I nod. “Oh.”
Chapter Twenty One
“Can you help me lift this?” I ask, pushing the last of the toy aisles back into place. It’s heavier than the rest, made out of solid wood, but even if it wasn’t I’d still ask Jaak for help. We’ve been putting the store to rights for the past two hours now and I still don’t trust my new abilities. I already broke a bouncy horse toy and split another set of shelves in half.
“Of course, darling.”
The darling catches me by surprise. So far it’s been witchling, my heart, or Meadow. Darling is new. Darling is nice. I’ve always wanted to be called darling. I saw it in the old black and white movies approved by the Founders. The men in those movies always seemed so sure about their lady love. I’d never told anyone about my secret wish, that one day things would just click for me and Roy, that it would happen when he called me darling and all the feelings I was meant to feel for him would suddenly wake up and I’d feel…normal.
What girl doesn’t want to be called darling by herfiancé?
Answer: probably one whosefiancéisn’t planning to secretly sacrifice her to their ancient demon god.
That’s neither here nor there though. Not with Jaak calling me darling. The demon’s free use of endearments softenssomething in me that I didn’t even realize I needed fixed. I catch his hand and press a kiss to his palm on my way past him to start my clean up on aisle nine.
We right the shelf and stand back while Mort runs around like a chicken with his head cut off. He’s been obsessively magicking the store back to the way it was, or as close as he can manage before his boss finds out. Whoever Carol is, she’s scary. I really hope I get to meet Carol one day.
I peek over at Jaak to see he’s watching Mort with an amused look on his face, at least I think it’s amused? It’s difficult to tell in his minotaur form. I’ll have to watch him closer to try and understand his expressions. It’s like last night in the bedroom all over again, the words I want to say get trapped in my throat but I force them out. I was taught to be silent, to avoid what I wanted, but that’s not my life anymore. I want Jaak. I want him to know how I feel, so I say it.
“I like darling,” I tell Jaak shyly.
Jaak turns his head to look down at me. “You do?”
“Yes, very much.”
He reaches down and catches one of my hands. “Then that is what I will call you,” he says, bending down to brush a kiss along my knuckles. The feeling is different than when he was human, but different can be good.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask.
“Tell you what?”
“That this is your true form. I saw it, I mean, I think I did. In your memories. I saw parts of you when you were in rock jail but I never knew this was what you looked like.” Jaak doesn’t answer me. He looks down at the ground, so I go on speaking. “Did you think I wouldn’t like it?”
“Yes,” his answer comes immediately. “I’m not what a young maiden dreams of when she thinks of a husband, a hero. Thisform, who I am now, is monstrous. I’m the thing the hero battles to free his love.”
“What? No. That’s not true.” I come to stand in front of him and grab the hand still holding mine with my other. “That’s not true. You’re not a monster. Don’t say that.”
“Wait…” Jaak’s eyes come to mine. He looks me over and then shakes his head. “You truly think that.”
It’s not a question. It’s a statement.
“I do. Of course, I do,” I tell him.
Jaak brushes the hair out of my face with his free hand. “There has never been another soul like you to exist.” His eyes move over my face slowly while a smile plays on his lips. He’s looking at me like he’s seeing me for the first time. “You are singular.”
“Um, thank you?” I blush at his words because Jaak could read me the phone book and I’d blush, but this? All his attention and the way he’s looking at me like I make the sun rise and fall. It’s breathtaking.
“So, you two are newlyweds, huh?” Mort asks, flicking his glasses between us.
I nod and lean into Jaak’s touch. “We are.”
“Happily so,” Jaak adds.
“I can tell. It’s written all over you lovebirds.”
I tilt my head to the side and tear my eyes away from Jaak. “Sothatyou can see?” I tease.
Mort’s face gets red and he puts his glasses on with an imperious toss of his head. “If you must know, I’m nearsighted. These are prescription,” he says, tapping his glasses.
