Page 46 of Jewel of the Sea

Cyrus’s grin faltered; he pressed his lips into a tight line. “Excuse me, Randy?”

“Stand. Down.”

“Arkon, go,” Aymee hissed over her shoulder.

“I amnotleaving you with that man.” Arkon didn’t take his eyes off Cyrus. This was the human Aymee had stricken, the one she’d lost her temper with, and he was threatening her. “Come with me.”

“Neither of you are going,” Randy said.

Aymee backed up into Arkon.

“Just one bullet, and we’ve got our prize and her mouth is shut for good. Worth a round of ammo,” Cyrus said, “maybe two.”

“No. We’re here to protect people, damn it.” Randy met Arkon’s gaze. “Just give yourself up. You were right; no one needs to get hurt today. Cyrus, Joel — guns down.”

Joel grimaced, but leaned over and stood his long gun against the cliffside, its butt in the sand.

“Fuck that.” Cyrus raised his gun, barrel pointed at Aymee.

As Arkon grabbed hold of her and spun to shield her with his body, Randy caught the barrel in his hand and halted its upward motion.

“Taking one alive was the plan from the beginning, wasn’t it?” Randy demanded. “He hasn’t threatened us in any way. Weapon down,now.”

“I can’t tell if your daddy would be proud right now, or if he’d be beating the snot out of you.”

Arkon watched over his shoulder as Cyrus tugged his gun out of Randy’s grip and tossed it into the sand. They all wore knives and smaller guns on their belts, but hadn’t drawn them yet.

“We need to go,” Aymee whispered, clutching his arm.

“If we try to flee, they will shoot us,” Arkon replied. His options were limited in this situation; he wanted to believe the Randy, who appeared to be their leader, but — apart from Aymee and Macy — could humans be trusted? “I need to go with them.”

“You can’t! They’ll hurt you.”

“It will be all right, Aymee.”

“Arkon, don’t. This isnotlike what happened with Jax.”

“I know.” He reached up and cupped her cheek with his palm, brushing the pad of his thumb over her soft skin. “But the stakes are just as high. If we resist or run, you’re likely to get hurt.”

“If this doesn’t move along, I’m just going to shoot him,” Cyrus said.

Arkon smiled down at Aymee, turned toward the hunters, and raised his hands. He kept his breathing steady and willed his hearts to slow. He realized, as the humans cautiously advanced, that he’d lied to Aymee for the first time.

There was little chance things would be all right.

The three males stopped a short distance from Arkon and stared up at him.

“Are all of you this big?” Cyrus asked.

Arkon made no reply; instead, he met Randy’s eyes.

“Joel is going to restrain you,” Randy said.

Joel stepped forward — without hesitation, though it must have been strange for him to be so close to a kraken for the first time — with the rope in his hands.

Aymee approached them. “Randall, don’t do this.” She motioned toward Arkon. “You see him with your own eyes, now, and he’s complying. He isn’t a threat to anyone.”

“He’s a predator.” Cyrus scowled at Aymee. “That makes him a threat.”

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