Page 49 of Bind Me

“You work too hard,” she answers. “Though I really want to know what you do. It’s been eight months since we met, and you still won’t tell me.” She pouts.

He kisses her on the cheek, breaking into loud laughter that echoes off the surrounding rocks. “It’s boring, trust me. The last thing I want is for you to see the dull things I do, then you’ll think that’s me.”

She faces him, eyes locked on him, clear she absolutely adores him. “Nothing you do could ever be dull. Not you, my love.”

He cups her face. “I’ve never loved anyone before, but now you have my heart, Nixi.”

I groan inwardly at the sight of my grandfather being so romantic. It’s slightly sickening, but it makes me wonder if this is how I appear when I’m sweet to my Sasha. The thought is both amusing and unsettling.

The real question gnawing at me is who is this red-haired mermaid Nixi? My grandfather never spoke of anyone he loved, not even the female kraken he impregnated in Tartarus. They never stayed together, so when she passed from an illness, he took my father under his tentacle.

But the man was a closed book, offering nothing of himself or his past. Yet here he is, with this woman, sharing a moment so intimate it feels like an invasion to witness it. I don’t doubt his love for her, especially not when he’d had her mural painted in the basement of his mansion.

So, what happened to her? Why didn’t he ever mention her?

The vision fades, and I’m back in the fjord, the cold water wrapping around me, though the image of my grandfather lingers in my mind, more vivid than any memory. I glide forward, the dark waters swirling around me, silver fish darting away from me, while a Greenland shark coming directly in front of me jolts to the side, vanishing into the dark with speed.

Still, I can’t shake the image of my grandfather and the red-haired mermaid. The secrets he kept, the women in these visions—how do they all connect to his imprisonment in Tartarus?

Chapter 15

Sasha

Back in Kaden’s bedroom, I’m breathless, trying to make sense of what just happened downstairs. My attraction to Kaden is mind-blowing; that’s clear. Even now, I’m tingling all over, unable to believe how quickly things have escalated between us. Not that I regret a single scorching hot moment. Well, putting aside the whole “controlling me” aspect, trying to breed me, and then cleaning my pussy in the water with his hand without being asked to do it.

What the hell!

The thing is, I’m not even that upset about it… more shocked. The guy has zero concept of personal space. Maybe moving in with him was too fast, giving him the impression he can do whatever he wants.

On top of all that, my mind is stuck on seeing Kaden shift into his kraken form. The sheer size of him, even though I knew it still wasn’t his full form, left me trembling. The guy’s terrifying. I ended up standing in the doorway long after he dove into the icy waters of the fjord, trembling at the reality of who my fated mate is. The image of those massive tentacles unfurling, his body expanding, the raw power in every movement… it’s something I can’t easily shake off. My skin prickles from fear, from being awestruck.

In my room, I find Chowder sleeping in the bed, stretched out like he owns the place. With the towel I grabbed from the bathroom on the way, I dry myself quickly and get changed into leggings and a hooded crop top. Deciding to return to my cabin in the middle of the night feels like the right thing to do. Sure, Kaden is my fated mate, but this is too fast for me.

Luckily, my belongings from my place only just got here, and they’re still packed. Makes for an easy getaway.

A light chirp sounds behind me, and I twist to see Chowder on the edge of the bed, standing on his hind legs. “Who is upset?”

I go to him and throw my arms around him. “We don’t belong here. We need to go back to our home.”

He pulls out of my embrace. “No.”

I sigh, seeing him shaking his head. “You like it here? But he’s overbearing.”

Chowder stares at me, that tiny nose of his twitching, and I realize he may not understand what overbearing means.

“He’s just?—”

“Good to you. Good to us,” he completes my sentence.

“Is he?” I sit on the bed, my heart racing.

Chowder scrambles onto my lap, lying there, and glances up with those soulful eyes that make me smile.

“You’re confusing, you know that?” I say, scratching behind his ears. “One minute, you’re all grumpy at him, and the next, you’re defending him.”

Chowder groans in response, making me laugh despite myself.

“So, you think he’s good for me, huh?”

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