Cole

Ares reappeared with a puppy. Or, it looked like a puppy at first glance. It was tiny and black, with too-big ears on top of its head with folded-down tips. Its long whip-like tail wagged so hard against Ares that I could hear its impact against his skin. And, most notably, it wore some kind of hood. There were cutouts for its ears, but the hood covered the puppy's eyes completely, tightly secured around the whole upper part of its head with straps and a zipper.

"I wasn't supposed to pick him up until tomorrow, but they weren't going to tell me no when I asked for him early," Ares said.

Of course not. In fact, now that I knew more about Ares' position, the way he so confidently spoke what he wanted and expected it to happen was starting to make a lot of sense. I wondered if he had anyone in his life who told him no.

"Um, why is he wearing that?" I asked. It couldn't be comfortable, and something about it made the dog seem more dangerous. What if it was like a muzzle? It was a crazy thought, but so was my mate being freaking demonic royalty and bringing me a puppy to keep me safe. Maybe there was something dangerous about its eyes.

"This is a hell hound, the most fearsome protector in any known realm. They are incredibly difficult to acquire, not least because hell hounds only bond with one person: the first person they lay eyes on. Their eyes don't open for the first few weeks of life, but this one is just at the age where he should be ready."

Ares struggled to hold the squirming puppy in his arms. I wanted to help, but had no idea whether that was safe. "What's so fearsome about them?"

"They can create flames hot enough to reduce a body to ash. Their teeth can cut through bone like butter, and they can secrete venom into their mouths at will to make even a small bite deadly. They are also incredibly intelligent. As this one grows, he will learn to fully understand our language. He will be devoted to you, and you alone." Ares said, looking fondly down at the hell hound.

"Shouldn't you have one, then? Since you're so important?" I asked.

But Ares shrugged in response. "I suppose. My parents each kept a hell hound. They each adored me, of course, as my parents' child. They were dear playmates to me while I grew up."

That was it, that was all he said. But I didn't hear any explanation for why he wouldn't have one of his own if he loved them so much. I gently cupped his cheek, and his warm brown eyes met mine, softening as he looked at me. "What happened?" I asked. Ares never talked about his family.

A tremor ran through him. He hid it well; I only knew it happened because I was still touching him.

"An attack. My parents left their beasts with me, to protect me. I didn't want them to. I was an adult - barely - and wanted to fight with them. But they knew, I think, that the fight was unwinnable. They could take out their enemy, but not save themselves. They ensured I was protected, and once the fight was over, the hell hounds followed my parents into the beyond."

How terribly sad. Ares was doing a great job of holding it together, but I thought I understood what this meant to him. He wouldn't confront his past to give himself a protector and companion... but he did it for me.

"Thank you."

My head was still spinning and I had no idea what to think about any of this, or whether I should be upset with Ares for not telling me all of this sooner. I didn't need to have all of that figured out yet to know that Ares getting me a hell hound was gift of incredible care.

The puppy still fought to escape Ares' arms, and he finally managed to jump down onto the ground and come barreling at me. He was small, so small, but I couldn't get what Ares had said about their teeth and their fire out of my head, and I instinctively scrambled backwards to get away. I tripped over my own feet and went sprawling back onto the ground an instant before the puppy scrambled onto me, marching in place on my chest and squirming with excitement. He sniffed me eagerly as his tail wagged so hard that his entire back half wagged along with it. His warm tongue licked along the bottom of my jawline in that excited way puppies have, and that's when I laughed at the infectious joy the puppy was radiating.

I wrapped my arms around him, and the baby hell hound tried to go belly-up. I scratched him as best I could in this awkward position. "He likes me," I said, surprised. He had been trying to get away from Ares so he could come to me. Did he somehow know...?

"He's had your scent in his bed for the past week and a half. I gave his breeder a pair of your pants, which have been in his bedding ever since. It's to help ease the transition for him."

Wow. Ares had really planned this whole thing out. It was nice to know that he started making these safety arrangements for me before the break-in at the café. It made this feel less like he was doing it because he thought I was incapable of protecting myself.

"Can I take off this hood?" I asked, already reaching for it.

"Wait!" Ares barked, and the puppy stiffened at his tone. "Not with me in the room. Just in case."

Right.

Ares stepped toward me and stooped down so he could kiss me. "I'll go shut myself in the bedroom. Call me back in after he's seen you. It just takes a moment, and I'm told you will know that it worked."

Well, that sounded ominous. But I trusted my mate and the puppy really did seem like it wanted to be my friend, so I nodded. Once I heard the door shut, I sat up with the puppy on my lap and said, "Are you ready for this hood to come off?"

The puppy wriggled on my lap. Did he understand? Probably not yet. How crazy cool was it that he would understand me eventually?

I reached for the zipper with a surprisingly steady hand. My mind knew the puppy was dangerous - or at least, that he would be eventually. But my heart was excited to play with a puppy and have a new companion. I was so excited that I had to wonder why I hadn't ever gotten a pet before. What had been stopping me?

Untying all the straps and buckles took a couple of minutes. "Jeez," I said as I worked, "They had you really strapped in here."

