Jagger
The tension turned so much worse the moment Mikayla chose me over her blood. I want to shake her until she realizes that I’m nobody. Saving her people from a man like Qaaim is of the utmost importance. My jaw sets. “Mikayla, these are your fucking people, not Qaaim’s! Fight for them. He murdered…”
“Jagger, don’t you see the officers surrounding us,” she argues through gritted teeth.
I want to tell her, fuck them. But clearly I’ve overextended my capabilities. I can expire five, six of them before one gets the best of me.
“Mikayla, this was your parents nation. He’s just Regent. A stand in. These are…”
She turns around. Her back against me as if she’s still set on keeping me safe. First time ever anyone has done that for me, and I’m astonished.
“As I’ve already said.” her voice breaks. “ I am no princess nor do I desire to be crowned queen. I will not believe what you people believe in! I refuse to learn your customs. I place my faith in Jesus Christ, and I will never be a queen of a people who look down at me and think so little of me… to call me liar, a whore…”
"Shhhh. Mikayla, think," I whisper into Mikayla's ear. What the fuck is she doing? She dashed the possibility of gathering any sympathy. They've been lied to by her uncle and now Mikayla has given him full reign.
The land is overcome with silence. She turns to me. "Jagger, let's go."
"No, these are your people, Mikayla. We have to tell them–”
"They want your head, Jagger!"
"Fuck me," I find myself shouting at her, further sinking into the image of what the Navieans think of me. Barbarian. Evil. Murderer.
She huffs. “Oh, so you came all this way for...”
“To ensure your safety, first and foremost, and damn it, to make sure you let your people know that—”
“Jagger, we aren't safe here. Let's just go. Please. I am asking. I swear this isn’t the time to be ornery. You can’t have followed me across the end of the damn ocean just to die.”
"That’s exactly what the fuck I came to do. Death is nothing to me, Mikayla. Your uncle…”
“I am speechless,” Qaaim’s voice soars over the crowd. “My sweet niece, Mikayla. You can stay here and learn about your people. Yourself. Or you can leave us, exiled until the end of time.” He turns toward the elders. “It’s the only fair penance for Abayomi’s death, at this … this demon’s hands.”
“We are leaving,” Mikayla bristles at each word. She yanks onto my hand and starts for the rear of the palace. Then Mikayla changes course to wrap around the side of the building, not wishing to enter. Her attention is directed toward leaving so I stop myself from glaring at the townspeople who glower at us.
Around the side of the building, a song rings out through the night. A soprano is singing about loss. Mikayla places her hands over her ears and begins to cry. She doubled over.
“Mikayla, I need you to listen to me,” I grit out the words, but find myself moving to her. My hands reach for her waist and I pull her into my arms.
There’s heavy trampling as an elephant heads toward us.
“Just stop, okay!” Mikayla shouts at it.
The elephant stops, his feet sinking a fraction of an inch into the mud. His trunk reaches for Mikayla’s face. I’m in shock at the intensity. He doesn’t seem like a threat, but she shoves up a hand. Not allowing the big beast to comfort her either.
“Jagger, please, take me away from here.”
Her body shutters as she cries into my neck. I can feel wetness where my Magnum tattoo is. “My ride is just down the hill.”
Mikayla begins to get down, but I hold her closer. “Just stay.”
***
She fell asleep before we made it down to the village. After securing her into the seat, I didn’t drive crazy like I had while searching for her. We’re now in the garage, and I’m lifting Mikayla up and out of the truck when she whimpers.
“Don’t worry,” I say, kissing her forehead, much the same way I automatically did during our arrival at Aria.
With her snuggled in my arms, I turn on the alarm. Then up the back staircase and into my bedroom. I consider undressing Mikayla and putting her to bed.
She’s been crying.
I don’t know what to do when a female cries.
Oddly, my mother would walk around the house, hands in the air, tears streaming down her face. Crying. Praying. Alisha wouldn’t be sad during those times, more so determined.
But there were a few times she shed tears of sadness. One time had to do with cutting female genitalia. A young woman from Sudan had taken refuge at the church where my parents worked.
I sigh, placing Mikayla in bed. What the fuck am I doing? I guess you can say I haven’t been around a real woman in ages. I had no desire to contemplate my parents or my past.
With a hesitant sniffle, Mikayla sits up. She glances around, and the hard drumming of her heart slows as our eyes meet.
“This is my place,” I shrug, answering the question in her gaze. “Would you like to take a shower?”
She nods. “Probably a good idea. But I just really want to…”
“What? Call Home? I’ll take you home tomorrow, Mikayla. I fucking promise you.”
Her brown eyes stare off into the distance. “Jagger, I just want to sit in a corner and cry. But I’m too logical for this. I’m not…this person. I’m level headed…will you touch me.” Her eyes finally meet mine. “Will you fuck me? I don’t want to think,” she croaks, hand over her mouth as she starts to cry again.
Fucking her is a bad idea. A very bad idea.
Damn, maybe I was wrong when I told Ava Sinclair I might be in love with this woman.
No. Risking my life to save Mikayla’s was loyalty. She has my respect. But I swear before whatever is in the heavens, if I touch Mikayla tonight, there will be no fucking. I’ve tasted her, and I desire to kiss away her tears.
We will make love.
I rub the back of my neck.
Mikayla stands up, pulling off her shirt. “Just fuck me, Jagger,” she says. My eyes are on her lips. My cock, that devil, he is barking and willing to screw her seven ways to heaven.
The space between us dissipates as she reaches up to kiss me. “Please, Jagger, fuck me,” her words whisper across my mouth.
She’s kissing me. I’m doing a lousy job of not kissing her back, but damn it I only have some resolve.
What kind of monster falls in love?
She paws at my jaw. “You know how to get into my head. You know how to replace logic and emotion and… everything until the only thing that is left is you.”