Chapter 7

Consciousness floated back to Kai gradually, like swimming up from the deepest lagoon, toward the light.

A wonderful lethargy pervaded his body; it was difficult to even want to move. But eventually, reluctantly, he flexed limbs and tentacles simultaneously. It felt like swimming in both his forms—except he wasn’t swimming, was he?

And with the delicious warmth pervading his body, memories surfaced…

Crazy, beautiful memories.

Of bodies interlocked, limbs entwined, the lewd sounds that had made them both snort with laughter… tumbling in satin sheets, the sweetness of her breath, her limbs so supple and strong, tentacles winding in and out of her hot wet places, sucking on her rosebud nipples as she rode him… the heat in her golden eyes, the way she bit at her lower lip, the sweat sticking tendrils of her hair to her forehead. The way he’d begged her to slow down as she sucked his cock, and his howl of pleasure as she rode him… how her eyes had scrunched up and she’d turned her head away as she got close, her small white teeth rimming her lower lip to hold back her cries. How she’d hiccupped a little sob as he felt her rise toward her own release. The sweet rush of liquid as she came around him.

How his name had been ripped from her lips, pulling everything out of him, making him spill his seed deep inside her.

He’d broken celibacy. He’d be in deep shit if anyone got wind of this, but gods above, he’d had no more control over last night than if a wicked sea nymph had stolen his sanity. And right now… shit, he didn’t even care. All he wanted was to do it all over again.

His erection was painful as he reached for her, the urge to thrust into her overwhelming.

Until his tentacles swirled around—nothing. He used his arm to pat around the side of the bed next to him, tentatively at first, then more frantically.

The bed was empty. Not even warm from her body.

Kai sat bolt upright. Shit, had it all been a crazy dream? No. The sheets were rumpled, the scent of her still lingering. His gaze panned the room. It was seriously tacky in daylight, the badly painted, garish dragon headboard, the purple lamp shades that sat crooked on tarnished gold light fittings, the dusty blinds at the window. The black satin of the sheets, stained with their come.

And yet this was where magic had happened between him and Luna last night.

Luna Storm.

And like a storm, she’d ravaged him. Then moved on.

But still, he couldn’t quite accept that she’d left without a word. Wildly, he scanned the dressing table for a note, her phone number, something. He even searched the floor, looked under the bed, hoping she’d left her panties or something behind, something he could tuck away and hold on to, remembering her.

He jumped off the bed and checked the en suite. The spa bath was empty. He ran to the door and looked up and down the corridor. He wanted to howl, the taste of disappointment metallic in his mouth. It made no sense. He’d slept with enough species last year and walked away with a hug and a thanks, and not a single regret.

Yet in one night this human… She’d touched him—more than physically. He’d felt a yearning to get close to her from that first moment he’d seen her in the water, hadn’t he? It had gone deeper than logic. He’d even thought as they made love, and cried out each other’s names, that it had meant something to her too.

Except. Not.

Kai’s mouth twisted bitterly. This was just a casual fling for her, probably one of many, easily forgotten.

He winced, remembering her describing Marrick as her fuck buddy, and he realized this… this was what she probably did every time. Tempting guys like a siren, making them feel like they were special, then creeping out while they slept.

Shit! Had she taken his money? Was she a thief as well?

He dashed back into the room, checked his jeans. His wallet, his money, were all intact.

So yeah, she’d just wanted to get screwed by him. Play with his tentacles.

Fuck! He wasn’t supposed to do that either. When young kraken indulged in sex on land it was supposed to be strictly in human form—and he wasn’t supposed to be indulging at all.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Shrug it off, man. Give her a ten out of ten and move on.

But gods damn it, he couldn’t seem to. He wouldn’t even take a shower because then… then he’d lose the sweet scent of her on his skin. That had easily been the best sex of his life.

And when they’d finally collapsed against each other in the aftermath, they’d fallen into a deep sleep, entwined. Like… like fucking mates.

You have no idea what true mates would do. You’ve never been close to experiencing it, you idiot.

Mating with a human. It didn’t happen. Face facts, it was just a crazy physical attraction, and he was an inexperienced idiot in the love stakes.

With a curse, Kai snapped his tentacles into his torso so fast it hurt.

She’s gone. Stop pining.

The message was loud and clear, screaming at him from every corner of this seedy little room. She got off on his cock, his suckers, his tentacles, and then she left. And he’d taken a fucking stupid risk.

Still, there had been no press, no cameras. No one knew what he’d done in the darkness of this sordid hotel.

He dressed, cursing some more as he got tangled in his clothes, his body all sixes and sevens. It was like he didn’t even know who he was anymore.

He stumbled out of the room, shrinking back into his hoodie as a satyr and a basilisk joined him in the lift, giggling after their night together, still kissing and cooing like lovebirds.

Did they fucking have to?

