Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

KRIS

“Uh, thank you all for coming. I apologize for the short notice, but it’s important.”

It had taken less than an hour for my whole family to show up at my parents’ when I’d called an emergency meeting in the Kringle group chat. Every available seat was taken, and every single person was looking at Levi and me as we stood in front of my parents’ garland-draped fireplace.

“Oh my god, Kris! Are you about to tell us you and Levi are engaged?” Kimmy squealed with delight and clapped her hands around her baby bump, Karla and Kennedy joining in her seated happy dance.

“Stop that. No.” I glanced at Levi, his golden amber eyes sparkling with amusement. “I mean, maybe. One day. But no. That’s definitely not why we asked you guys to come here.”

“Then what is it, honey? I’ll admit, I’m a little worried. I heard through the grapevine that you were involved in some sort of public kerfuffle with Mayor Delmar.”

“What? Mom, you didn’t tell us that.” Keith looked pissed that he hadn’t heard the same gossip, and a second later, everyone started talking at once, trying to pump my mom for information.

“Enough.” My dad’s voice cut through the din. “How about we stop speculating and let Kris and Levi tell us what they need to tell us.”

My siblings, their partners, and all their assembled children fell silent.

“Sorry, Kris,” Kevin mumbled.

With every eye fixed on us again, my palms started to sweat. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea, but then Levi shifted next to me, and I knew deep down in my soul that the only way to fix the magic the Delmar family had broken was to return the balance to Lifeboat and the only way to do that was to reveal the truth of what our town was.

“I need you guys to keep an open mind.” Every head bobbed, but surprisingly no one spoke. “I know you guys don’t really get my fascination with history and nautical folklore, but I need you to indulge me for a second.”

A couple of my siblings rolled their eyes, but I continued.

“According to legend, a long, long time ago, when magic was everywhere, it flowed along lines that crisscrossed the globe known as ley lines. These lines were where the magic flowed most easily from the magical plane to the earth. Over time, towns sprang up along these lines and became safe havens for creatures from the magical plane to reside with humans.”

My nieces and nephews were all bent forward, elbows on their knees listening intently to my story. Several of my siblings looked a little bored, but at least a couple were intrigued, and both my parents were looking at me like they were hoping I’d get on with whatever I had to say.

I took a deep breath and blew it out. Here went nothing. “Lifeboat is one of those towns. In fact, Lifeboat is a North Atlantic oceanic ley line haven town.”

My nephew, Kyle, raised his hand. “Uh, Uncle Kris, what does that mean?”

I knelt so I could answer his question on his level. “Well, bud, it means that here in Lifeboat, humans and sea monsters live together.”

His eyes went wide and round. “Really?”

“Yes, Kyle. Really.”

Kevin pushed off the wall where he was standing. “No offense, Kris, but I’m calling bullsh—baloney.” He rolled his eyes. “This sounds like another one of the fish tales you love.”

I looked at Levi, who gave me a nervous smile, then stepped forward. “Actually, I can prove it. Everything Kris said is true. Half the people that live in Lifeboat aren’t technically human. Including myself.”

He slipped off his jacket, revealing another squid pun T-shirt, and held out his arms. The outline of his tentacles glowed slightly as they lifted off his skin and snaked out from under the hem of his T-shirt to wave around his body. As always, when I saw them, my heart skipped a beat, and blood pulsed toward my dick, anxious as ever to be wrapped up in the purple-blue flesh.

When I looked at my family again, their expressions were a mixture of wide-eyed awe, mild terror, and skepticism. They were all eerily silent. For the first time ever in the Kringle household, the expression about being able to hear a pin drop actually applied.

Then Kyle unfolded his little legs and stood, walking toward Levi on silent, Christmas tree-socked feet. Kimmy tried to reach for him, to hold him back, but her bump was in the way, and he moved too fast. Kyle smiled at Levi, then held out his hand. Levi glanced at me, and I nodded. He extended a tentacle to brush against Kyle’s palm, and my hard heart melted to reveal the previously absent, gooey marshmallow center as tears pricked at my eyes.

My nephew’s simple gesture was proof real magic existed and that it lived within us.

Kyle giggled. “It’s so soft. And not slimy.” He looked up at Levi with a serious expression. “Are you supposed to be slimy?”

Levi smiled down at him. “I don’t think so. Maybe I’m a little slippery in the water.”

My nephew pursed his lips and nodded solemnly. “That makes sense.” The tentacle wrapped around his little fingers, the suckers making a soft popping sound as they moved, unsticking and resticking to his skin.

He turned around and addressed our family. “It’s okay, guys. Levi is a nice octopus.”

