Page 45 of The Kraken Games

Hehadto let her win.

It made no logical sense, but right now, the need to save her was stronger than the need to save himself.

Kai plastered his mouth over hers, pinched her nose, and breathed. His second lung had the capacity to hold five minutes of oxygen in his current half shift state, and if she used up all his, he could revert to water breathing though the tiny gills next to his ears.

He breathed slow and steady into her lungs, then gently pumped her chest with his closed fist. After a moment she came to. Her gaze widened as once again he dived onto her mouth and sealed it with his.

He breathed in, breathed out, breathed in.

Come back, Luna, come back, baby.

He held her gently now, cradling her in his tentacles as he sealed her mouth once more, and felt how she took his air, received it. Bubbles emerged from her nostrils as she breathed out.

They stayed like this, bound together, Kai sealing her mouth, breathing into her lungs, motioning for her to exhale. It was as if time stood still, down here in the deep.

Just him and Luna.

Four minutes had passed before he was confident she could rise to the surface. He made a sign with his hand.

“Go.” The words bubbled through the water, distorted, but whether she read his lips or heard him, he didn’t know.

“You’ve won,” he mouthed.

She stared at him blankly. Then comprehension dawned. There was no triumph in her eyes, only a strange hollowness. He forced himself to smile, to nod encouragement as he uncoiled his tentacles from her. He felt her body pulling away, her legs kicking feebly. She turned and looked back at him, still treading water as if not sure what to do.

“Go,” he repeated.

And with that, he gave her a push with one of his tentacles, until her own momentum took hold and she swam up toward the surface.

CHAPTER 14

Dizziness nearly overcame her as she surfaced through the trap door of the dungeon, but somehow, Luna managed to raise her arm and pump her fist in the victory sign.

The sound of cheering deafened her. The crowd was standing now, screaming, shouting, hollering her name.

Her head felt like it was going to explode.

Her mouth tasted of the sea. Of Kai.

Oh gods, this was horrible, and yet… she had to claim victory. She had no choice, if she ever wanted to find out what happened to Tomas.

She caught sight of Marrick in the crowd, and Harper and Noah all standing and applauding. Happy for her.

Luna spun around , panting still. Where was Kai?

A moment later he bobbed up. He climbed nimbly out from the dungeon and amid howls from the crowd, he came over to her side. His tentacles had snapped back inside him, he was all man, blue and buffed and sweating and bloodied, his chest heaving, no doubt from the effort of breathing for both her and him.

Shame made her want to shout, “I didn’t win!” She even opened her mouth, the words ready to spill out.

But before she could speak, his hand slid into hers, and raised it to the heavens.

“To the winner of the twentieth Kraken Games. Luna Storm.”

The crowd erupted again.

Luna forced a smile to her lips, tried to look like she was a hero, like she deserved this victory, even as her emotions threatened to engulf her.

She couldn’t look at Kai, but she felt his grip tighten momentarily on hers and involuntarily, she squeezed back.

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