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She didn’t know what to do about his desire. If she hadn’t felt her own during the cuddle, she would have detested the idea, but she couldn’t ignore it.

I liked it when he held me like that.And, right now, she kind of wanted him to squeeze her tightly with his entire serpent body. To wring out the sickness and trauma trapped beneath her skin until she shed it.

His claws had felt nice dancing across her skin, and his smell had been mind-lulling.

He’s so nice.He took care of her needs to the best of his capabilities inside a cave. He made sure everywhere she went was safe, and even allowed her a moment to splash in the ocean while making sure no Demons would eat her.And he’s funny.

Who the hell plays dead when someone falls on them?

She brought her hand up and closed it until it looked like a snake. She flapped it open and shut, mimicking the way he moved his mouth.

I didn’t think I’d be able to smile or laugh again after everything.If someone had cracked a joke, Linh had a feeling she would have just stared at the person blankly. She’d needed the humour to be ridiculous. For her saviour to be out of the norm.

For life to be completely and utterly skewed in reality.

For it to feel so wrong that it felt right.

The cave, his home – she shouldn’t be here. She adored it for that reason.

She was living in the dark, and she found that far less scary than being in the sunlight in a bandit camp.

Once more, Linh sniffled but otherwise was finished with weeping. She felt worse from crying. It hadn’t been therapeutic. It hadn’t felt good to shed her tears, simply because the reason behind them was so horrible. No human, regardless of their gender, should be forced to cry for such a reason. No one deserved to feel so raw inside that their mind was littered with scars no one could see.

Utterly thankful for the glowing magic circle on her chest lighting the way, she crawled towards her clothing. She donned her lavender dress and grey pants, even though they were still damp from washing them.

They felt safer. If his dick decided to pop out and say hello again, she wouldn’t feel it against her skin. She wouldn’t feel so exposed.

She hated that’s why she was putting them on.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him. Nathair literally showed her he had no intention of violating her without her consent. He’d given her more respect than she’d received in the past two months.

She didn’t trust herself.M-maybe if I wear pants, I won’t get scared again.

She’d like to experiment on how she felt regarding his desire, and the possibility of her own, without instantly locking up and panicking.

She blushed at her thoughts, her mind feeling scattered. Her heart was all over the place, confused and wary.

Picking up her pink-and-green dress with leaf patterns, she cringed.Gosh. I feel so pathetic that I can’t even wear this right now.It was a dress, and suddenly she was petrified of it. A piece of clothing.

Fisting it in her hand, she stormed her way back to the main area. Nathair wasn’t there.

The dust particles glittering in the streaks of sunlight made the dim cave bright. Now that she knew what the lump on the other side of the crescent-shaped cave floor was, her cheeks heated as she glanced at it.

Embarrassment combined with shame and giddy nervousness had her casting her gaze away like it was a spooky shadow.

Linh started the fire again, fumbling with the flint and steel due to shivering from her damp clothes. Then, with her back against the wall and her arms around her bent knees, she sat by it for what seemed like hours, waiting to dry, and for Nathair’s return.

She never doubted for a second that he wouldn’t.

She would have cracked a joke about how he couldn’t escape her because it was his home, but she didn’t particularly find any of this funny.

Since she was staring at the inky water, she saw the moment the top half of his white snake skull breached the surface.

Her brows drew together when she took in his blue orbs, never having seen them turn that colour before. He didn’t lift higher for a long while – just his head visible – and they stared at each other.

“Hey,” she eventually croaked out to break the tension. She even offered him a cringing smile. “I-I’m really sorry about before.”

His orbs darkened in their blue hue, and he swam towards the ledge. His movements were slow, calculated, and careful as he used his arms to drag himself out. Nathair looked tense, as if he worried any sudden movements might have her bursting into tears again.