Levi’s voice cracked with emotion when he tried to speak, and he had to clear his throat. “Uh, actually, I’m a kraken.”

“No freaking way,” someone exclaimed, but I couldn’t tell who.

“Mom, what did you put in that eggnog? I’m not really seeing this, am I?” Karla asked.

My mom shot the assembled Kringle clan a glare and stood from her chair. She walked right up to Levi and threw her arms around him. “I don’t care what you are, honey. Kris loves you, and that’s all I need to know.”

“Mom!” I chastised. What she’d said was true, but I hadn’t said the words to Levi yet, and I didn’t want my mom stealing my thunder.

“What?” She winked at me, then ran a hand down one of Levi’s tentacles. “Oh, you’re right, Kyle. They are soft and not slimy.”

As though they’d been waiting for the Kringle matriarch’s approval, everyone else surged to their feet, crowding around Levi, everyone trying to touch a tentacle like they were plunging their hands into some sort of kraken touch pool. Levi handled all their prodding and the accompanying barrage of questions with grace I couldn’t ever hope to have.

My dad slapped me on the back as he stepped back to give someone else a turn to pet my boyfriend. “For someone who didn’t seem to believe in magic, you sure fell right into the middle of it.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know.”

The skin near my dad’s eyes crinkled as he smiled wide. “He’s a good man, Kris. Wait, let me try again. He’s a good kraken. I’m glad you’re happy, son.”

And I was. I really, really was.

But this big reveal was only half of why we were there.

“All right, all right. Keep your hands to yourselves. We’re not done yet.”

“Now, are you going to make the engagement announcement?” Kennedy asked.

“We are not getting engaged.”

“But if you were, would you have to buy Levi eight rings, one for each tentacle?” Kennedy’s husband, Matt asked.

“Oh, that’s a good point,” Keith said, and Mike, who was standing behind Keith with his arms wrapped around him, nodded.

As my family dissolved into a debate over the hardware I’d need to propose, Levi stepped closer to me and whispered in my ear. “Am I dreaming, or are they taking this surprisingly well?”

I shrugged. “Half of them dress up as elves for part of the year, and one of them pretends to be their holly jolly leader. I think the Kringles are uniquely qualified to suspend disbelief.”

“But still. No one screamed or ran away.”

“Because they know you, Levi. Why would they run?”

Tears shimmered at the edge of Levi’s glowing amber eyes, and he pulled me in for a kiss, his tentacles wrapping around me.

“Ew, gross. Get a room,” one of my siblings yelled while others catcalled and whistled.

We separated reluctantly and turned to face my family again.

“Before you say whatever else you need to say, I have a question.” Kevin crossed his arms, his mouth turned down in a frown.

“Yeah, what?”

“Is that”—he wiggled his fingers in the direction of Levi’s tentacles—“how you were able to get so many trees done that night you came to the tree farm? Because unfair, bro.”

Levi laughed. “Hey, use ’em if you’ve got ’em.” He glared in Matt and Kennedy’s direction. “Would have been super helpful when we were untangling twinkle lights.”

“Untangling twinkle lights?” My mom looked around at all of us. “Why would you have to untangle the lights? We put them back in tidy bundles.”

Everyone started talking at once, trying to change the subject.

My father stuck his forefinger and thumb in his mouth and whistled, and everyone went quiet again. He nodded at me. “I think Kris mentioned there was something else he and Levi needed to say. Go on, boys.”

Levi and I explained about Calder and what his family had done trying to drive humans out of the town.

“With the ley line magic unstable, the town is susceptible to attacks. I’m not sure it will work, but Kris and I believe that revealing the history of the town to the humans here will bring balance back to the magic and protect the town from further attacks.” Levi’s hand squeezed mine.

“Attacks? What kind of attacks?” Kimmy rested one hand on her bump and the other on Kyle’s shoulder.

I looked at my nieces and nephews, then subtly shook my head. We didn’t want to scare them. “Nothing specific, but we want to make sure the town is safe for everyone here.”

“So what do we need to do?” My mom had pulled a notepad from somewhere and had her red readers perched on her nose and her pen poised to take notes.

“We need to get everyone together all in one place.”

“We can use the tree farm. Set up more chairs and benches around where the carolers and school choirs perform,” my dad said, and my mom wrote it down.

“We can move the benches from the workshop outside.” Kevin looked at Keith, who nodded.

“And we can start a phone tree. We have contact information from all the workshop reservations.” Karla tapped at her phone, pulling up the online reservation system.

“Tonight is the first night of our winter holiday, Poseidonia, so a lot of people might be heading toward the water,” Levi added.

