20. Sasha

Chapter 20

Sasha

B abies! Is Kaden losing his mind? I glance over at him as he walks alongside me in Billie's mansion, grinning and humming to himself as if he's at home. I noticed him getting along well with Tallis, and it's impossible to ignore that Tallis, one of Billie's fated mates, is drop-dead gorgeous. Although I have to admit, not as stunning as Kaden, even if he's a handful and pushy.

But yes, babies. Nope, I'm not ready to settle down.

"Enjoying yourself?" I ask, arching an eyebrow at him. "This place has a certain charm, don't you think?"

He grins wider. "Absolutely, if you're into white mansions and godlike hosts. But I like Tallis, and Billie's a genuinely sweet person. She's beautiful, but not at your level. I mean, it's hard to compare anyone to mermaids."

I roll my eyes, trying to ignore the flutter in my chest. "Oh, is that so? And that's why you're drawn to me?"

"It's hormones and pheromones, little one. It's destiny. It's the savage hunger that has me so hard for you when you walk into a room that I know we're meant to be."

His words send a shiver down my spine, but I fight to keep my composure.

"Well, how about we make a deal? On this trip, we don't talk about fated mates, babies, or any of that stuff. Just enjoy our short trip in Finland. Depending on how quickly the king can see you, perhaps we can explore a bit, then head back to Norway."

He studies me, a playful glint in his eyes. "Agreed. No talk about relationships, just the lure you have on me and me having my way with you at any chance possible. I got it."

I roll my eyes again, but a smile tugs at my lips. "That's not what I said."

"It's what I heard…" He chuckles.

We seem to be going in circles through the white-walled corridors of the mansion.

"Where are we?" he asks, glancing around a large hallway ahead of us.

"This way," I say, pointing toward a white hallway to our right. "I can smell the water…"

"Right…" He guides me in that direction, then down a set of steps. I must be distracted or something because the steps are suddenly rushing out from under me. I cry out, grasping for him, for the railing. He moves swiftly, catching me so fast it spins my head. I'm in his arms before I hit the steps, gasping as I wait for the painful fall.

"You gotta be more careful." He cradles me in his arms like a child. "From now on, I shall carry you up and down stairs."

"Now you're being ridiculous. Put me down."

"I will, at the bottom of the steps." And he stays true to his word, even when a red-haired maid goes past, smiling at me, then staring at Kaden a bit too long.

I shouldn't care, yet a lick of fire flames in my chest at seeing the hunger in her eyes for him. I stare into his eyes, their deep, captivating depths, his strong, chiseled face, the way he's studying my mouth like he can't think of anything beyond kissing me. Why is it that a touch, a stare, is all it takes, and I'm burning up with an unbearable need for him?

I wriggle out of his arms before I lose control. "I can walk, thanks."

"Suit yourself." He smirks, letting me go but remaining by my side. "Just trying to keep you safe."

"Yeah, well, I'm perfectly capable of handling a few steps," I mutter, smoothing my wrinkled shirt.

We continue down the long corridor. It's always like this—an electric pull I can't ignore, even when I try to keep my distance.

"So, what's the plan once you meet the king?" I ask, trying to steer the conversation to safer waters.

He shrugs. "Figure out how to deal with the mercenaries without causing a bloodbath. It's all about keeping the peace, right?"

"Sure," I say, unable to hide my sarcasm.

He laughs, the sound vibrating through me. "You have a way with such a few words, Sasha."

I cut him a hard stare. "And you have a way of driving me crazy."

He chuckles.

We reach the room with the huge swimming pool located on the bottom floor, and the sight takes my breath away. It's like stepping into a fantasy world, a cave decorated with lush plants and a blue, oversized pond. The walls are lined with greenery, creating a natural, serene atmosphere. It's the kind of place you'd expect to find in a mermaid's grotto, not hidden away in a mansion. The water shimmers under soft lighting, steam rising gently from the surface. It's everything I imagined and more.

"This is perfect," I say, stepping closer to the edge. "Wow," I breathe, taking in the scene. "You need some of these in your kraken cave so that it's less dark and sacrificial and gives off more mermaid vibes."

I notice there's a wall of shelves with fluffy towels, a few benches scattered around, and even a small bar in the back. I can easily picture the family having fun here.

I turn to Kaden, who hasn't responded, only to find him butt naked and diving into the water. His clothes are discarded behind him. I shouldn't have expected anything less from him.

Head bursting out of the water, he calls out, "Get in here. Water's so warm. I do prefer the icy chill of the fjord, but this is calming. You'll love it on your mermaid tail."

