Page 17 of Jewel of the Sea

Arkon nodded and tucked the canister under his arm when she finally released it, though his eyes didn’t leave hers. “May the stars smile upon you tonight, Aymee.”

Clenching fistfuls of her skirt, she watched him go; his movements were graceful despite the alien nature of his gait. She didn’t take her eyes off him until he disappeared into the sea, and only then walked between the stones to retrieve the container he’d left at their normal drop-off spot. Anticipation thrummed through her.

She’d see him again.

Tomorrow.

Chapter 4

The ocean sang while Arkon waited; it sounded so different from land, distant and otherworldly. This wasn’t the dark, deep lullaby — felt more than heard — of his youth. It was music brimming with wonderment and possibility, with freedom and imagination.

A song for Aymee.

Arkon closed his eyes and filled his lungs with salt-kissed air. The sand beneath him was soft, the rock at his back had been warmed by the afternoon sun, and a light breeze tickled his skin. Though his senses were unchanged on land, the things he experienced with them were still largely new — as was what he’d felt when Aymee touched him.

He brushed his fingers over his chest, sparking a fleeting, ghostly memory of the thrill that had suffused his skin while he’d been in contact with her.

After imagining dozens of potential outcomes for their meeting, Arkon had been wholly unprepared for the effects of her proximity, her touch, her scent and taste. He’d barely maintained control of his body.

It had taken hours for him to calm after they’d parted, and his excitement had rekindled with startling intensity when he discovered the paints and brushes she’d left in the canister for him. And the art she’d given him! Being gifted a drawing of himself had been odd — he’d never considered that he would become the subject of anyone’s art — but her work was exquisite, and the life she’d instilled in it with a bit of color in the eyes astounded him.

The implication of her offering had caught him off-guard when it dawned on him.

Aymee didn’t see him as a monster.

He opened his eyes and stared out over the sea. The waves glittered in the late afternoon sun as though countless stars had plummeted to float upon the water. The ends of his fore-tentacles swept over the sand restlessly. He felt like his hearts hadn’t slowed since their meeting the day before.

She’d been waiting for him to approach her all along.

However intelligent Arkon thought he was, he’d proven himself inept when it came to Aymee.

Something moved in his periphery vision. He turned his head to see Aymee rounding the wide bend. She carried a basket at her elbow, and the wind molded her clothing to her body, teasing at the curves hidden beneath the cloth.

Arkon rose slowly and allowed his skin to revert to its natural color and texture. The moment her dark eyes settled on him, her entire face brightened.

“You’re here!” Aymee called over the wind and sea.

She closed the remaining distance between them at an easy run; Arkon watched, fascinated by the play of her lithe limbs and the brush of her curls over her cheeks. Her apparent joy validated his eagerness.

“Was there any doubt I would be?”

“No.” She swept her hair out of her face. “Have you been waiting long?”

When Arkon’s people hunted, they sometimes laid in wait to ambush unsuspecting prey from sunup to sundown. The few hours he’d waited on this beach had been almost unbearable due to his anticipation, but they were a small price, especially with Aymee as the payoff.

He smiled. “No, not long.”

“Are you hungry?” Aymee set down her basket and lifted the folded brown blanket from its top. After spreading the blanket over the sand with one edge against the cliff, she sat down atop it.

“Yes, I am hungry. I would have brought food had I known you wanted to eat.”

Though the kraken shared food, sharingmealswas an unfamiliar concept to them. Arkon had only learned of the custom through Macy. It was a ritual with social and cultural significance, though he wasn’t sure of its meanings beyond solidifying the bonds of family and community.

Pulling the basket closer, Aymee glanced up at him and smiled. “I wanted to spend as much time as I could with you, so I brought dinner with me. I made sure to pack extra, just in case.” She patted the empty place beside her. “Join me?”

Arkon studied the way she was sitting before looking down at himself. He brushed as much sand as he could off his tentacles, folded them beneath himself, and settled down on the blanket. The soft-but-scratchy texture of the fabric was strange to him.

“What is this made from?” He brushed a tentacle over the blanket; its foreign scent was layered with Aymee’s sweet smell.

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