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I nod, staring at the farmhouse. “It does.”
From this distance, I can only see the larger details of the old-timey architecture of the home. Without a second thought, I force myself forward, ripping away from Ren’s touch and toward the rolling hills.
“Thea!”
I don’t stop. With my skirts bunched in one hand, I push my feet to move faster. Grasses slap against my bare legs and dig into the soles of my feet, but the wind beats over my chest, boosting my energy.
Just when my lungs ache, and my stomach cramps, I come to the first rolling hill. Using the momentum of my sprint and the lithe grace I was blessed with, I bend, catching the ground with my palms and rolling.
My landing is smoother than I thought it’d be, with my knees barely stinging from the slight scrape they’ve gotten. I roll down the hillside, smelling the flowers and bruised grass beneath my nose. Footsteps rumble behind me, but my focus is on this action.
I close my eyes, letting gravity take the wheel. My arms, tucked tightly to my chest, slide over the wheat, flattening it behind me. My head spins with each tumble, and for a second, I feel like I’m flying through space, twirling between stars.
The weightless sensation grows as I’m lifted, and soon, my body is separated from the hills. I open my eyes, staring skyward and into the red eyes of my annoyed vampire. His arms wrap around the bend of my knees and my shoulders, gripping tightly.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Ren huffs, his glare wild.
I can feel my cheeks warm. “Going to the house.”
His frenzied stare narrows, his jaw clacking shut as he grits his teeth. “There are better ways to travel. You shouldn’t be bruising yourself just to hasten your pace.”
I half gasp, half mock-laugh. “I wasn’tbruisingmyself.”
Ren’s sour expression remains in place as he starts off at a jog. Within seconds, his jog transforms into a run, and then it blurs into an unnatural force of velocity. The surrounding scene melds into splotches of green and blue, tossing my stomach until it’s ready to expel my breakfast.
I clench my fists. “Ren.”
Before I can collect my thoughts enough to tell him exactly how pissed I am, he tilts me. My feet are grounded on patchy gravel, and as soon as I’m standing, I yank away from Ren’s grasp, swaying slightly. “My way was better.” I grit.
“Your way caused pain,” He spits back, snatching my hand. He flattens it, revealing my palm and the scrapes decorating it.
I pull away. “You aren’t here to protect me from the Earth. In fact, you aren’t here to protect me at all. So,” I brush off my dress, pretending not to notice the flash of pain behind Ren’s incredulous stare. “If you aren’t going to let me have fun, you might as well leave.”
His features flatten, masking whatever emotion he’s feeling. “You want me to leave?” He takes a step toward me, his nostrils flaring. “You want me to leave because I saved your pretty dress from ruin?” He grabs the edge of my top, rubbing it between his fingers.
I lick my lips. “We both know you could not care less about my clothing.” My tone has lost its bite. Ren is inches from my face, fire radiating from every pore on his being. This man is more than a person. He’s a raging, egotistical know-it-all. His fight for control, over both my protection and my trust, is making itself clear.
He lowers his head until our noses are brushing. “We should andwillremain friends, Thea. In fact, I think we could be much more than that.” His arm circles my back, pressing our chests together. “Be mad at me if you want, but the next time you dive onto the sodden ground, I’ll be there to lift you again. Things are fun until they aren’t, Thea.I don’t want you to injure yourself.”His fangs are grit so tightly I fear they’ll pinch through the skin of his lip. “I’ll make executive decisions when it comes to your safety, and you can be the boss of everything else. The trees, the creatures, my hands; whatever you want to manage is yours.”
My throat feels like I’ve swallowed a chalice full of fire. “Your hands?” I sound breathless. Amazed.
Ren smiles, his ego flaring once more. “My hands.” As if to assure me, he flexes his fingers, pressing the tips against the swell of my backside.
It’s getting harder and harder to shield my emotions this close to his all-seeing stare. I turn away, stepping out of his hold. “Next time you ruin my game, you’re dead meat.”
Turning towards the home silences the rest of the snarky insults I imagine shooting at Ren. My intention hasn’t changed, regardless of how I’ve arrived here.
The rustic porch is exactly as I thought it’s be.
In my true form, I watched homes like these age within minutes. Here, on Earth, time has slowed to a near stop. The wood is graying, falling prey to the elements. The windows are smeared with a thick layer of pollen, but the white shutters are nearly bleached clean. Above each window hangs a lucky horse-shoe. The home-owners wished to protect anything within its walls with this lucky talisman.
Ren’s familiar warmth signals his presence behind me. “Do you want to go inside?” he asks.
I’ve passed plenty of towns and single-family homes since arriving, but I’ve not had the courage to enter them yet.
There are a lot of corpses in the world now. I’m not eager to meet one up close.
But with Ren by my side… maybe it’ll lessen the load if I happen upon a fallen human.
