Three

A few hours after he fell asleep, Hobie started murmuring. Tarika and Nala had checked in a while ago to let me know they"d bought some supplies from the closest human town, but then they"d gone back to their house, promising to return with dinner later.

"No!" Hobie gasped out, the first distinct word in his sleepy mumbling. He sounded terrified, and I leaned forward, my brows furrowing as I gazed at his face. Was he having a nightmare? What could I do to help? Was there anything I could do?

As I watched, Hobie jerked his head to one side, twisting his body as if shying away from something. Or someone.

My tentacles shot out before I"d consciously thought about doing something, curling around his wrists when he started moving his arms. He was going to accidentally rip the needle out...or worsen his injuries.

Wrapping my tentacles around his legs so he couldn"t move, I made sure my grip was loose enough that it wouldn"t hurt him further. There was a risk this would scare him even more, maybe remind him of the shackles he"d been bound with, but momentary fear had to be preferable over increased pain from his wounds.

I reached out with my hand and gently shook his shoulder. "Hobie? Hobie, wake up."

He gasped loudly, his whole body going stiff. He blinked unseeingly before his brown eyes settled on me. He stared at me for a long moment before he relaxed, and I sighed in relief.

Straightening up, I started to carefully remove my hold on him, but he stopped me with a soft, whispered, "No."

"Hobie?" I questioned, stopping with my tentacles half uncurled from around him.

He met my eyes, then glanced away, and his cheeks flushed a soft pink as he licked his lips. "Could you, uh, could you keep holding me for a bit? Please?"

I blinked at him, surprised yet again. Hobie was such a strange human. Instead of being surprised, or disconcerted by my tentacles...he actually wanted them.

"Uh, of course." I shifted my tentacles to wrap over his stomach and legs instead, then tightened my hold. He sighed softly, and went lax, making me shake my head in wonder. "You really don"t mind, do you? They don"t unnerve you?"

"Unnerve me? Not at all. They...they make me feel safe."

"Oh!" I didn"t think I hid my surprise very well. My tentacles...hell, my kraken form as a whole had always been an image of fear, especially in the minds of humans. I"d never thought a human could see them as something that would protect them, see me as someone who"d protect them.

Then again, Hobie was my mate, and he wasn"t wrong. I would protect him. I"d protect him from anyone and anything that ever tried to harm him.

"I—I"m glad," I said finally, and Hobie smiled up at me, though he still appeared tired. "Are you in pain?"

He pursed his lips. "A little, but it"s manageable." He paused, then dragged in a shaky breath. "I—I remembered something." His voice was barely audible, and I squeezed my tentacles around him in a full-body hug in reaction to the pain in it.

"You did?" I left it at that in case he didn"t want to share.

"It wasn"t a memory, exactly, but I remember being cold. Like this bone-deep chill that just wouldn"t leave," he said, a tremble in his voice. He shivered then, as if just thinking about it made him feel cold, and I wrapped a few more tentacles around him to cover him more fully, increasing my temperature a little.

"Thank you," he murmured softly, then glanced down at himself and chuckled softly. "I look like I"m in a cocoon."

Smiling, I tilted my head to the side. "You"re comfortable, are you not?"

"Um, yeah. I am." He glanced away from me as his cheeks colored, and I bit back a smile.

"Then that"s all that matters."

Hobie smiled to himself, and we were quiet for a few moments. I soaked in the companionship, the soft joy that filled me at being with my mate, at touching him and being able to offer comfort to him.

"I didn"t know you could do that." Hobie broke the silence, and I glanced up at him as he added, "Have your tentacles out, I mean."

"I think I can do it since I"m half fae. My human form isn"t a completely different shape so much as a magical...container my kraken form is hidden inside. I can take out parts of it, or transform into it completely."

"That sounds...uncomfortable." He winced. "I mean, you"re so much larger in your other form, aren"t you?" he asked, then blushed again. "Sorry if that was rude."

Chuckling softly, I shook my head. "It wasn"t rude at all, don"t worry. And yeah, it can get a little cramped sometimes. I usually don"t stay in this form for long."

"Oh! You don"t have to stay in this form for me, if that"s why you"re doing it."

Smiling, I reached out and patted his shoulder, the only part of him—other than his head—not covered by my tentacles. "I"m fine. Don"t worry. I can"t shift inside the house, and I"d rather stay with you."

"Oh."

Hobie flinched when there was a soft knock at the door, and I gave him a squeeze.

"That must be Tarika and Nala. Would you like to be introduced, or should I talk to them outside?" I slowly withdrew my tentacles from around him, instead pulling up the blanket to cover him so he wouldn"t get cold.

Hobie stared at the door for a long moment, then turned his eyes on me. "I"d like to meet them. Could you help me sit up please?"

"Of course." I helped him up with my tentacles, using my hands to support him. "Do you need anything? Water? Pain medicine?"

He made a face, then nodded. "Some pain meds, please."

Once I"d handed him a glass of water and some pain pills, I headed to the door and opened it just enough to look outside. Tarika and Nala both stood waiting, Tarika"s hands full with a food-laden tray while Nala hopped on his tiptoes as he tried to peek around me and into the room.

"Behave," I told him before opening the door further and inviting them in.

I placed the empty water glass on the mattress because I couldn"t reach the nightstand without sending my body into wrenching pain and looked up as Eben opened the door to invite two people inside.