I kick off my shoes and dip my toe in. The warmth curls up my leg, and I'm already feeling at ease. Stripping down to my tank top and underwear, I hesitate at the edge.

Kaden swims over, raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing? You can't come in here with those clothes." A mischievous grin spreads across his face.

"Why not?"

"This is a naked-only pool. Tallis told me so."

"He did not!" I protest, recognizing the lie but still feeling the flush creep up my cheeks.

He's grinning wider now. "You come in here like that, and they're coming off."

I eye him, accepting his challenge even as I'm halfway down the steps.

"Fine," I say, feigning indifference. "I don't need to go in." I turn to leave when one of his tentacles snaps around my waist as fast as whiplash and wrenches me backward.

I lose my footing, a scream caught in my throat, and fall into the pool's embrace. It's so warm, and despite myself, I hate how much I don't want to get out. I wriggle and fight against his damn tentacles, curling around me, pulling at me. The suckers stick to my skin, then pull away, a strange sensation that sends shivers down my spine.

"Kaden!" I sputter, coming up to the surface, seeing that he's still holding his human form while dark, inky tentacles jut out from his back, appearing lighter in color on the undersides. "Let go of me!"

I shove him away, only to see him gliding in the water. His tentacles are spread out gracefully, and two of them are grasping my tank top and underwear. I instantly pat my body under the water and realize he's ripped them off me.

"You asshole!" I shout.

"Told you the repercussions. You chose not to listen," he says, a smug grin plastered on his face.

"Why do you always have to be a horny bastard?"

"Because I am, especially when you keep fighting me," he replies smoothly.

I suddenly feel the gentleness of his tentacles on my legs, swirling around like seaweed, a sensation that sends heat through my body.

"Maybe I'm not ready… maybe it's moving too fast. You're talking about babies and…" I sigh, my words trailing off.

"Then I'll take my time until you're ready." His voice is a soft rumble.

It's like he's trying to unravel me with every look, every word, every touch. And damn it, he's succeeding.

I glance up at him, my heart aching with the weight of my fears.

"And what if I'm never ready? What if I'm the wrong person for you? What if… I hurt you down the track?" I turn away from him, emotions bubbling up inside me.

Memories of my mom and dad flash through my mind, the way their relationship crumbled, the way my mother's choices tore our family apart. I can't repeat that. I can't become like her.

Kaden moves behind me, his body pressed flush against my back, the impossibly hard erection against my ass difficult to ignore. His breath is hot in my ear.

"You could never hurt me."

Silence hangs heavy in the air.

"That's what my father thought, too," I whisper, my voice cracking.

"You're not your mother. You're nothing like her," he says firmly.

He turns me around by my waist, and I see the determination in his eyes. This huge kraken shifter sees something in me that I can't. He's not leaving me alone, and I can't deny the attraction to him. It's magnetic and unbearably hard to resist.

Suddenly, his mouth is on mine. It's a clash, a thunderstorm, an explosion between us. He always has a way of reminding me why I struggle to ever walk away from him. His kiss is fierce, demanding, and I can't help but respond, my hands tangling in his hair, pulling him closer.

We break apart for a moment, both of us panting.

"You drive me insane." My words are breathless.

"Good," he replies, his eyes darkening with desire. "Because you make me just as crazy."

I laugh, a sound that feels foreign and freeing. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Whatever you want," he says, his tone serious. "Just stop pushing me away."

I look at him, really look at him, and see the vulnerability hidden behind his confident exterior.

"I'm scared, Kaden. I'm scared of what this means, of what we could become."

"Fear is normal," he murmurs gently. "But don't let it control you. Don't let it keep you from something that could be incredible."

"I don't know if I can do this." I bite my lip, my mind a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts and emotions.

"You can," he says firmly. "We'll take it one step at a time. No pressure, no rush. Just us."

His words soothe something deep inside me, and I nod slowly. "Maybe one step at a time."

He smiles, a genuine gesture that lights up his face. "That's all I ask."

Kaden pulls me closer, his tentacles wrapping around me gently. "You're safe with me, Sasha. Always."

Doubt creeps into my mind, though my body has other ideas. I'm softening against Kaden, craving the protection he offers, the idea of me no longer being alone, and yet those exact same reasons terrify me.

His lips are on mine again, and I kiss him hungrily, my body flushed with emotions, with desire, with confusion. Yet I don't pull away. I can't because, for those few moments, I let myself believe that this is a perfect world where I have no past, where time stands still, and where all my worries have vanished. Where it's Kaden and me, and nothing else matters.

