Page 67 of Treasure of the Abyss

She had woken to find him gone, but it couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes later when he emerged from the tunnel with a meter-long spinefish dangling from an extendedtentacle.

Macy set her food down and crawled toward him. She brushed her fingers over his tentacle before settling her hand over his. “Jax?”

His eyes fell to her hand. “I have something to ask of you,” he finally said, “but the choice isyours.”

Something in his voice — his uncertainty, perhaps — made her heart skip and her stomach clench. She was used to him lapsing into companionable silence from time to time, but this…she’d never seen him so withdrawn, so…off.

Was he…was he going to send her away? Send her backhome?

The thought stung. She hadn’t realized how much it would hurt…but she hadn’t expected to care for him so deeply,either.

Jax lifted his gaze. “Why do you appear so troubled,Macy?”

She drew away “Are you…are you giving meup?”

“What do you mean?” He tilted his head, browcreased.

“Are you giving me the choice to gohome?”

He slid his tentacles toward her, wrapped them around her back, and pulled her close. Raising his hands, he cupped her cheeks. “Why would you thinkthat?”

Macy put her hands on his shoulders and searched his face. In it, she saw sincerity, desire, confusion. “You’re not acting like yourself, Jax. So, when you said you had something to ask me, that it would be my choice, I just thought…” She licked her lips and inhaled deeply. “You’re not letting me go,then?”

“I don’t ever want to.” He smoothed back her hair, and his thumb brushed over her ear. “I am sorry that I’ve not behaved like myself this morning. My thoughts have been…burdened.”

All the fear and panic that had welled inside her vanished, leaving a vast space to fill with concern. She settled a hand over his and pressed her cheek into his palm. “What’swrong?”

“Arkon came searching for me this morning. He was troubled…in part because I betrayed histrust.”

“Howso?”

“I have avoided him the last few times I went home because I did not want to lie tohim.”

Macy frowned. “What would you have lied to himabout?”

The tip of his thumb claw lightly grazed her cheek. “You.”

“Me? Why would I— You don’t want him to know aboutme.”

“I don’t want any of them to know aboutyou.”

To keep his people safe, he’d refused to tell her much about their home. To keep Macy safe, he’d hidden her from thekraken.

“What…what would they do if they did?” She pressed her palms to hischest.

“I…do not know, Macy. They are all aware of the history between our people. How that would affect their reactions, I cannot guess. If they came to know you, I do not think any would wish youharm.”

“You didn’t harm me, even before you knewme.”

There was a sorrow in his smile that she’d not seen before. “I am not like most ofthem.”

She nodded and took his hands in hers, settling them on her lap. “AndArkon?”

“He would not hurtyou.”

“You said this is only part of the problem. What’s therest?”

“I have raised the suspicions of another kraken, and he seems determined to convince our people that I have betrayedthem.”

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