Page 16 of The Kraken Games

“I’ll explain later. When did the kraken get here?”

Harper’s face lit up. “About half an hour ago. He’s freakin’ gorgeous, much better looking than Acha, don’t you reckon?”

“Didn’t notice,” Luna muttered.

“Guess you will when you’re up close…”

Luna gave her friend a stern look, and Harper pinned her lips tight. Trouble with Harper, darling though she was, she could be a bit of a motor mouth. “Donotsay a word about me competing,” Luna hiss/whispered.

Suddenly she was aware that Kai was standing right next to her. Unable to help herself, she turned her head a little to get a better look. In profile, the lines of his nose and jaw were just as devastatingly handsome as his full face.

“I’ll be at the Pod tomorrow night,” he said to Harper, though Luna sensed it was for her ears too. “For the opening of the season. Here.” He handed Harper a poster. “Could you put this up in the window?’ Then he turned and looked down at Luna. When his lips quirked sideways, her pulse skittered crazily. “Maybe you’ll be there too.”

“Probably not,” she said gruffly, then dived over to her table with the bowls Harper had handed her. But she was still hyper-aware of Harper and Kai chatting. He stopped to sign a couple more autographs before sauntering out. And shame on her, she couldn’t stop herself ogling through the window as he jumped into the buggy next to Shen and zoomed off.

“So,” said Marrick, when she finally turned her attention back to him, “reckon you’ve met your nemesis?”

“Nah.” Luna shoveled shrimp into her mouth. “He’s met his.”

CHAPTER 5

Are you actually preening?

Kai gave an amused snort as he postured in the mirror.

Don’t let yourself get like Acha, he reminded himself.Don’t let your head swell.

Yeah, as if. He’d had too many knocks in life to ever let his ego take over.

But something was spurring him on to take extra care of his appearance.

And it wasn’t just the opening night of the games.

He had a sense the human girl, Luna, might come tonight, and the rush of excitement that pulsed through his body was hard to contain.

He’d never had such immediate chemistry with someone before. Sure, last year, he’d found lots of the species he’d fucked attractive—very attractive. But none had engaged him enough to want tohuntthem.

He wanted to hunt this female. He wanted to… gods… he wanted toimpregnateher.

His mating arm stirred, and he had to focus on maintaining a human cock. He cupped his crotch with his hand, felt the swell there expanding, throbbing. It was interesting, having both ahuman cock and a mating arm. And right now, they were both jostling for his attention.

Not that he’d engaged his mating arm in sex yet. His cock on land, that was different. He was no virgin in his shifted form. His cock was—more or less—human in appearance,apart from its color. But this year, as The Chosen, he had to keep it firmly inside his pants. So why was he even thinking about her, and why had he been so cut at seeing her embracing that big orc? He should have paid more attention to Marrick. The orc could well compete again, even though word was he didn’t intend to.

But instead, Kai’s attention had been drawn to that petite human. She was slender, muscular in build, like she worked out—a lot. Her features were foxy, almost sharp, the wily intelligence of her pointed face accentuated by her blonde bob. Her eyes were large, but wary. The color of a harvest moon.

There was nothing particularly special about her. She certainly wasn’t trying to charm, that was for sure. And yet, she exuded some kind of sexual energy, a scent,something… so different from any other female he’d met. There was a fierce independence about her. She reminded him of a sea urchin on the outside, but inside… Kai sensed vulnerability, suffering. Maybe he recognized them as the same qualities that lay in him.

And she was definitely the girl he’d seen in the water. No question. He remembered the way her costume had cradled her pert ass as she swam up to the surface. Remembered too, the way his tentacles had been pulled toward her, and his mating arm had stirred, wanting to reach out and wind around that that cute butt, coil along the seam of those bathers, explore underneath. Slide deep inside her. Pleasure her.

Crack her wide open.

Kai growled an expletive. It was worrying that the idea of claiming her was occupying his thoughts when his mind should be singularly focused on the games right now. Besides, unlesshe flouted the rules, fucking her was out of the question. Look where that had landed Acha.

Kai shrugged on his leather jacket, took a comb, and slicked back his blue-black hair from his forehead.

If he saw her again, he reasoned, he’d realize the weird obsession he’d developed was merely an illusion.

Shen put his head round the door. “Ready to rock’n’roll?”

---