Page 50 of Only Human in Strangeville

“Even if we find shelter, how will we stay safe? They can follow our trail.”

Katsuro pointed at Nimbus, and I had to concede his point.

By the time we reached the shelter Nimbus had found for us, Katsuro had to take over driving, and I lay against his back, exhausted and head pounding. I’d lost my night vision, but that I’d even managed as much as I had after literally just unlocking buried powers had me ecstatic despite how bad I felt at the moment.

Katsuro drove the ATV into the cave, and Nimbus backed his fluffy bum into the opening and laid down, effectively sealing off the entrance. The vampire helped me get off the ATV, then picked me up and carried me over to the bed of fluff Nimbus’s curly tail had made and laid me down in it. The giant fluffy bed was everything I ever could have dreamed of and more.

“Wow,” I murmured.

Nimbus wagged his tail as much as he could with me laying on some of it, letting me know he was happy to have me there.

“I just hope he doesn’t fart,” I murmured. “We’d need a gas mask to survive.”

Katsuro burst out laughing, probably not something the vampire did often.

“Let us hope. Do you require anything?”

“Something to drink, a massage, aspirin, and a solid cuddle.” I blurted out the last before I could stop myself.

“A giant fluffy dog ass isn’t enough to cuddle with?”

I snorted, then winced as pain lanced through my head. Groaning, I pulled Nimbus’s tail around me. Katsuro moved away for a few moments, returning with a bottle of water and some painkillers. I downed the water and pills, then glanced over at the vampire when he sat down behind me.

“You wanted a massage.”

“Seriously?”

He nodded, expression solemn. “I’ll even behave myself.”

Shocked, I rolled over onto my stomach, head rested in fluff, while Katsuro’s powerful hands kneaded my muscles into submission. It was as near to a professional massage as I thought the vampire could give. His touch was a bit more than professional, but not by a lot, and he didn’t once try to make any sort of suggestive move or comment. That and the soft bed of nimbus tail feathers were as close to bliss as I was going to manage, especially once the pain in my head eased.

“Thank you,” I murmured as I drifted toward sleep once he’d turned my body to jelly.

“Of course.”

Then he shocked me further by pulling me into his arms and holding me while I drifted off to sleep.

Waking curled up with Katsuro and surrounded by my dog’s fluffy tail was so comforting, I almost forgot the danger we were in, and I wasn’t talking about the possibility of a giant fart from my currently enormous dog.

The vampire curled his fingers in my hair and stroked gently as I worked my way to full consciousness.

“Did you hold me the entire time I slept?”

“Of course. We’re safe enough with Nimbus keeping watch. I felt comfortable indulging both our desires to be touched.”

I shifted in his arms until I could look up at him. “You like to be touched?”

“Very much. I simply have few opportunities to indulge in that desire. I’m picky about who I let close enough.”

It had not occurred to me that such a powerful man would have needs that weren’t being met. Surely he could have anything he wanted, including someone to cuddle with that he trusted. I got the feeling he wasn’t talking about being touched sexually, either.

“Werewolves are very unconscious of their need for physical contact. You may have noticed that Davin touches you quite a bit and doesn’t seem conscious of personal barriers. Believe it or not, he is more restrained than many of his kind.”

“I had noticed. Now that you put it like that, it makes sense. Canines are very tactile.”

“Yes, I believe they tend to sleep in giant puppy piles, even when they’re not romantically involved.”

“That almost makes me jealous.”

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