Page 11 of Naga Healer's Mate

“That doesn’t mean you should have to.”He shifted forward, his powerful upper body tensing.“I’m not leaving you unprotected down here.”

“I don’t need protection!”She stood up, her hands clenched at her sides.“I’ve survived this long without anyone’s help.”

His tail lashed once against the floor, his frustration evident in the quick movement.“Surviving isn’t living, Islae.”

The way he said her name sent shivers through her body.She turned away, unable to handle the intensity of his gaze.“Just go.Please.”

“No.”

She whirled back.“This is my clinic.My life.You can’t just slither in here and take over!”

Pain flashed across his face before his expression hardened.His tail unwound as he rose to his full height, towering over her.“Very well.If that’s what you wish.”

“It is.”The lie tasted bitter on her tongue.

He moved slowly toward the door, his powerful form fluid and graceful despite his size.At the threshold, he paused briefly.“Be safe.”

Then he was gone, leaving only the lingering scent of him and an aching emptiness in his wake.Islae sank back onto the bed, pressing her palms against her eyes.

“Stupid,” she whispered to herself.“So stupid.”

She had pushed him away, just like she pushed everyone away.It was safer like that.Easier.But as she stared at the empty doorway where he had stood watch all night, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had just made a terrible mistake.

Chapter 7

Nirrn

Nirrnslitheredslowlythroughthe streets of Jorvla, his vibrant orange scales catching the faint light of the rising suns.Islae’s words echoed in his mind, each syllable a fresh wound.The phantom sensation of her touch on his shoulder burned, a cruel reminder of the mate bond that had sparked between them—a bond she didn’t even know existed.

His tail dragged slightly against the ground, lacking its usual fluid grace.The morning air felt thick and oppressive, matching the weight in his chest.He’d spent the entire night guarding her clinic door, alert to every sound, every shadow that might have meant danger.And for what?To be dismissed like a common intruder.

“This is my clinic.My life.You can’t just slither in here and take over!”

Her words had struck deep.But his response to her had been measured and controlled, despite the turmoil raging inside him.“Very well.If that’s what you wish.”

“It is.”

Her two simple words had shattered something fundamental within him.

His house soon came into view, a modest dwelling on the outskirts of the market district.He entered through his front door sluggishly, the familiar surroundings offering no comfort.The space felt emptier than usual, darker somehow.His scales rasped against the wooden floor as he moved through the rooms, eventually reaching his bedroom.

He coiled himself onto the bed, but sleep remained elusive.“All this time,” he muttered to the ceiling.“All this time searching, only to find her like this.”

The mate bond pulsed weakly inside him, a reminder of what he’d found and lost in the span of a day.His eyes closed, but Islae’s face remained—fierce, determined, and beautiful.How could he walk away now?The very thought of never seeing her again made his chest tighten.

But he wasn’t like other Niri males.He couldn’t—wouldn’t—force himself into her life, demand her attention, and claim her against her will.That wasn’t who he was.His fingers traced the scales on his chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath them.

“What am I supposed to do now?”The question hung in the air, unanswered.

Sleep finally came, but it brought no peace.His body remained tense, his tail coiled tightly, trying to protect himself against an enemy he couldn’t fight—rejection from the one person who was meant to be his other half.

The acrid stench of smoke jolted Nirrn from his restless sleep.His eyes snapped open, his scales bristling along his broad shoulders as he lifted his head.Through the cracked window of his bedroom, wisps of dark smoke curled against the late morning sky.

Something pulled at him—an instinct deeper than thought.The mate bond thrummed with warning, drawing him toward the source of the smoke.His tail uncurled from its sleeping position as he slithered to the window, his muscles tensing at what he saw.

Black smoke billowed up from the market, precisely where Islae’s clinic lay hidden.His heart stopped.

“No.”The word escaped in a harsh whisper as he burst through his front door.

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