tired." I swear she controls me because with that I close my eyes again to sleep. Right before I slip into oblivion, I whisper one last thing. "I love you, Clio."