Well, at least we resided on the same planet…ish. Good to know (kind of) I wasn’t beamed to a different galaxy, just catapulted to an parallel world.
“Okay, that answers that but I’m from an alternate universe earth where we have computers and smart phones and, uh… cable TV.”
He scowled at me.
I kept at it. “I’m an administrative assistant. I work at an ad agency. I live in an apartment. I’m single, as in, not married. I had a boyfriend, his name was Brian, but he wouldn’t marry me so I had to cut my losses and break up with him before, you know, life passed me by.”
He continued to scowl at me but at the mention of Brian I felt his body go still and I watched his face go hard.
These were ominous signs but I kept going. “See, I went to sleep and then I woke up and I was here. I mean, I went to sleep at home, my home, where, you know, beds aren’t made of feathers but of…” I didn’t know what mattresses were made of but I was sensing his patience waning so I sallied forth, “Other stuff. And you don’t understand birds and there are no curses. That was why I didn’t know about the Rosa and Dash thing. See, we don’t have curses but even if we did, I wouldn’t know about that curse because I’m not the Cora you know. I’m a different Cora, one who’s fat but polite and doesn’t snore and…”
He cut in with, “You aren’t fat.”
“You said I’d gained weight.”
“You have. You’ve also grown your hair.”
Now we were getting somewhere.
“See!” I exclaimed. “That right there proves I’m not the Cora you know.”
“No, it proves that in the six months since I last saw you, you stopped watching every bloody morsel you put into your mouth and let your hair grow.”
He hadn’t seen me in six months?
“You haven’t seen me in six months?” I asked.
“For the gods’ sakes,” he clipped.
“We’re married!” I cried. “Why haven’t you seen me in six months?”
“Because you hate me, Cora, and I’m not overly fond of you.”
I latched onto that. “There you go. See, the Cora I am knows how to baste meat and isn’t lazy. I’ll admit, I’ll drag my feet on stuff I don’t want to do but eventually I’ll do it. I’m polite and my parents and friends think I’m funny. I don’t want to brag or anything, but I’m pretty cool to be around. If you give me a chance, I can show you I’m not the Cora you know.”
“I’ll wager you can. And I’ll wager you’ll stick with it every second of the day and live it with every breath you take. But all of it will be an act of pure deception.”
Jeez, if he believed that then the Cora of this world must be a serious bitch.
“No one can do that,” I said softly.
“You could,” he returned. “You see, my love, a year and a half ago I bedded a woman so cold, it was a wonder my c**k didn’t splinter to shards when I drove it inside you.” I gasped at his words but he kept talking. “And but hours ago, just your mouth was so warm it lit a fire inside me. If you could turn that around, you could do anything.”
I flattened my hand on his chest, got higher up on my toes and said quietly, “But, don’t you get it? That also proves I’m not the Cora you know.”
“It, and this nonsense you’re spouting, only proves how desperate you are to keep me on your good side so I’ll keep you safe from Minerva and do it in the style which you undoubtedly require.”
Minerva?
I didn’t get the chance to ask, he kept talking. “But Dash believes your performance, Rosa adores you and therefore, out of respect for them, I’ll keep you safe and fed but I’ll damned well get what I can out of you in the process.”
I fell back to the soles of my feet but kept my eyes to his, asking, “Why do you hate me so much?”
This was the wrong question. I knew it when the light of rage hit his eyes at the same time his face went stone cold.
“Why?” he whispered.
I knew he thought I shouldn’t have to ask but I felt I should know what I was dealing with.