Page 29 of The Kraken Games

Astonishment gave way to a burst of anger. Had she been playing him all along? Was there more to her touch on his tentacles? The way she’d challenged him to shift—and how he’d oh-so-fucking-willingly complied.

He’d shown her his moves.Intimately.

From that one encounter, she’d have learned about his body, his vulnerabilities. While he slept, she’d… she’d… probably looked him up and down, seen every damn scar on his wasted tentacles.

Damn her.Damnher.

Kai’s nails dug hard into his palms as he clenched his fists, his tentacles twitching with pure, unadulterated rage.

But he couldn’t show Shen that he was put out. Understatement. He was fucking gutted right now. Kai tried to focus, tried to stay calm.

Shen began reading Luna’s details aloud, totally oblivious to Kai like a ball of thunder next to him.

“Works on the forklifts in the dock warehouses. Practices martial arts and has been a member of Club Beast for the past three years.”

Kai’s thoughts were whirring. Marrick must be training her. Ha! Fuck buddy? More like training buddy. Or both. He ground his teeth into the inside of his cheek until he could taste the metallic tang of blood.

Shen was slapping his knee now. “Well, you’ve gotta give it to her. She’s prepared to make a fool of herself in front of the crowds.”

“Maybe she’s a spy… planted by the Tween authorities,” Kai burst out.

Shen was silent for a moment, considering. “You reckon that’s possible?”

“Who knows.” Kai winced as he relived the whole night with new eyes. “We’ve never had a human competitor before. Just seems—odd, that’s all.”

“Granted there are more humans in Motham nowadays, but few are linked to high breeds.” Shen blew up her photo on the screen. “And she’s with Club Beast. Marrick wouldn’t harbor a high breed in his club, surely?”

Kai curled his fists tight. “Maybe he doesn’t know.”

“If she works in the warehouse at the docks, folks must know her around here, they’ll vouch for her.”

Kai shifted uneasily. Clearly Shen was not fazed. More amused if anything. Damn it, he reallyshouldfess up now, tell Shen about his major fuck-up. Maybe they could turn her down for that reason.

Yeah, right. Shen would go apeshit. Kai would be the one out on his ear.

Gods be damned, he had to go find her, have this out with her.

Shen was reading out more of her application. “If she’s competing for the East Quarter, Marrick won’t be fighting; each region can only submit one player.”

“I still think it’s suspicious. Can’t we disqualify her?” Kai grunted.

Shen fixed him with a quizzical look. “On what grounds?”

“That she’s human, not monster.”

“Are you losing your faculties, lad? There’s no rule against that.”

“Well then, that she’s… she’s…”

“A woman?” Shen’s eyebrows waggled. “C’mon mate, you know we can’t do that. Yeah, if she was kraken we’d have grounds, but with no other species can we dictate that.”

“Maybe I can dig up some dirt on her.” Kai muttered.

“Not your job to do that. Besides, why? Just look at the skinny little whip of a thing. You’ll beat her with one flip of your tentacle, have her in the dungeon before she can catch her breath.”

“It’s just—not right.” In his mind’s eye Kai saw himself pulling her down into the depths. Winding his tentacles around her and holding her in a lock until she ran out of breath. Could he? Would he? Or would he fold just at the sight of her, at the humiliation she’d dealt him. Like so many other humiliations he’d been dealt as a youngling.

If only he didn’tfeelstuff so strongly. If only his hearts were harder, his ego bigger. He’d fought that side of him continually in training. If he didn’t toughen up, he wouldn’t be fit to fight, let alone win. Kai closed his eyes, visualized crushing his emotions under a rock as he’d done so many times in training sessions.

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