Page 32 of Tail Me No Lies
“There is nothing wrong with me,” he growled.
She took a step back. Serene’s words replayed in her head. Nox was dangerous, and she knew nothing about him, not even his real name. He was strong and carried her like she weighed nothing. He didn’t even have the decency to pant from exertion or look tired. His mood was mercurial. And now his claws were out, and he was focused onher.
His eyes were…not right. Too black, his pupils dilated and crowded out the tawny iris.
Ruth kept retreating. Nox kept advancing.
Her back hit the front door.
“You were sulking because I didn’t talk to you in the car,” she said, doing her best to keep her voice from shaking. Her heart thundered in her throat.
Nox planted one hand over her head and leaned in. “No one likes being ignored by their mate.”
“I’m not your mate.”
His lips captured hers, hungry and demanding. She melted against him, cold and wet, and seeking warmth. All she wanted was him. He gripped the back of her head, the tips of his claws digging into her hair.
She gasped at the prick of pain. He growled, low and deep.
It wasn’t fair, using dirty tactics. She couldn’t think when he did that.
Ruth pulled away. “No. We’re going to talk about this inside.”
Something hard and unforgiving flared in his tawny eyes. Her breath hitched in her chest, worried that was the step too far.
He released her but made no move to give her space. “The door is locked.”
“I really don’t think a locked door is a problem for you.”
He huffed, then tilted his head to look at the door. “This is a simple enough mechanism.”
He gently moved her to the side, took a step back, and kicked the door in.
“Not like that! I thought you’d pick the lock.”
“You wanted the door open. It is open.” He marched inside. “This dwelling is unoccupied.”
Ruth followed. She removed the poncho—for all the good it did. The hem of her shirt was dry enough to wipe the rain from her glasses.
The abandoned house—what else did she expect?—had a neglected air. Stale and damp, like the environmental controls had been turned off or failed from neglect. The window shutters were already closed, keeping the interior dark. The house was dry. Hopefully, the utilities still worked. She wouldn’t trust the water, though, judging by the abandoned state of the house. The pipes would be full of sediment at best and bacteria at worst.
She’d stick with filtered water.
The rain beat as a soft and steady drum against the windows. “It’s been empty since the spring. The power should still work.” She dumped the emergency pack at the door and stripped off her useless poncho. “Hang on, there’s a lantern in the pack.”
Nox did not wait, going deeper into the dark house. A minute later, the lights flickered on.
Furniture crowded the room. Dust covered every surface. A book lay face down on a side table, like the reader had left the room only moments ago. It was strange, as if once Geral purchased the property, he evicted the previous owners without giving them enough time to pack.
Or they just didn’t care enough to take their furnishings. Ruth shuddered to imagine the state of the kitchen. Hopefully, the pantry and fridge had been emptied. She didn’t want to deal with vermin.
“Do you think there are mice?” she asked. Also, though she did not express it out loud, why would Geral purchase the house and let it sit empty for months? That made no sense.
Nox sniffed the air. “Dust. Mold. I do not smell any rodents. Tell me what happened here.”
“The couple who lived here were getting on in age. They couldn’t keep up with the farm and the house. They sold.” Ruth picked up a throw blanket from the back of a sofa, stirring a cloud of dust. “It looks like they just walked away.”
Thunder crashed overhead.