“We can each take a beach and spread the word.” Mike looked at Kimmy’s husband, Connor, and Keith, who both nodded.

My mom stood from her chair again. “I’m going to call your aunt Karen. This calls for cocoa and cookies, and I’m going to need a hand.”

“Call Marvin’s wife, Clara, too. I know she’ll be happy to help.” My mom nodded at me.

“Let’s get to work, Kringles!” She clapped her hands, and everyone scattered to take care of the things they said they would.

A few minutes later, Levi and I were alone in the living room.

“I can’t believe how well that went.”

I shrugged. “Me too, but I’m not really that shocked. They’re a little nutty, but I’ve never met a more accepting group. And they love me, which means they love you.”

Levi beamed at me, and something he said earlier floated to the forefront of my mind.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” I tugged him toward the couch and pulled him down to sit with me. We were going to need to get out there and help get things set up for tonight, but I also thought we needed a minute alone.

“Yeah, of course. Always.”

I took a breath not sure how this was going to come out. “Earlier, when we were talking to Delmar, you called me your mate. What does that mean?”

Levi studied his hands for a second. His tentacles had receded, lying flat against his body again, and I reached out to trace my thumb over the outline of one while I waited Levi out.

“It means that I’ve fallen hard for you, Kris. It means I want to spend the rest of my life with you if you’ll have me. It means I love you.”

Using my grip on his arm, I pulled him closer and sealed my lips to his. We couldn’t do more than kiss while in the living room at my parents’, but I needed to feel as close to him as I could get. We were both breathless when I finally pulled away. “I’ve fallen for you too, Levi. I love you.”

We kissed again, only separating when my phone buzzed insistently in my pocket. I pulled it out and showed Levi the screen.

“We’ve gotta go.”

People started arriving at the tree farm just before seven. Car after car pulled into the parking lot and lined up along the street. One of my siblings had made signs that said the tree farm and workshop were closed for a private event, and they’d been set at every entrance to the property.

My family had gone all out setting up chairs and benches and laying out cocoa and cookies for after the big reveal. If anything could bring about interspecies peace, it was Mary Kate Kringle’s cocoa, and it was nice to have the backup just in case.

Levi was pacing back and forth behind the small stage my family had built to host carolers and choirs, and his tentacles twitched around his arms in nervous anticipation.

By seven thirty, it looked like the whole town was assembled, the lines between humans and sea monsters clearly drawn. All the humans had gravitated toward one side of the space while the sea monsters congregated on the other. There was very little overlap or mingling, even if people did smile and wave from across the two groups. I wondered if they even knew they’d accidentally divided themselves. Hopefully, this wasn’t a bad sign.

The crowd reminded me of Levi’s new favorite Christmas movie, and I grabbed his arm when he next passed. “Looks like all the Whos down in Whoville are here.”

A nervous chuckle escaped from between his lips. “Let’s hope when this is over they don’t want to carve me up like the roast beast.”

“If it helps at all, this grinch’s heart already grew three times today watching Kyle touch your tentacle.”

“Gods, that was so sweet.”

“It really was.” Levi’s tentacles twitched against my arm, and I squeezed his hand tight. “It’s going to be fine. We need to do this.”

“I know we do. There’s no other option.”

I leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Then let’s get this show on the road.”

The second Levi and I stepped onto the little stage a hush fell over the crowd, the anticipation almost palpable. My family and the KELPS guys had filled the front rows, and while Pete, Stan, Abe, George, Joe, and Tom looked a little confused about why they were there, Marvin beamed at us and gave an encouraging nod.

Out among the crowd, I caught the faint blue glow of the talismans we’d made. People had taken us seriously when we’d passed them out, and seeing them out there in the crowd strengthened my resolve that we were doing the exact right thing. Levi must have noticed, too, because he stood up a little straighter and stepped forward, speaking into the microphone one of my siblings had rigged up.

“Good evening, everyone. Thank you all for coming on such short notice, and joyous Poseidonia to those who celebrate.” A faint echo of the same sentiment reached us from the sea monster side of the crowd, and Levi nodded his thanks.

“You’re probably wondering why we’ve asked you all here tonight.”

After that, Levi wasted no time in telling the crowd the same thing I’d shared with my family.

“The thing is, the haven towns aren’t old legends. They’re real. And you live in one.”

An uncertain murmur passed through the human side of the crowd. All the sea monsters already knew.

