Page 73 of Evil Hearts

Any husband who managed to tie her down would have her tried for witchcraft if a mass of octopus eggs were expelled from her body. And if one hatched and cried like a human baby…My poor child would dry out and be tossed like garbage! Imagine their agony! If she discovered she caused a baby so much pain, she would never forgive herself! I’ve seen the softness of her heart, and she won’t recover from such a foul act.

I must stop her from leaving me…at least until we know she’s not incubating eggs.

In a flurry of bubbles and tentacles, I launch off the sandy bottom. I shoot past the opening of our grotto and twist toward the surface. The boat lists violently, but the water’s calm. What’s going on? I’d guess she’s in danger, but her character says she’s the one rocking the dinghy.

I chuckle to myself as I breach the water’s surface. She’s rocking the boat all right as she swipes her knife at two men twice her size. A gray-haired man holds his face with one hand and grabs at her with the other. A younger man struggles to contain her within a net while holding his bleeding mouth. Jane stabs at both of them through the large weave in the net. Even the lemon sharks who terrorize the opening to the Caribbean wouldn’t be contained in such a porous net. What were they hoping to catch? They couldn’t have predicted Jane appearing out of nowhere.

“Atlas, no!” Jane yells.

“I know you think you can tackle any problem yourself, but I have a matter to discuss with you.”

“You what? It doesn’t matter! You can’t be here!”

“There’s the monster! Forget the wench, Harry. His reward will keep us deep in whores for life!”

“Atlas! No, I won’t let you take him!” Jane and I make eye contact. Sorrow and regret fill her eyes as much as tears. Whatever made her run, it wasn’t anger or hatred of me.

The younger hunter backhands her across the face. Her neck whips to the side. Brown hair closes over her face like a sail unfurled in the wind. She crumbles, disappearing below the rail of the dinghy.

My little pet underestimates my wrath for the last time. She deserves my patience…I owe these men nothing.

“You touched what’s mine, so you will die this day,” I roar.

“Aim for his eyes!”

I raise my tentacle behind the boat and snatch the younger man before he can raise his harpoon over his shoulder. His squeals pierce my siphons as I lift him into the air. He stabs my sensitive sucker, and I inadvertently taste the foul creature in my grasp. It’s my turn to howl as I drop him back into the boat. His head bounces off the planks. He doesn’t move to get up.

“Atlas!” Jane’s screams break my heart. “Atlas!”

The older fisherman has her knife hand by the wrist. He stabs at her with a longer, wicked fillet knife. Her body swings as she dodges his jabs. Blood drips from her fingers. She must have batted his attempts away with her hand. Her movements are uncoordinated and frantic. She tangles herself further in the net.

My purpose in life is to protect, serve, and cherish my mate. She fights for her life…but would she want me to intervene? Not only did she run away, but she also told me to go. She’s lived a life that forced her to appear stronger than she is. Would she resent a rescue? As the tide rises, I check on the younger sailor I dropped. He’s still out cold, so it’s a one-on-one battle.

“Forgive me, pet,” I yell before swiping the older gentleman from the deck. Jane dangles from their joined hands. She grabs the knife from their joined hands and slices his wrist.

“I’ll kill you!” he yells as he’s lifted into the air.

“No, you won’t,” I whisper as I dangle him between my eyes. With one last look to make sure Jane can’t see me eating my prey, I roll onto my back to lift my beak to the surface. The man’sscreams are satisfying as I drop him into my mouth. I fold two tentacles over the opening as I spin upright.

I can’t have seawater rushing into my mouth as I chew.

“Atlas, you followed me,” she yells with less anger in her tone than I expected.

“I always will. You’re my mate. My instincts say I must protect you…even from yourself.”

“I didn’t know they were creeps,” she says with a wince. “Okay, a part of me suspected they were. Landlubbers are shady as a group, but there’s always a gem in the muck.”

“I will miss your words and the way you see the world.”

She pulls the net from her head. Why won’t she meet my gaze? Guilt?

I can’t deny she held her own against the two assailants. Even if I hadn’t arrived, she would’ve saved herself. It’s time to admit to myself she doesn’t need a protector. She isn’t a woman to be kept…she said so herself. As much as I want to keep her, if I love her, I must prove it by letting her go.

“I followed you to warn you. When we mated, I could have fertilized your egg. If so, it multiplied into a clutch, and you will lay them soon. When they hatch, you need to check for sentient life—not just blobby octopi hatchlings—and don’t let them dry out. Return them to the sea and if they are meant to find me…they will.”

“You would be a father to them, but what about their mother?”

“You grew up into a fine pirate without a mother. I’ll tell them stories of how you conquered the seas and crowned yourself a pirate queen. Don’t worry. They will know you without stifling your dreams.”

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