Micah Jalloh is a character with a lot of hurt. His childhood honed him into a hard man. His experiences jaded him. He is married to a woman he cannot trust and spends a large amounts of time trying to avoid dealing with the feelings there. We first meet Micah in the first book Wintr’s Homecoming. His appearance is small, but his marriage is referenced. Jaguar Nights delves into the scars created by lies.
Micah and Anaya have a long history together. Since childhood, Anaya has believed in Micah and their future together. She knew deep in her soul that they belonged together. Micah loved Anaya but he hated the thought of being beholding to their tribe for life. Anaya was meant to be Queen, but he never wanted to be King.
Aware of Micah’s need for a life outside of the tribe Anaya supported him. Begged her mother, Queen Desta to give him time to see more of the world. A series of decisions and hurt, shatters their friendship, and created a division in their marriage.
Now the parents of a beautiful little girl, Anaya has had enough. Living in a loveless marriage has weighed on her shoulders and is breaking off parts of her soul. She offers Micah an out. They continue to parent and lead their people, but they each discretely take lovers. Micah falters when he is faced with a reality check he never considered before. Could Anaya ever be with another man?
Here is an exclusive of Jaguar Nights –Excerpt from Chapter 3
His dreads were bound by a strip of leather but still trailed his shoulders. They had grown a few inches since the last time she had been with him. Her fingers itched to be buried in it and feel it’s texture.
Micah pulled on his boxers then climbed onto the bed careful not to let any part of him touch her. The bed dipped slightly as anticipation and desperation sensitized her skin. The smell of his freshly washed skin teased her.
He did not reach for the covers or try to get another pillow from beneath her head. Anaya had stolen one of his. She just wanted a different interaction with him. Something different from the contact they had earlier. Something ordinary amongst couples.
Her sin could be forgiven by God. But Micah? Sometimes it seemed as if she would never pay enough penance to him. He needed the hurt more then he needed her. Anaya was tired of bowing to his need. She wanted to feel loved and worshipped by a man.
She had not come to New York to just fight with her husband. She came to inform him of a decision she had made. Anaya was done serving penance for her past mistakes.
****
1864
Bullets could not kill him but that did not mean he did not feel the pain. A soldier had gotten off a luck shot before Micah could take him down. The confederates were a determined lot. Even in the face of Micah covered in viscous blood they still fought.
Legends had already started to circulate about the Union soldier who could defeat an entire battalions on his own. When Micah had gotten off the ship and saw how blacks were treated. His anger had filled him with purpose. Finally a war in need of his strength.
“Take deep even breaths and grip the mattress tight please.”
“This is not necessary.”
“Please grip the bed.”
Micah took a deep breath as the girl before him dug into the wound in search of the bullet. He tried to tell her repeatedly that she was not needed. She did not need to dig out the bullet. The girl would not listen. Instead she insisted on trying to find it. Pain tore through his leg as she dug into the wound.
Her head was bent low. All he could see was the top of her short black Afro. Pain pierced Micah’s leg as her fingers found what she was looking for and she slowly pulled the small metal ball out. His other wounds were already starting to heal and that was the only bullet to hit him.
The rest had missed as he tore through the other side’s line of defense. He gritted his teeth in frustration. The pain did not bother him per say but he was eager to rejoin the fight. The wound could not heal if she kept poking her fingers into it.
The woman smiled as she held up the ball like she had found a prize. She was attractive. Brown skin beneath a layer of dirt, wide hazel brown eyes, and light pink lips. She did not have the same beaten down spirit most women in the war camps had.
“The doctor should be by to check on you soon. I will just clean and wrap the wound.”
Micah nodded as she dropped the ball into an empty bowl beside her and set to work again. He watched as she washed her hands again. She then picked up a white cloth soaked in a substance that smelled like whiskey.
He tilted his head as he stared at her with interest. “Micah.”
The girl frowned as she looked up from her work, “Micah?”
“My name is Micah.”
Her face cleared as she smiled again. It brightened her entire visage. She smiled with such abandon. How could one who had seen all that they had seen still be so cheerful? What gave her that brightness?
“Imaani.”
*End of Excerpt*
Micah has to learn to forgive and let go of the past, as well as face his own mistakes.
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