Levi kept going. “In the other haven towns around the world, including the one I’m from in Ireland, there is balance in the magic because everyone knows and respects everyone else’s culture and differences. Those differences are what make the magic strong.” The big reveal was coming, and I could tell the crowd was waiting for the other shoe to drop. “Here in Lifeboat, the magic is suffering because we are out of balance because we don’t know each other as we should. In Lifeboat, we need to coexist, to openly be friends, mates, and lovers.”

The murmurs from the crowd increased.

“Wait!” A voice I recognized came from the back of the crowd, and Lawrence Tidewell rushed up the aisle carrying a sparking and sputtering blue orb that reminded me of the tiny bit of Levi’s magic in each talisman in larger form. The short man ran up onto the stage. “What Levi is saying is true. This sphere shows the health of Lifeboat’s ley line magic. Does it look healthy to you?” The orb kept flickering from dark to light. Occasionally sparks jumped out of the light. It looked like a dying light bulb.

Levi shrugged out of his jacket and I took it, reminding me of the way he’d handed me his clothes those nights on the beach when he’d been trying to harness his inner magic, and that made me smile. We hadn’t known each other all that long, but here we were trying to save our town. We’d already been through some shit, and regardless of how this went, I knew we’d weather it together.

Levi closed his eyes. “The magic in here isn’t healthy because half of the town can’t openly share who they are.” He turned toward the human side of the crowd. “It is time you know you live among sea monsters.” Levi’s tentacles lifted from his skin. “I’m Levi Shoal, and I’m a kraken.” He reached back for my hand, and I took it, letting him pull me forward to stand next to him. “And this is Kris Kringle, my human mate.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd, and the sputtering in the orb slowed. This was working.

For a long moment, nothing happened, then Marvin stood up and stepped in front of the other KELPS members. “My friends, I’ve wanted to share this part of myself with you all for so long. I’m sorry I’ve kept this secret.” He transformed into his full pearly white kelpie form. The other KELPS members’ eyes went wide, and Pete started to openly weep as he stood and wrapped his arms around Marvin’s neck. The rest of the guys stood and approached Marvin too, and as they all hugged him in turn, the light in the ley line orb steadied even further.

The group of teenagers who’d helped us pass out talismans earlier came forward in a bunch. One of the mermaids stuck a hand on her hip and dropped part of her glamour, revealing long green hair and seafoam green skin. “I’m a mermaid, and my bestie is a human. Deal with it.” She threw her arms around the short blonde girl in the group as the other merfolk in their huddle also dropped their glamours.

Slowly sea monsters approached their human friends on the other side of the aisle and revealed themselves. And maybe it was holiday magic, or maybe I just didn’t give my fellow humans enough credit, but despite lots of shocked reactions, there was no open hostility, and with every reveal, the light in the orb steadied until almost every sea monster had partially transformed and the humans and monsters were mixed together, resettled on the benches in groups no longer divided by species.

If my heart hadn’t already grown three sizes that day, it would have seeing the acceptance happening among the crowd.

Levi glanced to where Tidewell had taken his natural water sprite form, his skin a pale teal and hair navy blue. His ears and nose were pointy, his teeth sharp, and his eyes round and almost completely black. He was studying the orb.

“What’s wrong?” Levi asked, and Tidewell turned his way.

“Isn’t it supposed to be brighter? I mean, it looks better than it did, but it’s still not right, is it?”

Levi stared at the orb for a moment. “No, it’s not. But I think I know what I need to do.” He grabbed my hand, and we took a few steps away from Tidewell. “Kris, I’m so sorry to put another thing on you, but I need to know if you are ready to be my mate for life.”

I looked into his golden eyes that were starting to glow, and I imagined looking at them for the rest of my life. Which would be a hell of a lot shorter than Levi’s. Could I say yes knowing I would only have him for a few more decades? I didn’t really even need to think about it. Having Levi for a day would be better than not having him at all. “I’m happy to be yours for as long as I live.”

“Which is going to be a pretty long time.”

“What do you mean?” Hope flared to life in my chest.

“When we mate, your life will be tied to mine. You’ll live until I die, and then we’ll move to the next plane together.”

“Are you serious?”

“I am.”

“Then yes, Levi, I’m ready to be your mate.”

“I love you, Kris.”

“I love you too, Levi.”

He stepped up to the microphone and asked for everyone’s attention again. “There are two more orders of business to attend to. First, since you’re all here, I was hoping you could act as witnesses as Kris and I join as mates.”

“I told you they were engaged!” one of Kris’s siblings yelled from somewhere near the front of the crowd.

Kris just laughed and shook his head as I turned to face him.

“Are you ready?”

“It’s too late to ask how this works isn’t it?”

“Yep.” Levi popped the P and held both of my hands, staring lovingly into my eyes. “I promise this won’t hurt at all.”