Page 85 of Jewel of the Sea

“A fishing boat?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t see nets or lines.”

Perhaps they simply hadn’t reached their desired location. That was the logical conclusion, but something inside Arkon said logic might be a hindrance in this situation — what if the hunters were closing in while he attempted to rationalize all this? “Is it normal for them to come to this area?”

Aymee sighed and lifted her head. “I’m not sure. It’s possible, but I never had much to do with it. Macy would probably know.”

If it had been the hunters in that boat — no, they couldn’t affordifsnow, they had to assume itwasthe hunters — then this place was at risk of being discovered. The chances of it being spotted by someone hugging the coastline were strong, though it depended on the angle of their approach.

“I think it best we have the computer shut down all the lights in the submarine pen and leave them off. If they find this place, we want them to think it is abandoned,” he said.

“I agree.” She stepped back, and Arkon loosened his hold on her. “Are you sure your wounds are okay?”

He was tempted to pull her close again, but he refrained. “They will be, yes. Most of them will heal by tomorrow.”

She nodded, cupped his face, and tugged him down for a kiss. “I suppose you won’t need to hunt for a while then?”

“So long as you enjoy the sandseeker meat.” He smiled and kissed her again.

Aymee chuckled and caressed his face. “I’m in no position to be picky. Besides, you killed that thing to save me. I’m sure it will be the most succulent meat I’ve ever had.” Her lips spread into a grin. “So long as I’m not cooking it.”

Chapter 18

Arkon’s siphon twitched enough to draw him from the depths of sleep into murky awareness. Without opening his eyes, he turned his head away.

Something touched him near his nostrils, tickling his skin. Confusion suffused the groggy haze that had settled over his mind. He lifted a hand and brushed his palm over his face.

Another tickle, this time on one of his tentacles. His muscles tightened as the limb reflexively curled away, and Arkon finally opened his eyes.

Laughter filled his ears — Aymee’s laughter.

“I finally woke up before you!” Aymee grinned down at him. “I’ve been waiting three days to get you back.”

He furrowed his brow and tilted his head, staring up at her. The barrack’s overhead lights were off; it was very early morning, but Aymee was wide awake. Arkon smiled. Joy and humor brightened her face, and he couldn’t think of a more beautiful image to wake to.

It didn’t hurt that she’d not yet dressed for the day.

Thrusting out his tentacles, he caught her around the waist and dragged her down atop him. She shrieked with laughter, hands landing on either side of his head and hair falling around their faces. Her breasts pressed against his chest and desire stirred within him.

“Well, now you have me, what do you plan to do with me?” she asked.

He brushed the hair back from one side of her face and studied her features. It seemed there was something new to be found in them every day, something more to appreciate.

“I will allow my imagination no limits in deciding that.”

The glee in her expression softened, giving way to sudden solemnity. She cupped his jaw, running her thumb over his cheek. “I feel like I’ve waited for you my whole life.” Her gentle touch moved to his lower lip. “I didn’t know it then, but that moment on the beach, the first time we spoke to each other, I felt...something. A connection. I thought it was simple fascination. You were so different, so extraordinary, so...beautiful.

“I anticipated every glimpse of you, cherished every gift. We never spoke except for that short encounter, but I could almostfeelyou. And then you finally came to me. Our friendship was so easy. It was as though we’d always known each other. Does that make it fate?” she asked. “When I had to make the choice to part ways, it devastated me, but not as much as the thought of losing you irrevocably.”

He covered her hand with his. “I cannot tell you whether it is fate or not, Aymee. That is a word which holds little meaning to my people. The kraken have simply survived. We were made, and we exist, and that was as far as most of us seem to have considered it.

“But the chances of you and I ever meeting, of ever knowing of one another’s existence, were so tiny, so improbable, that it should never have been. I have spent most of my life searching out something I could never define, pushing to express thoughts and emotions I did not — or could not — understand, and when I finally saw you for the first time...the rest of it didn’t matter anymore.”

His chest swelled with the emotions she’d woken in him; even now, he could not express himself in a way that did his feelings justice. But Aymee understood. From the beginning, she’d understood.

She turned her face and kissed his hand, smiling. “I love you, Arkon.”

“And I love you, Aymee.”

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