He gives a low grunt as his tentacles wrap tighter around me, as though he can't get close enough to me.

I absolutely adore that feeling of being wanted. Letting myself relax completely, I push aside those nagging thoughts that I'm making a mistake.

He's encasing me completely, those suckers pulling at my skin as if he's trying to drag me under the surface—something I'm not resisting because I wanted this. I sink into cracks in my mind where I'm broken, and with his kisses sailing to my neck, his breath whispering in my ear like a breeze out at sea, I feel whole.

I close my eyes, clinging to him as his mouth traces the curve of my neck. My body shudders with primal desperation, my thighs clenching tightly. In those few moments where I only inhale him, I swear I'm out in the middle of the ocean.

Free.

His arms and tentacles move over my body like the embrace of the sea. It's as if nothing else exists. The world and all its chaos fade away, leaving just the two of us.

Kaden's touch sends ripples of warmth through me. It's both terrifying and exhilarating, like diving into the deep without knowing what lies beneath.

Those tempting lips travel along my skin, and I'm floating, suspended in this perfect moment.

His gaze searches mine. "I've got you," he whispers.

I moan in response, barely able to take a breath from the emotions he's stirring within me.

"You're every fucking thing I crave," he continues.

I see his smile as he pulls back, our faces still close. It's hard not to fall head over heels when he's the most beautiful man in the world. His features are sharp and defined, like a marble statue, and there's sin in his expression when he studies me. Those vibrant blue eyes remind me of lapping waters on the shore in a tropical ocean… where I want to lose myself.

"You know your eye color changes in various blues," I say, breathless, still caught in his arms, my heart skipping a beat as his tentacles roam over me. "Or am I imagining things?"

Two of his limbs swoop beneath my ass, lifting me off my feet to meet him face to face. My hands are plastered to his rock-hard chest. His eyes glimmer as he leans forward, brushing his lips across mine.

"They follow my mood. The happier I am, the lighter they get. You can see for yourself what you do to me, the sheer amount of joy you've brought me."

"I guess it will show me when you're in a dark mood, too, then?"

He grins ominously. And instead of drawing away, he runs his tongue over the seam of my mouth in a dominating, claiming move.

I'm trembling from his earlier words, from the thrill of his commanding actions—a confident man who takes exactly what he wants… Me.

"Come, my little mermaid," he purrs, a seductive whisper that sends a hungry tremble down my back. "Let me show you how it feels to be loved by a kraken."

Before I can respond, he pulls me tighter against him, his arms and tentacles cradling me. My body tenses up, then, in one swift motion, we're both under the surface, and he's charging through the water to somewhere behind me, carrying us both.

Panic flares in my chest, and I try to wriggle free. It's not the water—I can breathe just fine. But Kaden has a way of always pushing the boundaries, and as much as I try to stay in control, the unknown terrifies me. His presence is overwhelming, and every instinct tells me to fight, even though I know I'm safe.

We're deep under now, his movements fluid as he propels us to the darker part of the pool. Yet I can still see him clearly, the smile on his lips, the flow of his chestnut hair in the water.

At the bottom of the pool, I find myself beneath him, him leaning over me, his mouth savagely at my neck, licking, nipping, leaving me shuddering for more.

When he reaches my mouth, I kiss him back because I'm helpless around him. His tentacles curl between my legs, spreading them, others glide around my breasts, his large palms holding me prisoner.

I kiss him just as deeply, and the world disappears. It's just us.

His passion is fierce and demanding.

Surrendering to him is a dizzying rush, and I can't deny how right it feels.

He's in control, how he always demands every situation. I clasp the back of his neck with my arms, my legs held wide as his hands slide down to my waist. Something light brushes across my needy clit… something that feels very much like one of his tentacles.

Pulling from our kiss, he makes a growling sound, smiling at me.

"I count myself lucky every day that I've found you." His mouth moves, and I hear his voice—muffled as though it's filtered through layers of the ocean.

It's strange hearing him so clearly down here. My parents always told me not to speak underwater, something mermaids didn't do, apparently. I have no idea if they were lying or why they said that, except that it was frowned upon by them. Curiosity gets the better of me, and I try to answer.

"Do you often speak underwater?" I ask, feeling the words more than hearing them echoing in my ears.

He shrugs, the motion causing small ripples in the water around us. He grins, making me think he's heard me, and it's not just in my head.

"Not often enough for my liking," he replies.

I smile at the novelty of speaking this way when the tip of his tentacle limb strokes the length of my spread pussy.

I shudder, clinging to him, and an unexpected force of a tentacle pushes in past my entrance.

