Page 43 of The Kraken Games

How predictably Luna.

Kai played the crowd. Bending over the rope, he scooped up some brown gloop, flipping it playfully at the folks in the front row, who squealed in revulsion. Those at the front knew they’d end up covered in the stuff. They paid a higher price for those seats.

Inside though, he still wasn’t feeling it. His hearts were pounding. He tightened his muscles to hide it. And then a huge roar erupted, and he looked to the other edge of the stage as Luna entered in a toweling robe with Marrick.

He could feel the pulse throbbing in his throat as he watched her.She looked so small. So fucking vulnerable. Like she would break. Was he really supposed to do this? It was cruel. The succubi who’d fought Acha had been a big muscular female. She’d had Acha’s head locked between her tits for five minutes before he defeated her, much to the amusement of the crowd.

But Luna, she was as ethereal as moonlight. How the fuck was he going to avoid hurting her?

He stared over at her, narrowed his eyes, flexed his biceps, willing her to look his way.

She didn’t.

Her mouth a thin line, she shed the garment, exchanging a few words with Marrick. As he took the robe from her, she nodded. Moving her head from side to side, she danced on the spot, wearing just shorts and a plain white tee.

Forcing himself to turn toward the crowd, Kai held up his fingers in a pinch gesture to show how small she was, shaking his head and grimacing. The laughter rang louder through the arena. Gods, he hated them for that. Hated himself for making fun of her.

As the bell dinged for round one and he turned to defeat his human opponent, Kai’s hearts felt like two hard rocks in his chest.

Over the speakers, the words rang out.

“Let the game begin.”

Focus, Luna!

That one-pointed talent she’d developed when out fishing, when swimming in the deep holding her breath, the mindful awareness of “just this”—she had to have it now.

She watched him advance toward her in the battle-ready posture, knees slightly bent, biceps flexed, fists lightly clenched. More feline than sea creature right now. No tentaclesyet,but she knew where they would break loose from his torso, knew how two of them were weaker. She wasn’t sure how much his injured tentacles could do, they had barely played a part during the matches she’d watched so far. He kept them close and seemed to defend his torso with them more than anything.

She bit into her lip and focused. Here at the edge of the ring the mud sat in a thin layer, and she could move well, but as they tackled each other they would slide deeper into the muck, toward the dungeon.

And when that trap door opened, which it inevitably would, she’d need to be able to hold her breath as well as that kraken could, while at the same time escaping his hold.

Kai was prowling around her, his movements fluid, still no sign of tentacles. The blue skin of his chest was smooth, glistening.

They circled; she darted forward to trip him, he blocked her, she ducked around the back of him and tried again, but damn it, failed as her foot slid sideways. Scooting away, the mud squelched between her toes. As she retreated, she felt something slither around her waist. Ah, a tentacle, the first of the match, and one of his primaries, big and powerful. It looped around her hipbones, then another snaked around her solar plexus.

Winded, she cursed herself for not predicting that move, too intent on tripping him up, not watching his torso. Now she employed a move Marrick had taught her. An elbow to his belly, hoping to hit one of those weaker tentacles. She felt him recoil briefly, felt his hold on her loosen. Luna pushed her arms up, like a diver, and wriggled through the space she’d managed to make. When she landed, the mud was up to her ankles already. Which meant that somehow, he’d already maneuvered themcloser to the dungeon. And all those damn tentacles were well and truly out now.

Fuck the bastard.

He lunged; she ducked and dodged behind him, and before he could circle to face her, she’d jumped onto his back and clawed at his neck. Digging her thumbs into the soft flesh at his throat, she heard him gag.

Nice one.

Suddenly a tentacle coiled back and slapped her butt so hard she yelped—but still she clung on. Another hard slap, then it coiled around her thighs, pinning them together, while a second coiled around her ribs, crushing her breasts painfully, even though she had reinforcements in her bra. Ripping her off his back, Kai swung her around until she was clamped onto his chest, cradled against him in the grip of two strong very human arms.

She heard the crowd making aww and ahh noises and realized he was mimicking rocking her and cooing. Grinning his head off, he mouthed, “Isn’t she cute?” The crowd bellowed with laughter. Cocky bastard. Luna lifted her fist and punched him straight in the jaw.

She felt the crack, his head kicking back, a grunt of pain and surprise.

“Ha, didn’t expect that, fucker,” she gritted out.

Shoving at his chest with her fists now, she somersaulted out of his grip, falling on her hands and knees. A bare second later, he’d dropped down into the mud with her. She could smell his musky male scent, salty, pungent and sweet all in one, and oh fuck! it reminded her stupid brain of the make-out they’d had. She tried to push him away, but her fingers slid on the mud on his chest, and she lost her balance.

In a split second her arms were wound up in tentacles, forced behind her back. And then an arm came up, a hand tilting her chin up to meet his glittering dark eyes.

“My people will never meet with you,” he ground out. “Give up, Luna.”

---