Page 78 of Jewel of the Sea

She has claimed me.

Arkon moved his hands to Aymee’s backside and slammed her down on him, pushing himself beyond anything he’d thought possible. The pressure burst, and her name escaped him in a roar, her words echoing in his mind. A wave of pleasure stole his breath and tensed every muscle in his body, sweeping away conscious thought like driftwood on the surf. Her cries punctuated his thrusts, which ended when neither of them had anything left to give.

Aymee lay upon him, a welcome weight, her breath tickling his neck. She cradled his head with one hand, brushing her thumb against his skin. He realized only then that his tentacles were tangled around her legs and waist; he loosened his hold but was in no hurry to release her.

And now you’re mine.

“I am yours, Aymee,” he said, smoothing a palm over her hair. There was a tightness in his chest that had nothing to do with his labored breathing.

She inhaled deeply and rubbed her cheek against him before placing a kiss at the base of his throat. Lifting her head, she shifted her hands to cup his jaw and kissed his lips before resting her forehead against his. She closed her eyes, and the peacefulness on her face belied the sudden tension in her body.

“I love you, Arkon,” Aymee whispered. When he opened his mouth to speak, she pressed a finger to his lips. “Someone once told me to take what I wanted. To take it all and never hesitate because it could all be gone in the blink of an eye, without any warning.” Her arms slipped around him. “No matter what happens, or what our future might hold, I have this. This moment with you, where you are mine, and I am yours. Where weloved. And I will never regret it.”

Arkon gently slipped his fingers into her hair and raised her head. There was a troubled gleam in her eyes, an unfamiliar vulnerability.

“I did not know what love was, not very long ago,” he said. “I knew the idea of it, but it was only a word. As I learned, I came to crave it, longed to know it myself...but I’ve never truly felt it until you. I love you, Aymee. Always and without regret.”

Aymee’s body eased atop his. Her smile in that moment was the most radiant thing in all the universe. She kissed him, and Arkon embraced her. When she shifted her hips, he was reminded that he was still buried deep inside her body; he groaned, and she laughed.

“Love me some more, Arkon.”

He rolled her onto her back and propped himself over her on his hands. She moaned, canting her hips to take him deeper. He grinned down at her. The sated exhaustion that had filled him a moment before fast faded, replaced by the rekindled heat of desire.

“As much as you wish.”

Chapter 16

The storm lasted three days; three days of thunder, howling winds, and torrents of rain pouring through the hole in the submarine pen’s ceiling.

Aymee sat on the edge of the platform, arms folded over the lower rail, watching lightning streak across the gray sky. She bit into her last apple.

Despite being away from home, she was happier than ever. Unfortunately, that didn’t leave her immune to boredom; she wasn’t used to inactivity, to staring at the same drab walls day in and day out, without a taste of open air or the inherent variety of her normal duties.

It was too dangerous to venture out during the storm, so they remained inside.

Arkon had spent some time in the control room, as he was now, speaking to the computer, learning about the history of this base and the Halorian colonies. Aymee preferred not to go in there.

Though he’d removed the body, the room was uncomfortable, oppressive. While she stood within, the sound of a single gunshot echoed ceaselessly through her memory. Arkon admitted he didn’t understand why she felt that way but didn’t press her on the matter — understanding and acceptance were not mutually exclusive concepts to him, and she loved him more for it.

Whenever he emerged, he’d tell her of what he learned. Based on the records he had accessed, the settlements — of which there were twelve on the Halorian mainland — were only meant as the beginning. They’d chosen varied locations with access to unique resources to serve as the foundation of a thriving, continent-wide colony, and had planned to land more settlers and supplies at regular intervals.

Arkon had even uncovered preliminary plans for entire underwater cities. He said they appeared similar to the place his people lived; it was obviously strange for him to think about such structures scattered across the seafloor, larger and more populated than either of them could imagine. The limited information available failed to answer the primary question they’d both asked: why? There was abundant land for human use, and it wouldn’t have required such complex, sophisticated construction to utilize.

This base, the Darrow Nautical Outpost, had been constructed with dual purposes in mind — first to ferry personnel and supplies to Pontus Alpha, where the kraken now lived, and secondly to house underwater craft for civilian use. It had been operating at a fraction of its intended capacity when everything fell apart and had never come close to fulfilling its secondary function.

Thunder boomed overhead, and Aymee watched bits of the ceiling crumble and fall in the downpour.

How long until the entire roof came down?

Aymee finished her apple and tossed the core. It disappeared in the churning water below.

“I never realized just how much water there could be outside the ocean,” Arkon said from behind her. She heard him set something down, and then one of his tentacles slipped around her waist and another beneath her legs. He lifted her, turned her to face him, and embraced her.

Aymee wrapped her arms around him and laughed. Since they’d made love, he’d grown increasingly more comfortable with physical contact, and — at times — seemed unable to keep from touching her.

“It’s why we call it the wet season.” She pulled back. “Missed me, did you?”

“I am sorry I took so long. Time seems to lose meaning when I dig through those archives. It is unfair to you.”

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