Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

Levi

T he engine finally roars to life, coughing out plumes of smoke before settling into a steady hum.

“Finally!” I shut the engine panel and wipe my greasy hands on a rag. The crew cheers, and I grin at Captain Mike. “I am so glad to be done with this finally. Let’s head home!”

Mike raises an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Any reason you’re in such a hurry?” he asks, his voice heavy with amusement. “I’ve heard some interesting rumors. About a certain cute tourist.”

“Rumors, huh?” My smirk mirrors his as I lean against the railing. “It can be unwise to partake in idle gossip, Captain. For example, I’ve heard that you spend a lot of your spare time at the local bookshop. I never took you for the literary type. Care to explain that rumor?”

Mike chuckles, scratching at his beard. “How ‘bout – none of your damn business, Levi.”

“Same.” I grin, making him laugh outright. We fall into an easy silence – the kind you earn after years of emergency repairs and weather so rough you can only communicate in hand signals. Mike’s the kind of captain who’s first on deck and last to leave, who knows every bolt and bearing on his boat. I’ve never seen him lose his cool, even the time the winch seized up with a full net. He just squared his shoulders, did what needed doing, and expected us to follow suit.

Neither of us is much for spilling secrets or talking about our personal lives, but we don’t need to. Our trust has been built from years of working seamlessly together.

I decide I’ve put in enough time today. Waiting for the boat to motor back to the marina will take too long, and with Rose expecting me, I’m not in the mood for any more delays. Why take the slow route when I have a faster way? Stripping off my clothes – I get a couple of typical wolf whistles from the crew. I drop my phone and clothes into a waterproof bag I keep onboard for just such occasions, then dive off the side of the boat. I let my form expand, feeling the welcome stretch as my body morphs into its true nature. My limbs elongate into powerful tentacles, my chest broadening as I take on my kraken form. Tentacles unfurl, gills open, and the salty water fills my senses. The transformation feels like coming home, and I know I’ll make it back to shore in a fraction of the time.

I savor how the ocean currents buffer me as I head toward the marina, eager to return to Rose. Midway, I wave a tentacle at a couple of nereids swimming with a pod of dolphins nearby, but they barely notice. Instead, they dart away, cutting through the water with a frantic speed that makes my senses go on high alert.

That’s strange. Something must’ve spooked them. That usually means a predator is nearby.

Frustration flashes through me, but I turn in the direction the nereids were fleeing from. I might want to be with Rose, but I also have a duty to protect these waters.

The scent hits me as I swim, stopping me cold in the current. I try to dismiss it, but it only grows stronger, overwhelming my senses. The familiar smell strikes like a physical blow, hurling me back to the darkest day of my life – a memory branded into my soul, a wound that never closed. It should be impossible. But I know this scent. Malachar.

No, it can’t be. He would never leave the kraken stronghold. The thought alone is ridiculous. He’s as tied to that place as the stones themselves. But the evidence is unmistakable, and a wave of fury crashes inside me.

I surge forward, faster than before, driven by the boiling anger and disbelief. And then, amidst the scent of Malachar, another trace hits me – faint but unmistakable. Rose. A cold dread seizes my chest. If Malachar is here, and Rose is nearby…

If he got close enough to her, he would undoubtedly be able to detect my scent upon her. And with how most of my people feel about krakens dallying with humans, especially Malachar…

I don’t let myself finish the thought; I just tear through the water with every ounce of speed I possess.

When I break through the waves near the mooring buoy, my blood runs cold at the sight. There he is with a tentacle wrapped around Rose’s waist, pulling her toward him. She’s struggling, fighting against his hold, but he doesn’t flinch. His eyes are fixed on her with a dark, assessing gaze, like he’s studying an object, not a person.

Without hesitation, I launch myself at him, wrapping my tentacles around the thick appendage holding Rose, tearing it off her waist, and shoving her kayak away with a force that sends it skidding across the water. Even if I could roar out a warning, her human ears would never understand the language of my kind – the deep frequencies that travel through water. All I can do is desperately hope she understands my actions. I pray that she gets as far from here as possible. Malachar’s gaze shifts to me, and for a moment, there’s a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Then it fades, replaced with a cold, mocking look. He curls his tentacles, preparing to strike.

