Chapter 25

Kai nuzzled into Luna’s neck, relishing the feel of her arms around him, the sweet human scent of her, the warmth of her body.

He’d missed her so much. And now they were back in Motham, and that stupid contraption was off her head. When she’d flung her arms around his neck and thanked him over and over, he couldn’t help but hold her. Even so, he barely allowed himself to hug her back before gently putting her away from him.

Why torture himself with her touch?

Her golden eyes danced with excitement, and he got a glimpse of what she would have been like as that sweet eight-year-old kid, before tragedy struck. “So how do we get there? It’s to the south, right?” she babbled. “I mean, I kind of heard about this place, but they never allow visitors. Not even hover cabs go there, at least not without a permit, and…”

“It is a two-day journey, on foot. Through water and on land. They know we’re coming; they’re expecting us,” Kai said.

“I will bring some supplies and meet you at the hot pools; I can moor my boat there.”

“Sure.”

“Wish me luck for the interview. I’m so nervous—The journalist is a wolf and I hate wolves.”

“You’ll knock it out of the park. You survived the games, you’ll survive an interview—even with a wolf.” He hesitated, wanting to kiss her.

She stood hugging herself. “Thank you Kai, for everything.”

“It was the least I could do.” What an understatement! The truth was, he would have moved heaven and earth to help her uncover the truth. And still, there was that niggle in the back of his mind that he had not heard the whole of that truth. That the elders were holding something back.

As she walked toward Motham’s Hole in The Wall district, and he turned toward the south, Kai tried not to think of that, or the other goodbye he would have to say, a mere few days from now.

It was late afternoon as Kai sat waiting beside the hot pools, remembering when he’d met Luna here the night before their big fight. When she’d told him why she hated krakens.

He hoped that that wasn’t true now—at least for one of his species.

He heard the sound of her outboard motor, saw the boat approaching. She moored on the rocks and tied up, jumped out with a small pack on her back. Kai got to his feet and hoisted his own pack of supplies. “Shall we go?”

She hesitated. He saw her glance at the pools and a slug of desire hit him as he imagined caressing her in the warm water, his tentacles moving between her folds, the way her head would kick back, and her mouth fall open in ecstasy as she broke apart for him.

His cock hardened, and deep in his belly his mating arm stirred. Surely his body had the sense to know Luna could not be his mate?

Obviously not. Fuck his stupid hormones.

“How’d it go with the wolf journo?”

She gave an exaggerated shudder. “Their teeth were so off-putting. But I suitably groveled and humiliated myself. Said I’d played on your kind hearts, and you really did believe I was drowning when you released me. I made a big thing of how I’d lured you and seduced you for my own gain. I looked like a right shitty human.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, I’m used to people thinking I’m scum.” Her smile was bright, too bright. “And anyway, I’ve now got what I’ve always wanted. To reunite with Tomas.”

It hung between them, unspoken, the words he longed to ask. Is that all you want? But he pinned his lips, said instead, “It’s another full day’s walk and a fair bit of wading and swimming to get there, so maybe we should get started, and eat when we put down for the night.”

She agreed, and they started off, matching their steps along the rocky coastal path. As they walked, they talked about the hearing in the High Court Cave, Luna asking him about their laws and Kai doing his best to explain them. Suddenly she asked, “So what’s it like, Thedaka?”

How did you describe it to a land-dweller. “Oh, you know, a big city. Full of kraken.”

“Yeah, I gathered that.”

“It’s beautiful— now.”

“How do you mean? Wasn’t it before?”

“When I was a kid, Thedaka was a harsh place to live. Mainly just rocky seabed and a few weeds, very few fish. We struggled to survive. The pollution and military bombardment over the centuries had killed a lot of our sea life, and many other species left for more fertile waters. Maybe the Thedakians should have, but we’re a stubborn bunch, I guess, so we resisted the humans, hunted further afield, grew what we could amid the bleached coral. Yeah, it was grim. But then, after the Treaty—I don’t know—over a decade or so things improved. The coral started to regrow, species returned in their droves, the plants and sea grasses multiplied. We now live in a lush underwater world, with coral in abundance. Our fish stocks are plentiful, we eat well, live well…”

“Sounds like nirvana under the sea.”

“I guess it is.” So why did his hearts sink at the idea of going back there?