"Kaden," I gasp, stiffening all over, unable to focus on anything but the way he pushes into me.

He's staring at me. "I'm going to give you a mind-blowing underwater orgasm. You can show me your thanks later, gorgeous."

I'm moaning rather than protesting. The sensation of those suckers inside me brings a whole different level of excitement than I ever expected.

"How does it feel?" he asks, watching me like a starved predator. "I feel every sensation of my limbs, you know."

I'm writhing, sensing him moving deeper inside me and his girth stretching me.

"Kaden, this is so unfair," I manage when one of his suckers perfectly attaches itself to my clit. A scream flies from my lips, and he's holding me, his smile practically reaching his eyes.

I'm floundering, nipples tight. I'm burning up, floating, and completely losing control. Kaden smirks at seeing me falling apart. His gaze trails up and down my body, pausing on my spread legs where his tentacle is fucking me, pushing in and out. Another sucks down on my clit, while others are gently moving over my body… one pushing into my mouth, another moving to my ass.

He's filling me up, and he's so aroused that I don't miss the way his huge cock twitches for attention.

Kaden floats in front of me, eyes glazed over, enjoying me being tentacle-handled. There's utter elation on his face, intent in his gaze.

"I want to own every inch of you, fuck every hole."

Shaking ferociously in his hold, I can't speak. I'm lost in the beautiful way the sucker on my clit pulls down on me. My hips are rocking, meeting the rhythm plunging into me. I never expected to fall victim to arousal in front of Kaden while he got off on it.

My pussy quivers… every inch of me does. My hands grasp his arms as he still holds me by my waist. I feel incredibly vulnerable while drowning in overwhelming ecstasy.

I keep adjusting, writhing, mostly to accommodate him pushing into me. I'm at his mercy, exactly where he wants me.

He thrusts that tentacle into me, my control completely vanishing, and he's missing his own arousal. I'm glowing, especially between my legs, unable to deny that being taken by his limbs leaves me weak and pleading for more.

"Told you that you'd never forget being with me," he grins just as my crescendo peaks, and an orgasm crashes through me.

I scream, his tentacle slipping from my mouth as I thrash and fall apart. I come harder than I ever remember doing. Kaden's growling once more, leaving his limb inside of me, those suckers never pausing.

"You're so beautiful when you come. One day soon, I'm going to marry you."

My stomach does a small lurch at his words, while I'm ruined, collapsed in his embrace, panting from the sensation of soaring through the sky. Except his words, they stay with me, pressing down on me… His pushiness to commit, to control, is lighting up my insides for a very different reason.

He's the king of the sea, the man of my dreams, yet I'm freaking out every time he talks about any kind of commitment.

As I wriggle from him, he finally pulls out, his limbs releasing me, and I'm floating on my own, already missing him. Except my head's all over the place.

His forehead furrows, and those bright eyes darken. "Sasha, what's going on?"

I'm swimming backward from him, but I know he's not finished with me. He never is.

"I can't," I manage, my voice trembling. "This is going too fast. The things I feel are happening too quickly." All I can think about is how much love my parents had for one another and how fast my mom became a siren, destroying our lives. What if it's in our bloodline to be more susceptible to becoming one?

His deflated expression is a blade to my heart, and my cold, inevitable rejection starts to crush me.

"I thought we talked about this," he says, gliding through the water toward me.

"Yes, but I'm not feeling myself, and you're… why do you have to make me care so much for you?"

"Be with me," Kaden says softly, his voice filled with sincerity, eyes searching mine as if willing me to say yes.

Instead, panic surges inside me, stronger and more overwhelming than before. My heart feels as if it's being squeezed in a vise. I push him away, shaking my head.

"Please, just leave me…" My voice cracks with desperation, the plea sounding more like a whimper. But as I turn to swim away, he reaches for me again, his hand firm on the back of my neck.

"Sasha, stop hiding from your true self. Embrace who you are, that you're meant to be with me." His voice transforms into a strong command, guttural and deep, resonating through to my bones.

The sound of his voice is a force that vibrates through my very being, rippling through my muscles and my nerves, reaching places I didn't even know existed. It's like being caught in a powerful current, and I'm suddenly drowning in the intensity of it all.

Something strange begins happening. My body turns to putty, no longer responding to me but to him. My legs and arms feel heavy, disconnected, as if I'm floating outside myself. I've lost control, and the struggle is so hard it hurts.

"Breathe," Kaden says, his voice softer now, trying to cut through the storm raging inside me.

