Page 114 of I Ran Away to Evil 2
Rufus all but dragged her from the restaurant. He couldn’t actually drag her, she had a skill for that, but she let him pull her along.
He didn’t get very far, stopping in the middle of the quiet evening street and turning back to her. “Where are we going?”
“Is that your fourth question?” she teased. “We can just go back to my room at the inn.”
“Is that your fifth?” he countered. It was actually her sixth, but she might have lost count. He waved in the general direction of where they were staying for the night. “You want to pet me in your room?”
Brownie imagined herself lying in bed cuddling a giant golden wolf dog. It was very appealing. Then the image of waking up in Rufus’s arms took its place, and she noted that it was equally appealing. Heat burned her cheeks, but there was a gleam in her eye as she asked, “Why, have you never been in a woman’s room before?”
Rufus choked on air. “I have … but I’ve never been toyourroom before. And I’dnevergo to a woman’s room if either of us had been drinking. Where’s the consent in that?”
She laughed. “We aren’t … you know. This is just petting!”
“Petting should still involve consent!” he declared.
“So I’m not allowed to pet you because you had bimbleberry mead?” Brownie frowned.
“No. Forget I said anything,” Rufus hurriedly rejected the idea. “I’ve been wanting this for too long to give up now.”
“But—”
“No buts.” Rufus lifted her hand to his heart. “Unless you don’t want to pet me anymore?”
“I do. I’m just worried about consent now.”
Rufus had had two full glasses.
“I’ve got it!” Rufus pulled out a high-grade antidote. One he’d packed at their stop over at that Black Fortress. He popped the cork with a thumb and downed the bottle. He rubbed his lips.
“Now I’m stone-cold sober,” Rufus declared, storing the now empty bottle. “Or I will be by the time we get to your room.”
“You just wasted so much gold!”
“It wasn’t a waste, and I’d do it again.” The beastman smiled.
“Just so you know,” Brownie said, having completely lost count but still wanting to continue, “I get two more questions, and you have four.”
“Why are we playing this game?” Rufus asked as they started walking again.
“I’ve been wondering so many things,” Brownie admitted. “Do you like me as much as I like you? Is it wrong to pick up a commander general while he’s on a quest? What do you look like in all of your forms?”
“I thought I’d already answered that; I like youmuchmore. More than I care to admit, actually. Yet. Also, that was more than two questions,” he pointed out. The inn was in sight.
Brownie squeezed his hand. “Does that mean you won’t answer them?”
“It means”—Rufus squeezed her hand back—“that it’s my turn.”
She waited. They were almost at the front door. She waited still. They were inside the inn. She was almost done waiting when Rufus stopped them in the empty hallway outside their rooms.
He let go of her hand and took a step back, opening his mouth to ask, “Meow?”
They both looked down as Slake wound his way through Rufus’s legs.
“You arereallygood at that,” Brownie told the grimalcat.
Slake’s tail flicked once, but he ignored her statement. “I’m going out tonight to meet a friend. Don’t wait up.”
The grimalcat sauntered down the hallway and out of sight. The pair shared a look.
