Jonah looked at her snakes and laughed. “I’ve never kissed a Medusa before, should I introduce myself to them, as well?”
“Are you making fun of me?”
He shook his head. “I’m not making fun of you at all. I don’t know the proper etiquette, just like I wouldn’t know the proper etiquette for kissing a dragon.”
“So, you and Dante never kissed?”
Jonah threw back his head and laughed. He was beautiful when he did that. “First, pretty sure that dragon could kill me with one single bite. Second, his mates could do far worse.”
“That is true. As for my snakes, no, they do not have names, but they are mine.” She slid her hands through them, and they coiled around her. “They’re not pure reptilian. They’re a part of me. It’s hard to explain. They feel what I feel, even though they do have personalities of their own.”
“So, you don’t have like a sled of puppies on your head, as Penelope would say.” He said it softly, and it made her smile. Apparently, he knew she was nervous. She’d spoken of her snakes before. They were part of her, but she’d been forced to hide them even within the gorgon realm. It was hard to let go of those secrets, even to a man that she knew deep down would never betray her.
She smiled, though, thinking of baby Penelope. “No, I don’t. No sleds here. I haven’t named them truly. Others have, but mine are just a part of me. They haven’t wanted names yet, if that makes sense.” She paused. “But I think they like you.”
He studied her snakes, his jaguar in his eyes. “The one on the right coiled around my wrist when you were passed out after the attack.”
“I figured. That one likes to wrap around wrists and other things...mostly because it can strangle.”
He arched a brow, but there was still laughter in his eyes. “That’s good to know.”
“They’re a part of me, and I can put the glamour back up.” She ran her hand over her snakes, and they slithered along her palm.
“You don’t need to wear a glamour if you don’t want to.”
“Maybe not, but they might be in the way.” She caressed her snakes, mostly to make sure they knew they weren’t in trouble, even if they would have been able to feel it from her directly. Then she turned her glamour back on so she was only skin, and hair, and nerves.
“What are we doing?” she whispered after a moment of silence. Not awkward, but filled with moments. Anticipation.
“Living.” A simple answer that was anything but simple.
“I don’t know what to feel. I’ve never felt like this before in my life.”
“I don’t think you were supposed to. I’m your one and only.”
“I don’t even know you.”
“You could. Here.” He rubbed his fist over his heart.
“If we do this, we’ll be bonded for eternity. There’s no going back,” Poppy said, swallowing hard.
“And I know we should take time and not rush into it. I know we should figure out exactly who we are, but I want to know more. I want this. And I know it’s fate pushing at us, and it makes no sense, but I’m going to protect you till the end of my days.”
“You don’t even know me,” Poppy said, laughing.
“I would protect you even if you weren’t my mate. Because I protect the innocent.”
She shook her head. “I’m not innocent.”
“You are. But it’ll take more than my words to make you believe that. Until then…we wait. We wait to bond. We figure out who we are, but first, we need to protect you.”
She let out a shaky breath, needing to do something but unsure what to say. “Will you teach me how to fight?”
Jonah nodded. “First, let’s teach you how to punch. Do not tuck your thumb in.”
“I thought that was the best way to do it,” she said, looking down at her fist.
“Like I said, that’s the best way to break your thumb.”
“Oh.”
He slid behind her, and she sucked in a breath, the heat of him almost too much.
“This might be a bad idea,” she whispered, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, the growl in his chest reverberated through her.
She could feel her snakes quivering above her head, and she knew they wanted this as much as she did. More like they wanted emotion, and she was the one who gave it to them. In a weird Medusa way, but that was who she was.
“Okay, how do I punch?”
He was right next to her ear. “You have to move your body with it, not just your arm.”
“Show me.”
It wasn’t a question, but thankfully, he did. He moved with her, showing her the motion, and she did her best not to tuck her thumb into her fist.
He had one hand on her hip, his front pressed firmly to her back. She could feel the long, thick ridge of his erection, and she swallowed hard.
He moved away then, and she turned in his arms, even as she let out a shaky breath. “We’re not going to bond tonight,” he whispered.
“Is that a euphemism?” she asked, and he laughed.
“We’re not going to have sex. We’re not going to bond. We’re going to get to know each other. We’re going to stay safe behind these wards.”
She couldn’t focus, but she knew it was the right decision. “Who are you, Jonah? Other than the man from the bar that saved my life more than once tonight.”
“I’m a jaguar, a soldier, and, if we dive into fate, I could be your mate.”
“And you’re not going to tell me? The stories.”
He looked down at his hands. “I want to. I will.”
“It’s a little heavy, though, right? I mean, I told you mine, but that was because we were on the run from parts of my past. We could take a minute before we talk about yours.”
“We can. But I want to tell you. I haven’t told many people. Malik knows, but no one else.”
“Why is that?”
“Because it’s my past. But my past has to do with my present somewhat.” He leaned down, and she frowned as he pulled up his pant leg.
She saw the metal there, and her eyes widened.
“You’ve been fighting all night. Are you hurting?”
Jonah nodded. “Yes, I should probably rest it for a bit. I’ve been fighting on some form of prosthesis for half my life at this point. You think I’d be used to it.”
“I didn’t realize that shifters could lose limbs.” She closed her eyes and groaned. “Don’t comment on that. That’s a horrible thing to say.”
Jonah took her hand and led her to the couch. He sat down, and she did the same. She hoped she wasn’t going to say the wrong thing.
“I’ve been intrusive. I’ll stop.”
“No, you’re not. When I’m not wearing shorts, it’s hard for me to bring up the fact that I lost my leg in battle.”
“Oh.”
“It doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s been long enough that the scar tissue feels like just normal skin and muscle at this point. But thanks to some magic that went against nature, I was unable to grow my leg back the way a normal shifter would.”
“I’m sorry.”