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“You think the door is open?” I tilt my head, searching the swinging screen door and the white solid wood behind it.
Ren steps around me, taking the creaky porch steps two at a time. “I’m sure we’ll manage.” He replies absentmindedly. Already he’s scanning the door for… for what? A threat to my being? Unsanded lumber that could inject me with its thorn?
I shake my head, following up the steps behind him. He gives the doorknob a brisk twist- pulling it completely free from the wood.
I frown, staring at the glinting bronze of the handle clenched in Ren’s fist. “Now how will we get in?”
He turns to me, shrugging. “Like this, I suppose.” He places his palm over the wood grain, applying slight pressure.
The hinges grate as the door slowly swings open.
Ren steps aside, his attention returning to me. “After you, my Light.”
9
Thea
Thecontrastinlightfrom outside the farmhouse versus in has me stunned for a moment, standing inside the threshold blinking away shadows. While blinded, Ren slides his hand into mine, holding me firmly.I reach up, gripping his face between my hands. “Don’t you understand, Ren? You’re myconsort.”
Once my eyes adjust, I’m pleased to see the interior is organized. Other than a thin layer of dust, most of the inhabitants' belongings are arranged in their rightful places. The entrance leads into a large room, and to my right side is a doorway into the eating area.
A shelf expands across the longest wall, stacked to the brim with brown and black hardback novels. Below them lie three bare windows, each featuring a withered plant at its base. Directly across from the windows stretches a long, curved couch. I step toward it, my hand impulsively stroking its cushion. Velvety, like suede.
Other than the couch, a rug, and a large shelf, the room is modern and minimalistic.
“This is…” I glance over my shoulder, finding Ren frowning. “This isn’t how our homes look on Azure.”
I smile at him before stepping around the couch, sitting and letting the plush material envelope me. “Homes weren’t always this immaculate.” I pat the manufactured seat, offering a place for Ren to join me. He does, sitting so close our thighs touch. “Believe it or not, it wasn’t long ago most homes featured dirt floors and mud walls.”
“Hm.” He nods, stroking his chin. “As was the same on Azure, though we had mastered the skill of natural buildings. The wooden floor here isn’t near as smooth as our hut’s interiors were.”
“Is that so?” I raise my brows. “Well, did you have those onAzure?” I lift my finger, arching it toward a tall decorative vase made of crystalline.
He looks from the vase to me, eyes cast downward. “Something like it.”
“And those?” I point toward another decorative piece resting on the large shelf to our right. It’s a statue of a religious figure, his hands joined in prayer.
Ren’s eyes dart toward the item, quickly returning to mine. “We had realistic statues, but none in that pose.”
“Hmmm.” I tap my lower lip, thinking as I scan the room. There must be something here so advanced it’d shock him to witness.
My search ends in the corner. “And this?” I smile, already expecting his answer as I gesture toward the object. It’s a vacuum cleaner, its gray plastic frame resting against the wall at an awkward angle.
Ren’s head cocks to the side, his eyes examining the piece for longer than any of the others. For a second I think he’s never going to admit defeat. Finally, he sighs. “What is it?”
My grin grows. “Are you saying you had nothing like this where you’re from? Why, how barbaric of you.” I gasp, gripping my chest in mock appall.
He narrows his eyes, lip twitching on one side high enough to display his fang. “Is it a youngling’s toy?”
“Nope.”
“A… tool?”
I bite my lip. “Yes.”
“A tool for personal hygiene?”
My brows knit. “Um, no, not quite.”
