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I was confused.“You had to—get milk?”
He nodded.“Yeah, I’m out of milk,” he said a bit more confidently.
“Why do you need milk? You told me yesterday during breakfast that you don’t eat except occasionally, and I’m pretty sure I left milk in the fridge. So, do you want to try again?” I was disappointed he didn’t own up to the fact that he’d come after me.
Because that’s what he’d done, right? I’d expected it, but now he was here, denying it. Did he think I was going to be upset?
“I’m here to get milk,” he repeated.
I copied the look on his face. “And this has nothing to do with you going back into my room, finding me gone, and knowing I left because of that temper tantrum you threw?”
His face flickered with sadness once more as he shrugged. “You made it clear I can’t hold you hostage.”
“And you made it clear you’re happy to try anyway,” I snapped, setting my hands on my hips as my anger flamed again.
He held out his hand, gesturing to me. “Not well enough. I best be going to get milk.” He turned and began slithering down the street.
That’s when I realized what his appearance here meant. Despite his fear of people seeing him, he came to find me.
“Jakari,” I said firmly, making him stop, although he still didn’t turn to face me. “Did you come into town to find me and tell me you needed milk?”
“I didn’t come to find you,” he repeated.
I scowled. “Stop playing. Just tell me the truth. Did you come after me? Did you come into town to chase me down?”
He lifted his shoulders and then dropped them. “Yeah. And then I realized I was doing exactly what you were clearly trying to tell me I shouldn’t do. It occurred to me you’re better off without me. Because being with me means being with somebody you can’t publicly love. Being with me means you’d have to hide away, and I’d be forcing my life of confinement on you. Asking that of you is selfish of me, so yeah, I came after you. And then I decided I should let you go because that’s the best thing I can do for you.”
He began to leave as I processed everything he said.
“Don’t walk away from me!” I shouted, making him come to another stop.
He turned slowly, staring at me in confusion.
“You haven’t learned your lesson if you’re going to stand here and tell me what you think is best for me. Maybe climbing out the window was a bit dramatic, but I thought it would’ve been enough to make you realize you can’t tell me what to do. If I want to go back to Chicago, I’ll go back to Chicago. If I want to be with you, I’ll be with you. The choice is mine, not yours. This is my life, so it’s my choice whether you’re in it. Do you understand?”
He nodded at me and slithered closer.“Does that mean you still want to be with me?” he asked carefully.
I shrugged. “Doing what you did reminded me so much of my dad. He’d decide something was for my own good and do it without asking me. But then he’d turn around and do something even worse. Kind of like you deciding for me that I don’t deserve you. If you didn’t deserve me, we wouldn’t have gotten together in the first place.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I want to be the man you deserve. It’s just so hard. I have these urges sometimes, and no matter what I do, I can’t stop them, especially when it comes to you. And I need you so bad. I will die if I don’t have you. The thought of you going back to Chicago, surrounding yourself with demons who I can only guess would be all too happy to hurt you, was too much to bear. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did because you’re right, it is your choice, and I’m so sorry.”
“If I tell you I still want to be together and we should try again, are you going to decide for me that we shouldn’t?”
He let out a soft, choked laugh and shook his head. “Irina, you’re a woman who knows her own heart and mind. I would never stoop to believe I know what is best for you. I can only hope who I am, flaws and all, is enough for you. And we’ll work on the rest so I can only give you my best self from now on.”
My heart strummed painfully in my chest as I stared at him. This was the moment of my decision. He would let me walk away if I wanted to, but walking away was never an option. I was bound to this Naga as he was to me—forever.
I began walking towards him before picking up the pace, running full tilt into his arms and throwing mine around his neck.
“Are you sure?” he asked one more time, staring at me. “Because I can’t guarantee I’ll always be able to keep my possessive side in check. I’m going to try, but when it comes to you, I’m so obsessed with everything you are. I might never be able to share.”
I laughed and hugged him tightly. “As long as you don’t lock me in a tower like some princess again, you can be as possessive as you want, and we’ll figure the rest out. I love you, Jake.”
I kissed him deeply, and he nodded, moaning softly against my lips. “I love you too, Irina. I could never treat you like a princess,” he said, pulling away to stare at me, his eyes bright with love. “After all, you are my queen.”
Jakari
A Year Later
