"I – I don't think this is wise." Cullen flushed as Elysse pulled him along. Maker's breath, she was strong for someone so slim. "You should be the one getting the Mabari, not me."
"Why? Because I'm the herald?"
"No, because..." He sputtered to put it together in words. "Mabari choose their partners, not the other way around. I appreciate the thought but if anyone needs one, if anyone deserves one, it should be you."
Elysse slowed her march, glancing over her shoulder at him. Cullen flushed and averted his eyes to the ground.
"Well," she said slowly as though picking each word with care, "I guess we'll just have to leave it up to the dogs then, won't we?" She loosened her hold on his hand, instead curling herself intimately around his arm.
Cullen sighed, wishing he had the heart to say no. He'd visited packs of Mabari before as a child. Six puppies had rested in Mia's lap that day; even his brother had attracted the attention of a few. He stared down at his hands, remembering the frail body of the runt he'd held. The weak quivering of the body. The master of the hounds said it wouldn't survive. Cullen had cried when he'd left it behind.
Cullen glanced down and his cheeks warmed when he found Elysse staring at him. She had that curious half-smile again—the one that said she had secrets held on the tip of her tongue.
"Trust me," she said.
"I do." He smiled when she pressed her lips against his cheek. "I bet they'll all adore you. I'll have to make a special division for them. Corypheus won't stand a chance."
Cullen held back at the edge of the kennel even as Elysse plowed forward into the mass of slobbering tongues and soft fur. She laughed at their kisses, gathering them up by the armful. He grinned, content to watch.
Something tugged his pants.
He blinked and glanced down at the lump of brown hovering around his shoe. "Hello there, little one." The creature all but jumped into his arms when he bent down.
"Cullen," Elysse called to him, beckoning him further in.
The Commander smiled, letting the young thing nestle into the furs on his shoulder as he sat at her side.
"I told you they'd love you," he said with a smirk.
"It's probably just my breakfast they're smelling."
Cullen leaned in to kiss her temple when another pup leapt into his lap, paws scratching at his armor. He rubbed beneath the dog's chin and his tail wagged furiously.
"Seems they like you too," Elysse nudged him playfully in the side.
"I... suppose so..."
His grin leaked through when a third curled up beside his knee; the breathing soft and strong and warm. Then a fourth one nuzzled at his hand to beg for a scratch. He gathered them all in close, remembering long-past boyhood dreams.
"What is it about Mabari again?" Elysse asked, her lips by his ear. He shuddered a little at the hot breath passing over his neck. "They're attracted to people of great worth, right?"
His throat tightened. "I—I'm not..." He looked at her smiling eyes.
Her fingers were soft when they touched his face. How many nights had she touched him like that? Pulling him from the nightmares with whispers of safety?
"Cullen, you are so much more than you give yourself credit for."
Maker's breath, he loved the way she said his name. Like it was important, valued.
A lump formed in his throat. He could barely squeeze the thank you from his lips. He squeezed her hand when she kissed him.
"Besides," she said with a grin when they pulled away, "someone needs to keep you company while I'm away. Having a Mabari to take care of might actually get you out of that damned tower."
"And what's wrong with it?"
"Besides the hole in the roof? I love you, Cullen, but I do not enjoy waking up with snow on the blankets."
"It gives me an excuse to warm you up again."
He grinned at her snorting laughter, catching her in another kiss. He had to fight a few of the pups for it, dodging between the tongues and paws to find the lips he wanted.
