Page 91 of Jewel of the Sea

“Don’t come!” Macy shouted.

“Damn it, Joel, you’re twice her size! Handle your shit.”

“What do you want me to do?” he demanded.

“Hit the bitch. Shut her up. The adults are trying to talk.”

“You’re going to regret th—”

Athwap— flesh against flesh — silenced Macy.

Arkon moved to the steps, forcing his skin to its normal color — doing so had never been so difficult. He kept low, shielding himself from the hunters’ lines of sight. “I am coming. I told you there’s no need to do them harm.”

“Guess you’re just taking too long,” Cyrus said.

“Lay down your weapons. There’s no reason we cannot all leave here in peace.”

“Arkon, he isn’t—”

Cyrus’s shout cut off Aymee’s words. “Shut your mouth!”

Clenching his jaw, Arkon climbed the stairs. Cyrus wore his broken-toothed grin. Macy was on hands and knees at Joel’s feet, lip bloody. Randall lay where he’d fallen. The other three hunters pointed their long guns toward Arkon, eyes wide with shock and fear.

Beyond the humans, Jax and Dracchus were dark shapes creeping across the floor.

“You’re even uglier than I remember,” Cyrus said.

“As are you,” Arkon replied. “I’d hate to have to make it worse if we cannot work this out.”

“I’m not giving you that chance this time.”

Cyrus raised his arm and fired three times in rapid succession.

“No!” Aymee screamed.

The breath fled Arkon’s lungs; it felt like three blows from Dracchus impacting his abdomen at once. He looked down to see blood oozing from three holes, and piercing, burning pain spread across his stomach.

When he lifted his gaze, Aymee was staring at him, her eyes round with terror, their whites pronounced. His limbs trembled, and his head spun. Her face blurred as his vision clouded.

Chapter 19

Aymee’s heart stopped.

For a moment, everything fell away and time slowed. She stared in horror at the dark blood dripping down Arkon’s abdomen. Her lungs burned; she was suffocating but couldn’t draw breath. The fear of losing him was too much. She lifted her gaze to his.

Arkon’s features were drawn with pain and startlement, his eyes glassy. He swayed but remained upright.

There was a whisper of movement behind, and someone released an agonized gurgle. Cyrus yanked hard on Aymee’s hair as he swung around. Through the curls that fell into her face, she saw two large, dark figures overpowering the pair of rangers who’d been behind Cyrus.

Jax and Dracchus. The blood spurting from the humans’ wounds was lost against the kraken’s crimson skin.

“More of them?” Cyrus tightened his grip on Aymee’s hair. There was an undercurrent of uncertainty in his voice. He raised his gun.

Aymee gritted her teeth against the agony in her scalp and covered a fist with her other hand. She twisted, pushing with all her strength, and slammed her elbow into Cyrus’s groin.

He grunted and doubled over. His hand tugged back on her hair, forcing her gaze up before his fingers slipped away.

Jax hurtled past, landing atop Joel. The kraken wrapped his tentacles around the ranger and squeezed. Bones cracked. Chad, the only other ranger standing, settled the butt of his rifle against his shoulder and aimed at Jax.

---