Finally, I untied the last strap and the whole hood became loose on the puppy's head. "Here we go," I whispered, and pulled it off.

I experienced a single moment of abject terror when I saw its eyes before they met mine and held. I couldn't have looked away if I tried, and it didn't occur to me to try, anyway. I fell into his gaze and it felt like the whole world narrowed to two orange-red eyes. The colors shifted and danced like a flame in the wind, and I thought they seemed to flare as we stared at each other, into each other.

For an indeterminate moment, all I knew were those eerie eyes. I became aware of my body again when I felt a glowing warmth, a connection. Not like my mate bond with Ares, but just as unbreaking and true. The rest of the world came rushing back, and I lay back on the floor again, panting. The puppy - my puppy - scampered over to me and snuggled into my side, his whole rear end still wagging vigorously.

I chuckled and patted his head. "I'm happy to have you, too."

"You can come back now," I told Ares through our bond. I sat up and gathered the puppy into my arms, a squirming, furry ball of excitement. He'd need a name. I stared into those eldritch, smoldering eyes and smiled.

"Blaze," I said. I thought the fire in the puppy's eyes flared at that, like he understood already and accepted.

"Blaze?" Ares echoed as he entered the room. "Is that to be his name?"

I nodded still grinning stupidly at my new puppy, at Blaze. "I know it's a little on the nose, but I think it suits him."

"It's perfect," Ares agreed. I wondered if he would have said that about any name I chose.

I stood and set Blaze down so I could hug Ares. Only, when I went in for a hug, he pulled me in and pressed a hot kiss to my lips instead.

I was about to climb him like a freaking tree when he broke the kiss with a sigh. "I need to go," he said, looking pained.

I reached down and massaged his cock, already half-hard, through his pants. It grew and hardened under my palm and I aimed a pleading look at my mate. "Are you sure you don't have a little time?" I asked.

"I'm already late," Ares said, but he pressed his hips against mine and gently bucked his hips to rub us together.

"Mmm," I hummed, letting my eyelids droop as I bit my lip suggestively.

"This is cruel," Ares said, but his hands moved back to grip my ass and pull me harder against him.

"Then stay," I said. I didn't know what had come over me. I only know my chest ached at the idea of Ares going back to work today, especially now that I knew his job wasn't what I'd thought it was. He was going to be planning for the dinner tonight. The planning was safe enough, but what about what came after?

I didn't know all the details, but Ares told me that things had been changing. The Darong demons had broken their usual pattern and seemed more determined than ever to break into the land that Ares and his people protected. Ares hadn't told me that he was worried, but he didn't have to. I could see it.

And I knew that Ares' job was important. Like, really important. He had been by my side for so long that I was spoiled. Even if I didn't want him to, Ares had to go back.

And yet...

His hips ground up into me again and I felt a tingling start to build in my core. If we didn't stop now, I didn't think I'd be able to stop anymore.

I sighed and pushed on his chest, stepping away. "Fine. I'll see you later, after your dinner. But, um, what am I supposed to do with Blaze? What does he eat? Can I leave him here when I go out to that party later with Lucia? It feels wrong to leave him."

Blaze yipped, possibly at hearing his new name. Smart puppy.

"I have everything he needs in a bag on the counter. We'll work on training him together; for now, treat him as you would any dog. He'll be okay for a few hours alone, even if he won't like it." It was obvious that Ares didn't like it, either. I knew he would rather I stayed home.

"Thanks for not making a big deal about this," I said.

"I want to," he admitted. That made me smile.

"I know."

Ares gave me one last kiss and vanished. I looked down at Blaze, who watched me curiously. "Let's go for a run," I suggested. Blaze didn't react, so I walked outside, letting him follow me. I didn't think he would run off, but still breathed a sigh of relief when he stayed by my side even as we emerged out into the woods.

Ares' cabin had a back door, one that exited into the pocket realm where his cabin was really located. It meant I could run by myself with no fear of cars or roads, of hikers or exposure. It was just me, Blaze, and native wildlife. So, I confidently stripped down and shifted into my wolf form.

Only halfway through my shift did I realize that this could be a massively stupid idea. Would my bond with Blaze keep him from panicking at my wolf form? I was a predator and he was a baby. He should panic.

But once my shift had completed, Blaze seemed more enthusiastic than ever. He jumped and yipped, excitedly sniffing all over me. He licked at my cheek affectionately, and I knew there was nothing to fear. He could recognize me like this, too... and maybe even preferred me in this form.

I trotted into the woods with Blaze at my heels, then decided to test his speed. If hell hounds were really as powerful and fearsome as Ares said, then I was certain he would eventually overpower me. For now, I had to slow my steps for the little puppy and even pick him up a couple of times by wedging my snout under his belly when he tripped over his big paws and went sprawling to the forest floor.

Overall, it felt just like running with a packmate. Maybe that's what Blaze was to me now.

When Blaze tired, we lay together by a riverbank. We each drank deeply before collapsing into a heap, and I instinctively started grooming him.

It was a perfect afternoon, and I looked forward to more like it.