Tarika and Nala, he"d said their names were. What he hadn"t said was that they were both utterly stunning.

Tarika was tall, with long, silver hair that reached her waist and hung in sleek curtains, framing her face. She had deep blue eyes, pale skin with golden undertones, and a calm, unflappable aura. Nala, on the other hand, was all unrestrained excitement, dark skin, dark brown eyes, and black hair, its length rivaling Tarika"s, though his hair hung in a long braid off his left shoulder.

"Uh, hello," I said into the silence, and apparently, that was all the encouragement Nala needed to cross the room to my side with a speed that startled me.

"Hello! It"s so nice to meet you! I"m Nala, and that"s my mate, Tarika. She"s a quiet one, but a real softie!" Nala said without taking a breath as he perched on the edge of the bed and reached for my hand.

The moment his skin brushed mine, pure, unadulterated terror filled me, and I jerked my hand back, almost ripping out the needle as the sound of my pounding heartbeat filled my ears and sweat beaded on my skin.

"No, no, no." I squeezed my eyes shut as I remembered another touch, a touch that brought only pain and hurt. So much hurt. I couldn"t see anything, but it hurt. Hands clutching at me, nails digging into my skin until they drew blood. "Don"t touch me! Don"t touch me!" I screamed, knowing it"d be no use. He never listened. The monster never listened.

Warmth enveloped me, gripping me tight, but not painfully. It was a secure hold, and whatever had a grip on me was strong, strong enough to protect me from him. I went lax in that hold, knowing deep in my gut I could trust it, that warm, fleshy skin with the thick scent of the ocean.

My heartbeat slowed, and I blinked my eyes open, needing a few moments to remember where I was. What had just happened?

I glanced down, finding Eben"s tentacles wrapped around me once more, though I was upright this time. Then I remembered Tarika and Nala, but when I looked up, Eben and I were alone in the room.

"Wh-what just happened?" I realized my voice was trembling, and knew that if Eben wasn"t holding me, my whole body would"ve been trembling.

He watched me with a worried frown, and reached out to touch me before dropping his hand to his side, as if afraid of scaring me again. Somehow, I didn"t think his touch would make me panic the same way. He"d brushed me before when he"d helped me sit up, and I hadn"t freaked out then.

"I think you had a flashback. Did you...remember something?"

I clenched my jaw shut, refusing to relive those feelings again.

"I—I don"t want to talk about it." I cringed at the curtness of my tone, but he merely nodded.

"Of course." Eben glanced at the dresser beside the door, where a tray of food sat waiting. "Would you like to eat something?"

I didn"t have much of an appetite after that scare, but I knew my body needed food. I wanted to heal quickly and not be such a burden on Eben, so I nodded, and he smiled widely before unwrapping his tentacles from my torso and fetching the tray. I almost asked him to wrap them around me again when he returned, but restrained myself.

"Are Tarika and Nala...?" I trailed off questioningly, and Eben shot me a reassuring look as he fiddled with the food on the tray.

"They went back to their place. Nala was really apologetic about scaring you."

I ducked my head, ashamed. I hadn"t meant to panic, and I felt bad about reacting to Eben"s friend like that.

"It wasn"t his fault," I mumbled, and Eben hummed.

"That"s true. But it wasn"t yours either." He shot me a look like he knew I was blaming myself. "Here, try a little bit of the sandwich, but if it feels too heavy, we have more soup too."

I took the plate from him, and my eyes widened when I saw the sandwich cut into perfectly bite-sized pieces. I couldn"t remember the last time anyone had cut my food for me. Had anyone ever...

"Are they too big? I can cut them smaller."

I shook my head, swallowing the lump in my throat as I picked up one of the pieces.

"No, they"re perfect." I plopped the piece into my mouth. As I chewed, I realized just how hungry I was, and before I knew it, I"d cleared the whole plate. I stared down at the empty dish, a little surprised I"d eaten all of it.

"Would you like another?" Eben asked, and I shook my head. "How about some soup?"

I glanced over at the still-steaming bowl and chewed on my lip before nodding. I didn"t have much space left in my stomach, but the aroma wafting from it was too good to resist. The soup was thick and creamy, with the fresh, starchy smell of potatoes and maybe a hint of mint.

Eben smiled widely before taking the empty dish from me and replacing it with the soup bowl.

"Aren"t you hungry?" I asked as I stirred the spoon around, and he smiled.

"I"ll hunt in the ocean later."

I blinked. Kraken, right.

"What do you eat?" I took a sip of the thick, creamy soup. "Don"t octopuses eat like crabs and snails and stuff?"

My frequent trips to the aquarium were finally coming into use.

"I," Eben narrowed his eyes at me, "am not a bloody octopus." If it weren"t for the way his lips twitched, I"d have thought he was actually mad at me.

"Wait, are you British?" I demanded, realizing there"d been the faintest hint of an accent in his words.

"No, I"m not." He gave a short laugh, then shrugged. "I"ve been alive for so long, I don"t think there"s a place on this planet near a saltwater body that I haven"t lived in."

"Oh." I took another sip as I wondered if it"d be rude to ask his age. "So, where are we now?" I chose to ask instead as I realized I had no idea where this comfy room was.

"The North Sea. Well, on my private island in the North Sea," he clarified, and I blinked.

Had he just said we were on a private island?