Quickly he changed the subject. “We’ve been walking a fair while, do you want to stop, eat, set up for the night?”

“Right. Yes, this is a good spot I guess.” She glanced around the wide slab of rocky outcrop on the edge of a curved bay.

“I’ll go grab us a fish,” Kai said.

“Okay, I’ll light us a fire.”

“Fair exchange.” He dived in and quickly caught them a couple of fish, twisting their necks swiftly to make sure they didn’t suffer and thanking the gods of the deep for providing them as sustenance. You had to respect the life you were a part of.

When he climbed back up, Luna was crouched over a small fire. Her eyes widened at his catch.

“Wow, I can’t really compete with that.” With a smirk, she rummaged around in her pack and presented him with a cob of bread and a piece of rather stale-looking cheese. “All I had left in the house.”

“You sure love a feast.”

“Food has never really been a priority for me, other than when I was building fitness to…”

“To…?”

“Fight you.”

He barked out a laugh. “That seems like a century ago.”

“I know. It’s weird. I was so angry, so full of hate. But now, I can’t seem to feel any of that.”

“Do you want to?” he asked softly.

She shook her head. “No, but it still feels like I should. Anger has been such a constant companion, almost a friend. I’m really not sure who I’ll be without it.”

“Maybe you’ve already shown me glimpses.” He glanced sideways to see her mouth twist. “Maybe.”

“I liked what I saw. Very much,” he said quietly, busying himself by pulling a knife from his belt and filleting the fish on a rock.

“Really? You mean that?”

“Yes, except just as I think I’m getting to know the real Luna, up come the walls again.”

He heard her sigh. “It’s habit, y’know.”

“To guard against hurt?”

She shrugged. “Probably.” A moment later she added, “But you… you’ve been hurt. And you don’t seem angry. Or bitter.”

“I guess the pain taught me compassion.”

“In what way?”

“I just sense it in others now, like this sad, dark energy. And I see it in their body language, their eyes.” He paused. “I noticed it in you, even that first day in the water.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It drew me to you; I think I knew we’d both been through a lot.”

“Was that all that drew you to me?” She was looking at him, almost coquettish. He sensed she was steering away from deep discussions. Fair enough. What would admitting his feelings for her achieve anyway?

He put the fish on the fire, watching the skin blacken in the flame, smiling a little. “Let me think on that…”

“Tease.” Her eyes sparkled up at him. “Yum, that smells divine.”

Kai put her fish on a wide flat shell and his on another, and then they sat and ate with their fingers, the fire crackling and the waves lapping below on the beach a pleasant accompaniment.

After a moment more, she said, “So?”

Kai looked at her, perplexed. “So— what?”

“What else drew you to me?”

“Ah, Luna Storm has some vanity after all.” Kai huffed a soft laugh. “Okay then. Your smile.”

“I didn’t smile.”

“It was there, behind all the frowny stuff.”

“You couldn’t have known that.” She gave his arm a playful punch.

He grinned. “You wanted to smile as soon as you saw me. Admit it.”

“Don’t flatter yourself. My frown is deeply ingrained.” Their eyes snagged. Every cell in Kai’s body tingled with anticipation.

Would they make love tonight? Gods, he wanted to so badly… The thought tightened his balls, made his cock stir.

He got up, took the fish bones from her and threw them in the water.

When he came back and squatted on his tentacles next to her, Luna said, “Tell me about your family. You know my whole story, but I know nothing of yours. Do you have brothers, sisters?”

“Nah, just me. My mom had trouble conceiving.”

“And your dad? What’s his work?”

“He’s a marine scientist. Involved in the rehabilitation of the reef in Thedaka.”

“That’s such a worthy vocation. Does your mom work too?”

“Women don’t work.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot. Hana said as much. That’s kinda weird and old-school.”

“Not for us. It preserves the family bond.”

“Hmm. Don’t women get bored, looking after baby kraken and doing housework? Don’t they want more?”

“My mom is happy in her role. She’s always assisted my dad in his work behind the scenes. And she… she spent a lot of time helping me with my rehab when I was young.”

“She could have been a doctor then, or a physiotherapist.”

“Sure. In another culture.” The idea was novel.