She’d played him like a fool. Like all those times as a kid, when folks had ridiculed him, tripped him up, pointed at his dragging tentacles. On cue, his scarred tentacles ached inside his torso, and self-doubt threatened to unravel him. He was an imposter. Who did he think he was, posing as The Chosen? It was just a huge mistake on everyone’s part. A mistake for the elders to believe in him.

He’d tell Shen that they needed to find someone else. Confess what he’d done, that he’d used his tentacles intimately with a stranger, a human at that.

Except he knew it had gone too far for that. The games were around the corner. The arena had been erected in the shallows of Motham Bay, and he’d been lauded everywhere as this year’s contestant.

His grandfather, Shen, his parents, the whole of fucking Thedaka, they all believed in him.

Kai pulled himself up short.

What? Because a human had humiliated him by walking out after a night of wild sex, he would consider letting down those who trusted and loved him?

Shame on you, Kai Ganlan.

As the elevator hit ground level with a jolt, he strode out into the foyer, shoulders hunched, his eyes cast down so he wouldn’t see the seedy reception area with the condom machine and the list of rooms and services.

The sordid truth was, Luna had paid him to service her.

And now he sensed he was going to pay for that.

When she got home Luna put the kettle on and stared out of the cracked windowpane across the marshes. The sun was just rising. It had still been dark when she left the Hotel Amore, hurrying to where she’d moored her little boat on the quay and making her way home along the murky waterways.

Taking her mug of tea now, she went out onto the veranda, careful to avoid the rotten boards (water seeped up through them constantly, and she wasn’t speedy at repairing things).

As the sky streaked pink and purple above her, she remembered the retro purple lamp that lit up the room at the Hotel Amore, enough to see when she woke, how intimately Kai was sprawled next to her. Two legs, two arms, four tentacles, two of which seemed to be curled into him.

One muscled leg had been loosely intertwined with her own, a tentacle thrown over her waist, and she’d had to ever so cautiously remove them, watching his face the whole time to see if he stirred.

But no, he hadn’t. His lips parted as he breathed slow and regular, and his lashes swept his angled cheekbones. The beauty of the guy made her breath hitch. But she couldn’t let it affect her. She had to forget this ever happened. Except for his tentacles. She needed to remember those.

She’d peered closer, eyes widening as she saw the raft of scars on the tentacles that were coiled protectively into his chest. What the hell had happened to them? Some major injury for sure. These two, he’d maybe not used on her, she realized, counting how many of her erogenous zones had been stuffed and stimulated. She studied his powerful torso, the ripple of his pecs and six pack. Her gaze panned lower, to his cock, thick and veined even at rest between his roped thighs.

Holy fucking goddess, she’d ridden that cock to a mind blowing orgasm, tossed around on wave after wave of pleasure.

You shouldn’t have let him make you come.

Yeah, like I had a fucking choice.

Her body had simply taken over.

She winced now, recalling how she’d loved the way he’d traced his fingers over her face, and how she’d bitten his thumb then licked it better as she watched his tentacles stroking her breasts, gently kneading and squeezing—and when he’d slid one around her butt, and along her crack, playing at her hole as his cock moved in her… Hell, she was pretty sure she’d howled his name as she came, hadn’t she.

Bad move.

She’d pushed aside the memories, forced herself to keep examining him, to stay cool, objective.

Fact finding, that’s all I’m doing.

She’d examined his primary tentacles carefully, long and sinewy and strong, imagining how the muscular tissue would work in combat, how they’d squeeze around her and sucker on. The two he held close to his chest were thinner, with less muscle and suckers due to the scar tissue. Without suckers they wouldn’t be able to squeeze her as well during a fight, even if he used them. Yeah, she could work that to her advantage.

She just had to imagine waging war with this guy, not making love to him.

Hurry up, get on with the job.

Reaching stealthily for her jacket on the ground, she drew her phone out of the pocket. She took photos of his upper body, from all angles. Marrick would be able to work out how he’d use these tentacles in the ring. He’d be fascinated by Kai’s injuries. And together they’d plan how best to tackle him in a fight.

Guilt slugged her gut, but she hardened herself against it.

At least you didn’t take a dick pic. Tempting!

Luna got off the bed and put on her clothes. Shoving her cell phone into her pocket, she tiptoed to the door and left.

But now, back home, in the cool dank morning air, why did she feel so empty? So alone? How ironic that the very species she hated for making her alone in the world should be the one to make her feel like she was not.

Shit, this was crazy.

Putting down her mug, she went back inside the house and grabbed her computer.

She brought up the site for the Kraken Games.

Yes, the application forms were up. And worse—there was a picture of Kai smiling back at her, his glinting gaze seemingly for her alone.

And now she was going to use it all against him.

A bitter self-loathing spread up her throat.

Sex had never made her feel like a whore before. But using Kai like this—photographing his tentacles while he slept.

That made her feel like a whore.