Page 40 of The Kraken Games

“An anomaly.”

“Are you a spy?”

Luna blinked. “W-what?”

“A spy for the Tween Council of Towns.”

She burst out laughing. “Don’t be so fucking stupid. I hate Tween humans almost as much as I hate kraken. I have no allegiance to anyone.”

“So you’re not representing the East Quarter? Just yourself.”

“Yep, pretty much.”

His eyebrows rose. Why did the line of his brow, the sweep of his cheekbones have to look so… fucking noble? Why did kraken have to be so damn handsome, and this one in particular?

He said softly, “Why are you setting yourself up to fail?”

Luna scowled at him. What an arrogant shit. But… somehow that description didn’t fit. Because… damn it, the way he’d put her pleasure before his own in that seedy little hotel room, how he’d held back until she fell apart completely before claiming his own release… Yeah, that kind of threw the arrogant assessment out the window. She tossed her head.

“I won’t fail.”

“You’ve got no chance.” His voice dropped to a low purr, “But don’t worry, when I drag you down, I’ll be gentle…”

She snorted. “Looks are deceiving. I may be small, but I’m strong. And cunning as fuck. Besides, you’re not as macho as you pretend. You have weaknesses.”

For a moment he was silent. “Like what?”

“You’ve got scars.” She regretted saying it as soon as it was out of her mouth.

His face tightened. “And you don’t?”

“Nah, none.”

“You know what I think. I think inside that hard little shell, things are close to cracking up.”

That strike sure hit the mark. She hiccupped on a little mewl, swallowed it so hard, it hurt her throat. “Shut up.”

“Wow. More charming by the minute.”

Luna ground her molars together. Said nothing, just stared at the moon reflected in the water between them.

“Okay, you’re not a spy, but you hate kraken. What’s in it for you if you win?” Two blue arms rested along the back of the rock pool, biceps bulging. Luna’s eyes widened; those arms ended intapered tentacles, not hands. But… he’d had hands when he… they… Obviously his shifting capacity was fluid, amorphic. She snapped her gaze away, adding that bit of information to her repertoire.

“So—why?” he persisted.

“Why what?”

“Stop evading the question. Why are you competing?”

“I like to fight.”

He shook his head. “That’s not it. There’s something else. When you told me you hated kraken, you really meant it—Oh, except for that one time you forgot and fucked yourself stupid with one.”

“Shut thefuckup,” she shouted at him.

His mouth kicked into a grin. “The insults are getting even more eloquent.”

She scowled, slid further away from him, backing up against the rocks. Hoping he couldn’t tell just how much her cunt wanted him, even as she tried to hate him.

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