But I'm not fully in the room. I'm trapped in my head, and my body is convulsing, racked with pain that's both physical and emotional. It feels like my very essence is being torn apart and reconfigured, and I don't know if I'll survive the process. I'm scared out of my mind, a flare of something different pulsing through me, something foreign and terrifying.

I'm shuddering, the pain shooting through my body as if my bones are breaking, my heart racing as I cry out. It's an agony I've never experienced, and it's relentless, unyielding.

"Kaden!" I scream, a call for help. I'm not even sure I want him to answer.

He's got me in his arms and shoots us upward. We break the surface, and he lifts me out of the water.

He cradles me with a tenderness that feels like a lifeline and rushes me to a long seat at the pool's edge. He holds me steady, his grip firm yet gentle. But I can barely see anything through the fog of fear and pain. The world around me is spinning, and I'm lost in my own mind.

What's happening to me?

Kaden is saying something, but I can't hear him when he suddenly jerks away from me.

Almost instantly, a jolt of energy pulses through me, changing my senses into sharp focus. It's like I've snapped my fingers, and I'm no longer in my body. My sight is clearer, crisper, the world around me more vivid than ever. I see the water with an odd clarity, every ripple and wave magnified, glistening with a surreal brightness. I can smell Kaden so strongly, his masculine and pine scent mingling with his saltwater smell, and it's as though I can even inhale his blood.

What is wrong with me?

I push off the seat, landing on the floor, my breaths coming in ragged gasps.

Wait, why do I feel weird?

A great howl breaks past my throat, primal and fierce, a sound I've never heard before but recognize instinctively as my own. It's a noise that comes from deep within, born of fear and something more—a transformation that I don't understand.

Glancing down, I notice I'm on all four paws!

Paws!

Oh, fuck!

Kaden's eyes widen with shock, and he's rubbing his chin.

"I didn't see this coming."

He moves toward me, but the fear in his eyes mirrors my own. I'm terrified of what I might become. Before I can make sense of it, my instincts take over. I bolt across the room, unsure where I'm going but driven by a force I can't control, propelled by dread and an overwhelming urge to escape.

"Sasha, just take a deep breath. You're going to be okay," Kaden calls out.

My heart's about to burst out of my chest. Everything's a blur—the world rushing past me as I clumsily stumble right into a room I soon realize is a bathroom, not the way out. How in the world does anyone walk on four legs? I bump into the wall, struggling to move straight.

I don't know where I'm going, but the need to get away is all-consuming. The air is alive with tension, and I can feel something inside me shifting, something awakening that I can't comprehend.

The fear is suffocating, pressing down on me from all sides, but I can't stop. My body's betraying me, but I have to keep moving, even if it's stumbling. I rush through the stalls in the bathroom, hoping for a window or something, but there's nothing.

My thoughts are all funneling in on my father… a wolf shifter!

Is that what's going on with me? But why now? What had Kaden done to me?

Pivoting back around, his huge figure fills the doorway.

"Let's not panic," he tells me.

I sneer at him, showing him my teeth. I'm way past the fucking panicking stage.

I'm losing my damn mind right now!

My movements are more in control now, more fluid, more powerful than I ever thought, but my mind is a whirlwind of chaos. My heartbeat is a drumbeat in my ears, urging me to run faster.

I charge for the doorway.

Kaden's eyes widen, surprised by my actions.

"My little mermaid, or wolf, now it seems, I don't want to hurt you, but I'll wrestle you to the ground to get you to calm down."

I'm moving so fast I'm like the wind, and in seconds, he goes to scoop me up. Except I dart right through his parted legs and back into the pool room.

Claws hitting the stone floor, I madly scramble toward the main door we'd left partially open. My sense of urgency doesn't fade. If anything, it grows stronger, driving me forward with a single-minded focus. I don't know what I'm running from or toward, but I know I have to get away.

The echoes of Kaden's footfalls strike behind me, the hot air against me fluttering through my fur, but all of it is secondary to the terror that clings to me like skin. It whispers insidiously in my ear, telling me that I'm losing myself, that I'm becoming something else, something monstrous.

My breaths come in sharp, ragged bursts, my lungs burning with the effort, but I don't dare stop. With a final explosion of speed, I throw myself at the door, rushing through the gap and into the mansion.

I keep running, keep pushing myself forward, away from the terror, away from the uncertainty. Needing to be outdoors… There, in the distance, I spot the side door to the kitchen, which leads to another exit where I can see woods outside.

My heart's soaring, and I'm rushing madly for escape, a strange craving for the wild consuming me.

I glance back at Kaden at the end of the hallway, and he's calling my name, but right now, all I can do is run.