The Hunt

Chapter 14

I open the nightstand, pulling a brush out and a hair pick. I crawl over to Clio, who is sitting on the edge of the bed. I sit behind her and hug her before using the hair pick to start removing the large knots from her hair. I hear her yelp whenever I hit a tough one and have to work it out. "Do normal human mates have to do this after a shower?" I nod. "Yes, hon. Now hold still." I continue pulling knots out of her hair, causing more yelps and whimpers of pain. I finally pull all of the large knots out of her thick hair and begin brushing it. I knew she would enjoy this. In response to brushing her hair, she leans back into me and twitches her ears in delight. "Do you like taking showers now?" She looks up at me through the top of her eyes. "Yes! We should get one every day!" I'm going to be brushing her fur for the rest of my life. It could be worse, I guess. I brush the fur on the rest of her body, making Clio nuzzle into my hand instinctively. When I finish, I'm pinned underneath a very soft, large, loving, wolf woman. I can't say I don't miss the smokey smell she once had, because then I'd be lying. She looks up at me from my lap and smiles. "I can tell you've started enjoying things with me. You do love me!" I rub her ears, forcing her to instinctively nuzzle into my hand. "I do. I won't lie to you." With that, she rolls over and pins me to the bed. I can feel the room grow increasingly warmer. She has the biggest smirk on her face, indicating I'm really in for it now. "If you won't lie to me, then tell me how you feel about me. Tell me what you like about me." She is now inches from my face, her eyes filled with the burning orange. "Well, I like everything about you." That was the wrong answer. I can feel the room become uncomfortably warm. "Oh really? List everything off." She is now a mere inch from my face. "W-well... I like that you're k-kind and caring..." I can barely talk with the heat of the room making it hard to think. "I also like how l-loving you are. Why do you want me to list all of this?" She smirks, the heat multiplying in intensity. "I want to know what you find most irresistible." She gently kisses me, keeping me somewhat coherent. She breaks it and smirks again. "What else?" I sigh, frantically trying to clear my mind enough to get across why I'm speechless. "I can't possibly explain it, Clio." The room instantly cools as she gives me a confused look. She seems rather depressed upon hearing that. Before I can say anything, she lays on the bed next to me with her back towards me. I can't begin to explain how horrible I feel as there are no words that would do me justice. Nothing I've ever read or seen has ever mentioned a depressed hellhound, let alone how to deal with one. I place a hand on her side to try and comfort her. "Clio... I... OW!" My hand is seared upon contact with her skin. "Don't talk to me... You don't love me." I almost certainly have a second-degree burn on my hand now. "Clio, I meant words couldn't describe what I like about you! I would be underplaying what I like about you. Holy shit that hurts!" She rolls over to face me, her eyes wide with tears rolling down her face. "Y-you really m-mean that?" I know my hands are gonna cook, but I reach with my shaky and burnt hand and wipe her tears. They are easily boiling and cause my hand to hurt even more. I nod, now in too much pain to verbally respond. Her smile reappears and she pulls me close, thankfully no longer burning me. "I'm sorry I assumed! I knew you loved me!" She hugs me very tight, realigning my back in the process. After an audible pop, Clio jumps and releases me. She probably thinks she killed me. "I'm fine love, you just popped my back." It's at this point she notices my hand and starts crying again. "I shouldn't hurt my husband! I'm so sorry!" I know this is gonna hurt, but smile through the pain and wipe more of her boiling hot tears. "It's fine, Clio. I'll be fine." She looks up at me, boiling tears still stinging my hand. "A-are you sure..?" I nod and smile, still ignoring the pain. She smiles softly and nods, slowly calming down. Once she's fully calm, I get up and calmly walk to the bathroom. I turn on the cold water and put my hand under it, sighing in relief as the burning sensation temporarily goes away. Clio peeks around the corner, look at the burns and then back at me. "Relax, hon. You didn't mean to hurt me. I'll be fine." Her ear twitches and she sheepishly nods, still destroyed over hurting me. "Clio, we still have a lot to learn about each other. There will be many more times like this." I can tell she's feeling better because with that she smiles brighter than before, showing off her fangs this time. "You're right. I'm lucky to have found someone so understanding!" She walks behind me and wraps her arms around my waist. "You enjoy being taller than me, don't you?" She nods and pulls me tight against her. "You're so small and cute, how couldn't I? You're like my little teddy bear!" I blush hard, more so because I didn't know she even knew what a teddy bear is. I pull gauze and antibiotics out of a small drawer under the sink and begin to bandage my hand. Clio holds me tight against her, keeping me warm as well as holding me up. I finish, examining my work and making sure I didn't miss a spot. I sigh and lean back, sinking into her soft fur. I feel her pull me tight, a soft kiss being planted on the top of my head. "I'm sorry again, love." I smile and close my eyes. "It's fine. I promise." She picks me up and carries me back to our bed. She gently lays down, holding me on top of her. I feel her start playing with my hair, lulling me to sleep. "Good night, Clio." She smiles and kisses my head again. "Good night, Matthias. I love you." Right before I slip into darkness, I whisper back to her. "I love you too."