Luna was silent for a minute. “I remember my mom and dad worked together. It always felt like they were equals. She’d repair sails, even climb the mast and rig them. She’d go diving for food just as much as Dad. And they’d bring up specimens of shells and plants, record things in these big books they had in their galley. She drew these amazing pictures of the plants and sea life, and Dad would do a lot of writing. I couldn’t read well enough to understand it, but he’d tell me things, and I loved looking at Mom’s drawings.”

“So you really don’t know what they were doing near Thedaka?”

“No, I wish I did. I’ve wondered so often about that. But I do know my parents were not involved in warfare, or bombs. They would never have done anything to hurt the life of the sea. They loved it too much. They would never have hurt you, Kai.” She turned and placed her hand gently on his tentacle. “You know that, right?”

He sighed. Watched her fingers walk higher, up to his shoulder. And when she moved in closer, he let his arm come around her, feeling the urge to wind his tentacles around her, bind her close. “Can I hold you?” he asked quietly. “With all of me?”

She made a little mewl of assent.

As he wound around her, his whole body felt like it was on high alert. He placed his lips on her hair, dared to plant the softest kiss on her crown.

Maybe she felt it, because she nestled in, murmured, “Being around you feels… kinda nice.”

“Wow!” He laughed shakily. “Is that because you know in three days I’ll be gone?”

“I reckon I could just maintain a relationship for that long.”

“Three whole days! Careful now, that’s a pretty heavy commitment.”

He sensed her smirking. “Don’t get too excited or I’ll change my mind.” She glanced up at him, and he wondered if she could see the sadness in his eyes.

“That sounds more like the Luna I know.” He traced a finger over her face, her lips, his gaze panning her face. “You’re smiling…”

“Am not.” She bit his finger, took it into her mouth and softly nuzzled it with her tongue, and suddenly his whole body was on fire. Burning up for her.

He flipped her onto her back and she pulled him closer, her hands looping around his neck. He stared earnestly into her eyes in the moonlight. Her lips parted, her little tongue poked out, licking at her lips as she gazed at him. As if she wanted to eat him all up. Just the way he did her.

“I think we should get naked,” she murmured.

Kai needed no encouragement. They hastily shed their clothing and lay back down on the smooth rock.

She let out a little whimper and arching up, her lips sought his, their tongues tangling as wildly as their limbs. God’s he’d missed her. Luna moaned as Kai’s hands cupped her breasts while his tentacles explored lower.

Her skin glowed milky white in the moonlight. He moved down her torso, drawn to her sweet musky scent. Parting her thighs, he buried his head between her legs. Licking along her seam, delighting in her taste, he found the hard nub of her clit, suckled it between his lips.

Luna keened and rocked into his mouth.

Kai sucked that bud like a cherry, rolled his tongue around it, at the same time as her foot found his cock and kneaded it, driving him crazy.

He was oh so ready to take her, but he also wanted to string this out, to relish every single second.

Until she begged, “Take me from behind,” twisting out of his grip and flipping onto her belly.

Gods, as she stuck her sweet ass in the air, he was done for! Kai positioned himself behind her.

She was panting, clawing at the rock with her fingertips, her head to one side. Kai bent his head and kissed down the nape of her neck, along the little vertebrae one by one, his fingers thumbing her nipples into hard peaks as she drove back against him.

He felt her shudder and cry out as his cock nudged her entrance. One of his tentacles squeezed between them, slid between her folds, and a sucker found her clit and fastened on, pulsing rhythmically.

“More. Please. More!” she begged.

“Harder, softer?”

“Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

With a smile, he nudged his cock into her entrance, anchored her hips with his hands and thrust.

Tight, wet heaven enveloped him.

Kai’s head kicked back. “Oh yes, Luna. Fuck. Fuck, you’re going to milk me dry.”

Keening, she snapped her butt back to meet his thrusting hips. Kai felt powerful, more powerful than he had in the ring, more powerful than at any time during his punishing training regime. She made him more, more than the sum of his parts, and it coalesced in a burst of pleasure so intense, he threw back his head and shouted her name over and over as he came inside her.

And as she broke apart a second later, it was like they were tossed together into the heavens and hurled into the pounding waves. All at once.

As they slumped back onto the rock, panting, Kai knew three more days with Luna would never be enough.

How could it be?

Eternity itself would never be long enough.