Page 3 of Alien Kraken's Prize

His self-satisfied smile falls, and anger flares in its place.

“I tire of court today.” I make myself sneer at him, and power zips along the razor-sharp tips of the trident. “I will oversee the building of the creature’s habitat myself.” I level a glare at the murmuring lords, who fall silent.

I don’t deign to say another word as I take the shining cord wrapped around the bubble from the servant and storm from the council room, my tentacles changing from purple to a fiery red in accordance with my anger.

CHAPTER

TWO

BRIDGET

The first thoughtI have on waking is that I sincerely need a new bra.

The second thought I have is that if I was stupid enough to wear a bra that’s tight enough to restrict my airflow, then maybe I deserve this low-key ache.

When I open my eyes, the truth comes crashing down on me.

There’s something tight wrapped around my chest, yes, but it’s not a bra.

It’s the damned tentacle.

Not only that, but I’m no longer on the Starlight Lottery shuttle.

“Nooooo,” I moan, blinking at the massive, bright light overhead.

Gone. All my dreams of finally having a better life are gone, gone, gone.

My eyes scrunch up and I fling a hand over my eyes, because holy mucin, it’s bright, way, way too bright. Brighter than anywhere I’ve ever been before, especially brighter than the dimenergy-saving lights on the space station where I’ve spent most of my life.

No wonder my single sentient tentacle friend is hiding up against my boobs like a very uncomfortable underwire.

“Under-tentacle bra.” My voice is shrill and high-pitched to my own ears. “No need for underwires when you have a tentacle.” I choke a little on the last word as fear starts to override my penchant for humor in the worst situations.

This is definitely the worst situation I’ve been in.

Worse than that time I ran out of money and waited tables in the diciest cantina on the station. Worse than when the owner of said cantina tried to rent me out to dance at private parties. Worse than when I told the cantina owner to shove it up his ass and was only stopped from being hurt by a fight breaking out over one of the gambling tables.

Whew. What a night.

I inhale, trying to calm my racing heart. My eyes are squeezed shut so hard flecks of colored light dance behind my lids. My pulse is a hammer in my ears, my stomach churning with fear.

“Nothing’s tried to kill us yet,” I mutter, and the tentacle loosens its hold slightly, allowing me to take my first deep breath since waking up.

The tentacle, apparently, agrees.

It smells different here than on the station, different than the metallic tang of recycled air I’ve been raised on.

The air has a slightly salty hint to it, and it weighs heavy on my skin, almost like the time I splurged on a spa treatment I certainly could not afford and got to sit in an unbearably hot and moist room as part of the truly bizarre package.

That’s what you get for being a lowly human in a universe full of superior beings.

Okay, I’m going to open my eyes and tackle this problem just like I tackle everything else.

In…

“Three, two, one?—”

I crack one eye open, then the other, and squint into the dimmer light all around me.

---