35. Mari
Chapter thirty-five
Mari
Two Months Later
" G ive me your phone, or I will smash it."Soren holds out his massive olive-toned hand. The only shade of green human skin comes in.
It'sso strange seeing him like this.It'sbeen weeks now, andit'sstill jarring.Don'tget me wrong; he is still a beast in every sense of the word, and he is still him. Just human. And right now,he'spissing me off.
"You wouldn't dare." I hold it behind my back.
"Yera saidshe'son her way, and you can't do anything about it right now. Give me the phone, unless you can promise to control yourself."He looks stern in his black suit, with his long brown hair slicked back. I'd be turned on if he wasn't being so fucking annoying.
"Ijust need—" I start to say but he cuts me off.
"You need nothing.They'reon their way. The event looks great. What are you panicking about?"
I stop and look around the decorated ballroom. Everything is in its place. The caterers have arrived. My speech is ready. My dress looks fantastic. Soren looks like a god.He'sright. I need to take it down a notch.
"Okay, fine. I'll relax. But I'm keeping my phone."
He sighs, resigned. His vast shoulders drop in acceptance."Okay, can we get a glass of champagne now and toast your success before everyone shows up?"
"It's not a success yet. We won't know how much money we've raised until the night's end."
"That doesn't mean we can't celebrate whatever we've already accomplished, right?" He nudges me.
"Okay, fine, but just one. I need to be on my schmoozing game tonight."
"What is a schmooz?"He looks genuinely confused.
"Sorry, I mean ass-kissing game."
He grabs my waist and pulls me close."Now you have my attention."
"Oh holy shit, you know what I mean. Now, keep those hands to yourself. I can't look all flustered when the guests arrive."He unties his arm from my waist but not before giving my ass a little pinch.
"That'sfor being such a brat,"he whispers in my ear.
Oh fuck, why is that so hot?
The evening does, in fact, go off without a hitch. We raise over one hundred thousand for my nonprofit, which is insane. I apologize profusely to Yera and Arrick for being such a panicky psychopath. Yera demands abottle of "good champagne," so I oblige.
I realize that Arrick and Soren shouldn't be in the same room with others around. If we can avoid it, one otherworldly-looking man who is abnormally tall and covered in tattoos can be disregarded, but two? Two brings attention, unwanted attention, and some questions Idon'tyet have lies for.
I think Yera notices, too. She wraps her hand around Arrick's and drags him out to the dance floor. He has absolutely no idea what he's doing out there, but that in and of itself pulls the attention away from Soren and me.
"Shall we go, too?" Soren nudges me and gestures to the crowd of people swaying to a melodic pop song.
"Can you dance?" I can't believe I've never asked that. I can't believe that in his two months here, it's never come up.
"If that is what you call it." He juts his prominent chin at the group. "I imagine I can do much better." He scoops me into his arms, spinning me. "Now, My Warrior, do you think you can keep up?"
Oh, no. I rest my hand on my forehead, blocking out the sunlight streaming through the window.
"What did I do?" I groan, my head throbbing."What the hell?"I say, sitting up and shutting the black-out curtains. Blood rushes to my head. I blink back the spots dancing in my vision."What did I do last night?"
"Well, my love, do you not remember insisting on tequila shots when we returned, to celebrate the evening?'Soren says, low and unbothered, leading me to believe he's not hurting as much as I am today.
"No,"I groan."No, Idon't,"I say, swallowing. My throat is raw, and there is an undeniable tang sticking to my breath today; I can taste it now. Don ' tthrow up, don't throw up.
I lay back down, determined to keep the room from spinning.
"After that,"Soren goes on,"you were pretty insistent on sucking my cock."
"Oh god, is that what I taste in the back of my throat?"Tequila and cum, a combination made in hell.
"Of course not. You were much too far gone. Plus, about five minutes after you insisted on ‘sucking me silly,' you passed out,"he says, amused by the memory.
I hold my face in my hands, half in embarrassment and half to keep myself steady.
"This is why I don't drink," I say, the sound muffled.
Soren pulls me into the curve of his arm."You were entertaining. But I prefer you like this or battling with me."He kisses the side of my face, and I lean into the touch.
His fingers graze soft lines down my arms, and I revel in the stillness. Just us.
"But,"he continues,"I wouldn't turn you down if you wanted to ride me until your headache cleared."He teases. But when I move my leg over his hip, I feel the hard bar of his cock jutting out.
"That'snot how headaches work,"I say, but he hoists me atop him before I finish, his thick length throbbing between my legs. The light fabric of my underwear and his boxers leave little barrier.
"If you want me to stop, say so. Idon'twant to jostle you ifyou feeltoo sick,"he says before lifting his hips slightly, letting his hardness rub up against my pussy. Oh, fuck, that might be what I need.
"Just, well, we have to be quiet," I say, pulling my shirt off. His hands glide up to cup my breasts, squeezing my nipples and rolling his hips again.
"Ilove these,"he says, leaning up to pull my nipple into his mouth, sucking and squeezing.
I need his boxers off now. I reach down and rub his cock through the fabric. "Take these off," I demand.
CRASH!
A loud boom shakes the house, and I feel the vibration through the old hardwood floorboards. It was like something massive just fell and broke through the flooring. Soren immediately moves his hands from my breasts, and we both stand, looking at the door and then at each other.
I throw on my oversized shirt again, and Soren hops into pants that will cover him better.
Once we areno longer in a state of undress, I fling the door open.
Just down the hall, Arrick and Yera are standing in the living room. A man with skin as pasty asArrick'sand deep moss-green eyes is dripping wet, on his hands and knees. He's fromSoren'sworld; there is no doubt in my mind.
I eye the man, then look over to Arrick and Yera, stunned expressions on their faces. I look back at Soren, standing in the hallway with a confused look.
The man rises, dripping water onto the sage-green rug. He is as tall as Arrick, and now I can see through the damp shirt that he has Vaki markings.
He clears his throat.
"Sorry, um, Arrick, Yera."He addresses both and then looks to me and Soren before continuing. "Thiscouldn'twait. I think I found her."
My eyes widen.
"Found who?"Yera steps forward. Her expression is one of disbelief.
"Your friend. I think I found her,"he says, whipping a long strand of brown hair out of his face.
She gasps, holding her hand over her mouth. "How? Where?" she asks, her voice going horse.
"The kelpis,"the stranger says, as if we should all know whathe'stalking about."Ihad to use my power on one just now. And it held the memories of the water. The same way we can touch a tree and see and feel the memories of the forest."
Arrick nods.
So this is another Vaki. He goes on. "And I saw her flailing in the ocean, being taken under by the waves."
Oh, no. My heart drops. "No,"I say."You saw her dying?"I walk back and let Soren wrap his arms around me. Yera has tears building in the corners of her eyes. But the man/creature goes on.
"No, I don't think so. Ididn'tfeel her life force in the water. I would have, if the ocean had taken her. I think she still has it."
"So what the fuck does that mean?"I say. I just need answers, need something.
"Ithink they have her,"he says. And Soren's arms tighten around me.
"Who has her?"Yera asks, eyes blazing.
Arrick gives the man a knowing look, and they both say in unison,"The Kracken."