No waiting for him to strike first, I attack, coiling my body around his, wrapping my tentacles around his body and squeezing as I sink my beak into his thick hide. He thrashes, but I tighten my grip, feeling the satisfying tear of flesh beneath my bite. His tentacles lash out, wrapping around me, crushing down with relentless strength, but I grit my beak, digging it deeper into his flesh, and refuse to let go. The water churns white with our battle, our bodies rolling through the depths like a living maelstrom.

Malachar lets out a deafening roar, his grip on me vice-like. I ignore the pain and tighten my coils. I heave my muscles, determined to rip him apart piece by piece if I must. His tentacles strike out, their suckers biting into my skin as he tries to pull me off of him, but I refuse to let go.

He twists violently, slamming me against the rocky sea floor. My vision blurs from the impact, but Rose’s lingering scent in the water above is a reminder of why I must keep fighting.

“Get out of my waters!” I roar, forcing every ounce of strength into my voice.

Malachar’s gaze hardens, his eyes narrowing with disdain as he thrashes again, attempting to free himself. I dig my tentacles deeper, wrapping myself tighter around him, my beak snapping close to his face as I go for another strike.

We twist and spin, our massive bodies locked in a deadly embrace as we struggle for dominance. His tentacles wrap around mine, their pressure relentless, but I focus on one thought: I need to protect Rose.

Drawing on my last reserves of strength, I slam him down against the rocks, my tentacles coiled tight around his thrashing form. I adjust my grip, wrapping my largest tentacles around his mantle, positioning myself to crush the life from him with one powerful squeeze. But before I can finish him, Malachar’s voice cuts through the water between us, strained and bitter. “The Kraken King sent me to bring you back, Levistus.” His eyes lock onto mine as he twists in my grip. “Though I should have known you’d sink so low as to rut with a human.” His tone turns viciously mocking, even as my hold tightens. “I could smell you all over that little creature. Your stench clings to her like a disease.”

At his words, something primal and dark unfurls inside me. Watching his sneering face, I make my decision with crystal clarity – Malachar will not be leaving my waters alive. I can’t risk him speaking to others about my Rose.

Suddenly, a booming female voice cuts through the depths, as clear as if we were standing on land. “You dare attack one of my people in my territory?”

Malachar’s tentacles go slack with shock. “I… impossible. A human voice under—” He stammers, then quickly regains his composure. “I attacked no one! Levistus assaulted me without provocation.”

Koko’s scoff reverberates through the water. “You were touching his female.”

Malachar’s tentacles coil and uncoil, showing his irritation. “The female caught my curiosity. She was calling out for a kraken – I thought she was calling to me. Then, when I got near her, I could scent Levistus upon her skin.”

“Why are you here?” Koko’s voice booms through the water, making Malachar wrap his tentacles around himself protectively.

“I merely came to deliver an invitation for his return to the kraken kingdom.”

“Why now?” I demand, my tentacles coiling with tension. “After all these years, why does the king suddenly want me back?”

Malachar’s posture shifts, becoming almost diplomatic. “The king has issued a new decree. All mixed-blood krakens are to be treated as equals to pure-blooded krakens. He said that times are changing for our people. Not everyone agrees, but what the king says goes.” His voice carries a hint of bitterness at those last words.

“Tell the king I appreciate the invitation,” I reply firmly, “but Lublin Harbor is my home now. I’m not coming back.”

Koko’s invisible presence ripples through the air around me, a warmth that pulses with delight at my words.

“You’d better retreat before I obliterate you from existence,” Koko says, her voice dripping with disdain. “And trust me, I’ll be having words with Thalassor about his people’s deplorable manners.”

Malachar’s body goes slack, the last dregs of fury draining from his eyes. He turns away, his tentacles pulling close as he glides into deeper water. With Koko’s overwhelming presence surrounding us, I know he no longer poses a threat. I release my battle-ready stance, my form aching with exhaustion.

I turn my attention back toward the surface, my mind immediately shifting to Rose.

“Are you alright, Levi?” Koko’s disembodied voice drifts through the water, gentler now.

“I’m fine. I’m sorry my people brought trouble to your harbor.”

“That’s not your fault. I’m sorry about Malachar,” she says, regret coloring her tone. “I should have noticed him crossing my borders. Too many things have been distracting me lately, but that’s no excuse. It won’t happen again.”

