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Chapter 14

Dizziness nearly overcame her as she surfaced through the trap door of the dungeon, but somehow, Luna managed to raise her arm and pump her fist in the victory sign.

The sound of cheering deafened her. The crowd was standing now, screaming, shouting, hollering her name.

Her head felt like it was going to explode.

Her mouth tasted of the sea. Of Kai.

Oh gods, this was horrible, and yet… she had to claim victory. She had no choice, if she ever wanted to find out what happened to Tomas.

She caught sight of Marrick in the crowd, and Harper and Noah all standing and applauding. Happy for her.

Luna spun around , panting still. Where was Kai?

A moment later he bobbed up. He climbed nimbly out from the dungeon and amid howls from the crowd, he came over to her side. His tentacles had snapped back inside him, he was all man, blue and buffed and sweating and bloodied, his chest heaving, no doubt from the effort of breathing for both her and him.

Shame made her want to shout, “I didn’t win!” She even opened her mouth, the words ready to spill out.

But before she could speak, his hand slid into hers, and raised it to the heavens.

“To the winner of the twentieth Kraken Games. Luna Storm.”

The crowd erupted again.

Luna forced a smile to her lips, tried to look like she was a hero, like she deserved this victory, even as her emotions threatened to engulf her.

She couldn’t look at Kai, but she felt his grip tighten momentarily on hers and involuntarily, she squeezed back.

He had sacrificed his win to let her take the prize.

Did that mean he believed her, about Tomas? That he cared enough to help her? She had the craziest urge to throw herself into his arms, hug him, kiss that beautiful mouth… Thank him over and over and over again.

But a second later he let go of her hand. Striding back toward the dungeon, he gave a final wave and dropped down into the water.

Luna froze. Where was he going? Was there some secret escape route for the defeated? Suddenly she feared he would not live this down with his people. He would be humiliated, and it was all her fault.

His people killed your family, remember.

Left you for dead.

But she couldn’t access anger, couldn’t feel hate.

And what was even weirder… she didn’t even want to.

Suddenly Marrick was at her side, handing her a towel and water. His big arm came round her trembling shoulders.

“You did amazingly, moon girl,” Marrick crooned in her ear. Leading her into her corner, he poured warm water over her to rinse the sticky acrid mud from her limbs.

Her teeth were chattering now, but not from the cold. “I—I don’t deserve this. Kai let me?—”

“Hush. You won, stop doubting yourself.”

The cheers died down slightly and then resonated again as the Mayor of Motham entered the arena. A gelfin in a g-string brought forward the cup. It shone in the lights from the arena, golden tentacles curled around the base.

“I remember receiving that like it was yesterday,” Marrick said. “And now it’s yours. Congratulations Luna. Shine bright, moon girl.” He gave her a bear hug and pushed her forward.

The mayor, a rather stout goblin, came forward, grinning his head off.

As if in a dream, she took the cup and raised it above her head, forcing a smile that felt like she was baring her teeth. This was everything… everything she’d wanted, but now it felt like all she wanted was to run away. Hide her head in shame.

“Do a victory lap,” Marrick whispered when she stepped back to his side.

“I can’t.”

“Do it, moon girl, they expect you to.”

Somehow she managed it, jogging around the outside of the ring, hearing the cheers, seeing the faces of so many different species, all happy for her.

She heard Harper scream, “Luna, Luna, you rock!”

When she reached the front of the arena again, she looked around desperately.

Where was he?

Oh gods, would he even show his face?

Finally, Kai entered the ring, head bowed.

He held up his hand for silence.

“I had the honor of competing this year, and was defeated fair and square by Luna Storm. She put up the most amazing fight, and I congratulate her. She deserves that cup. I am bitterly disappointed of course, and I know it is unlikely you will see me again next year. But I thank you for welcoming me as the kraken contestant for the twentieth year of the games. It has been an honor.”

The applause and roars of approval were deafening. Clearly the audience liked that Kai had taken defeat on the chin. With dignity.

It made her heart rip in her chest, and the urge to run after him as he disappeared into the shadows was unbearable.

But she couldn’t, she had to take the limelight next.

The spotlight panned onto her, and she blinked as she stepped over to the journalist holding up the mic.

“It was a hard fight. I am not sure that I deserved to win this. But somehow, I have.

And I want to thank…” She reeled off names, hardly knowing what she was saying.

Answered questions, laughed, pushed back her sticky hair. “Now I really need to go clean up properly.”

As she walked away from the crowd chanting her name, Luna knew that Kai had gifted her far more than the prize money, far more than this golden cup.

He’d gifted her the chance to meet with his people.

“What the fuck just happened?” Shen stormed into the change room where Kai was showering.

Turning off the taps, Kai stood dripping. No point in lying, they’d have the footage.

“Why in the gods name did you let her win?” Shen’s bright blue eyes bulged.

Kai grabbed a towel and buried his face in it. Said nothing.

“You had the upper hand, and then you literally fucking handed it to her on a plate. It’s there in fucking technicolor for all the adjudicators to see.”

When Kai dared to peer over the towel, Shen was pacing, incandescent turquoise with rage. “I have to defend your sorry ass with the elders, what the fuck do I tell them?”

Kai stepped out of the shower and rubbed the water off his limbs and tentacles, slowly and meticulously. Everything needed to be properly washed after a bout in the mud like that.

“Just tell them I had my reasons.”

“Well great—just fucking great.” Shen’s tentacles flew into the air with exasperation. “Perhaps you would do your coach the fucking honor of explaining what they were?”

Kai sighed. Grabbed his tracksuit pants, retracting his tentacles into his torso. Gods, they were sore. But soon he’d have to appear in public, and he couldn’t be showing his bruised kraken form to the world.

Was he regretting the decision to let her win, he asked himself? No, a resounding no.

As he’d held her limp and helpless in his tentacles, he’d felt so much love for her it was like an arrow hitting both his hearts. He was trying to tell himself it was the heat of the moment, the adrenalin. He didn’t know her… how could he feel that strongly?

Okay, being rational now (almost fucking impossible though that was), all the emotional stuff aside, the truth was, he did believe her story. Behind all that anger, the sense of sadness in her was like a bottomless sea.

And if he believed her, then… he had to accept that kraken had been murdering humans after the treaty was signed.

These were questions that needed answering for him too.

And down in the dungeon as he’d breathed into her mouth, giving from his own lungs to hers, crazy at it might seem, this… here, with Luna, call it fate, call it divine intervention, call it whatever the fuck you liked; it had felt like his destiny and hers were intertwined.

But while Shen bristled and paced nearby, Kai still had no comprehensible reason to give him. Not one he was prepared to share, at least. The best he could do was shrug.

Shen scowled at him. “I respect you boy. Always have. But what you let happen down there was emotion getting the better of reason. Now, fucking give me something to tell your grandfather, because gods, I was one of the strongest voices to support you taking part this year.”

Kai threw the towel over his shoulder. “Just tell Razad that the best contestant won.”

With a growled chain of expletives, Shen stomped out.

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