Page 18 of Treasure of the Abyss

Cold flowed through Jax’s veins; his stomach twisted, and his skin involuntarily pulsed yellow. He had treated her poorly while she’d been in his care, but he hadn’t known it was possible to push a human to self-harm.

“You have doomed yourself,” he said quietly. “Why?”

“I haven’t done anything. I’d die if Ididn’tdrinkit.”

“I…what does that mean? Fresh water isdeadly.”

“To humans, salt water is deadly. We need fresh water to live.” She gestured to her arm. “Our skin changes color if we are ill or if we’re in the sun too long. It also changes if we’re angry or embarrassed, but it doesn’t change likeyours.”

He shifted his gaze along her arm, following it to her shoulder. The single strip of pale flesh there — near the strap of her cloth covering — was in stark contrast to the angry red surrounding it. Would the same happen to a kraken after being in the sun for toolong?

“You still need to eat,” he said; however pronounced the differences between them, all creatures neededfood.

She glanced at the fish. Only its mouth moved now, opening and closing as it gulpedair.

“I can’t eatthat.”

Jax’s skin darkened. “I hunted for you. Do you rejectit?”

“I said Ican’t. I can’t eat it likethat.”

Anger flared in his gut; success was never guaranteed on a hunt, making any catch precious. To see his effort — to see good food — so disrespected wasappalling.

He clenched his jaw and forced his skin back toneutral.

If he wanted to learn about her people, about their artifacts, he needed to keep her content. Thus far, he’d failedmiserably.

“Explain. If youwould.”

“It’sraw.”

“It isfresh.”

She scrunched her nose. Jax didn’t know how to interpret theexpression.

“It needs to be cooked. If I eat it raw, I could get sick and possiblydie.”

Cooked. The word was familiar to him, though only vaguely. Perhaps it was one of the many words most younglings learned and promptly forgot — a word that had no meaning or use in the life of a kraken. A word from a differentworld.

“So…you can only eatplants?”

“I can eat the fish, but it needs to becooked.”

“What iscooked?”

Macy tilted her head. “Do you know what a fireis?”

“Yes. The Computer uses strange smoke to put it out,when—”

“Computer?”

He snapped his mouth shut. It was more than he’d meant to give away, more than he should have said. “I know fire, Macy. That is all that’simportant.”

“Oh no. You’re not dodging this question. I’ve answered yours, now you can answer mine. Whatcomputer?”

Frustrated, he expelled air through his siphons. Macy jumped back and stared at him with wideeyes.

“What is wrong?” he asked, his irritation dampened byconfusion.

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