Already turning, I start swimming toward where I can see the kayak. My thoughts are fixed on Rose, and Koko adds softly, “She’s unharmed.”

“I need to see for myself.”

“Of course you do,” she says, understanding in her voice.

I break the surface to find Rose calling for the kraken, her voice frantic. When she spots me, relief floods her features. Leaning over the side of her kayak, Rose tries using her hands to paddle over to me.

I glide close and check her over, searching for any sign of injury. She catches the tip of my tentacle in her tiny hands, gently kissing it. “I was so scared,” she whispers against my skin. “I was so worried about you.”

Before I can respond, Malachar’s massive form rises from the sea a hundred yards away, water cascading from his tentacles. I stare, awestruck – Koko just lifted a hundred-foot kraken like he weighed nothing. Such casual display of power from someone who’s probably frosting cupcakes at her bakery right now, miles away… sometimes I forget what she truly is: a love goddess with powers beyond mortal comprehension.

“Oh my god!” Rose yelps, staring at the injured kraken suspended above the waves – Malachar’s form dwarfing a city bus, his limp tentacles dangling in the water. Before Rose can say more, Malachar is pitched through the air like a shotput. Koko’s throw is so powerful that no splash reaches our ears; Malachar simply disappears over the horizon. My tentacles coil in instinctive respect. Mental note: never cross a love goddess.

“What. The. Hell,” Rose utters. Then her eyes lock onto the blood seeping from my side. “Oh no, oh no – you’re hurt! What can I do? How can I help?” Tears stream down her face as she dives into the sea, swimming toward me for a better look.

I immediately pluck her from the water, setting her gently back on her kayak. Then I turn, allowing her to examine the injury. After she’s had a chance to look, I stroke her softly with my tentacles, trying to convey through touch that I’m okay.

“Are you going to be alright?” she asks, her voice trembling.

I tap her arm once.

“Are you sure?”

In response, I caress her cheek with my tentacle again before wrapping it securely around her kayak and begin towing her back to the marina. The water is calm now, almost unnaturally so after the violence we witnessed.

“I was so scared,” Rose confesses as we glide across the bay. “When I first saw that other kraken, I thought it was you. My heart just stopped.” She shivers despite the warm air. “Was that you who threw him? Like, just now?”

I tap her thigh twice for ‘no.’

“That is the strangest thing I’ve ever seen,” she says, shaking her head. “I mean… I don’t even know what I just saw. Was that magic?”

One tap: ‘yes.’

“Are you sure?” she whispers, her voice filled with awe and a hint of fear as she gazes across the now-peaceful waters.

I tickle her sides with my tentacles, making her squeal despite her worry. The rest of our journey passes in silence, broken only by the gentle lapping of waves against the kayak.

Once we reach the marina, I help guide her vessel alongside her houseboat. Rose clambers aboard with shaky legs, still processing everything that happened. As I begin to sink beneath the surface, her voice stops me.

“Wait!” Rose calls out. I pause, turning back to her. She kneels at the edge of her deck, reaching out to run both hands over my kraken head with such gentleness it makes my hearts ache. “Thank you for saving me,” she whispers. “And thank you for being my friend. You don’t know how much getting to know you has meant to me.”

The words make something twist in my chest. I wrap a tentacle around each of her hands, giving them a gentle squeeze, letting my suckers softly grasp her skin in the closest thing to handholding I can manage in this form.

Then I slip away to my houseboat, hauling myself onto the deck. I find my waterproof bag on the kitchen table with a small note: “You lost this in the fight. Just returning it. – Koko”

In the bathroom, I examine my injuries. The gash on my hip is ugly but not life-threatening. I clean and bandage it carefully, then grab my phone from the recovered bag. I send Rose a text: Still working on the engine. Don’t know when we’ll make it back to the marina. Need to cancel our date tonight. Sorry.

I feel terrible about telling Rose a lie, but I can’t see her like this. I have no way to explain it. Thanks to my kraken shifter nature, it should be little more than a scar by tomorrow evening. But today’s events have made one thing crystal clear – I can’t go on like this. I must tell Rose the truth. My very existence in her life put her in danger today. She deserves to know everything. I need time for my injury to heal and to figure out exactly how to explain that the man she’s been dating is also the kraken she’s befriended.