Oh well, let him get angry. I was getting used to it.
I went back to beating.
I heard a clomp, clomp, clomp and then I felt the velvet of Salem’s nose against my neck right before he blew.
It tickled so much, I giggled, dropped the hide and turned to him. His head jerked back and I lifted my hands to his nose and held gently.
“It’s okay, boy,” I cooed.
He snorted again.
“That’s it.” I kept cooing and started to stroke his muzzle.
He clomped a half a horse step closer.
“That’s it, you beautiful beast,” I whispered, still stroking.
He snorted his contentment.
I smiled at him.
“Salem!” Noctorno barked, Salem pulled his nose from my hands and looked down his massive body as my head turned to see the big guy standing, arms crossed on his chest, openly pissed. “Move away from, Cora,” he ordered his mount.
Salem whinnied.
“Now, horse,” Noctorno growled.
Salem blew breath through his horse lips and clomped away.
I glared at Noctorno. “Why’d you do that?”
“Do not think, woman, you can come between a man and his horse,” Noctorno informed me.
“I wasn’t trying to,” I informed him right back and I wasn’t!
“Right,” he muttered.
“Jeez!” I cried, throwing up my hands. “What is with you?”
“I warned you not to play me for a fool.”
“Good God, man, I was just petting your horse!” I pointed out.
“You were playing your games,” he returned.
“You know,” I started, “this is getting old. The Cora of your world must be a huge freaking ass bitch to make you think she’d use your f**king horse against you.”
“There is nothing I’d put passed you,” he replied.
“Well, again, big guy, I am not her and I’m getting sick of you treating me like her.”
“Then we share something because I’m getting sick of you pretending you aren’t her.”
I continued glaring at him and he withstood it.
Then I swung back to the hide, hefted it up and started beating at it again, hard, all the while muttering to myself, “I lived a good life. I was nice. If I saw someone drop a dollar, I’d pick it up and give it to them. If a beggar looked like a real, genuine, honest to God beggar, I’d give them change. If strangers walked by me and caught my eye, I’d smile and say hello. If my friends did stupid shit with guys, I kept my mouth shut and then let them cry on my shoulder when that stupid shit bit them in the ass at the same time I kept the mojitos flowing. Okay, so I didn’t tell on Jenny Linklater when I saw her cheating on that test in sixth grade but I didn’t cheat. I’ve never cheated. I’ve never done anything wrong enough to land me in this crazy, freaking world with a lunatic hot guy. What did I do to deserve this?”
Salem whinnied and I didn’t know what that meant.