Page 53 of Heart of the Deep

Closing the door, she set her clothes down beside the sink and peeled off the diving suit. As she kicked it aside, she caught sight of herself in the mirror and cringed. Her nose and cheeks were red from the sun, her freckles more pronounced, and her eyes pink and puffy. Her hair was a tangled mess of red frizz.

Dracchus wantedheras a mate? After seeing a female kraken, Larkin couldn’t believe he’d find her attractive — especially now — when he could have one of his own kind.

She opened the shower door and turned on the water. Taking a few quick breaths to prepare herself for the cold, she stepped under the showerhead. To her shock, the water waswarm. She braced her arms on the wall and let the heat cascade over her body and ease her aches. She moaned appreciatively.

I might notwantto leave this place.

Dracchus heard the sound of running water through the interior door as he moved deeper into the room. Pausing beside the table, he glanced down at the bowl of fruit that had been placed atop it. He plucked out a piece of fruit and studied it, running the pad of his thumb over the smooth-skinned bumps on its surface.

Biting into the fruit would be a strange experience — strange enough to distract him from his confused thoughts. But the thought of eating plants was unappealing, despite his hunger, and he wouldn’t take food that had been set aside for Larkin.

He returned the fruit to its place and released a measured breath through his siphons.

Twisting to stare at the closed bathroom door, he focused on the sound made by the water, a constant stream broken by splashes that could only be her moving beneath it. His mind summoned the stolen glimpse he’d had of her naked body when she’d first put on the diving suit.

What did she look like now, with water flowing over her bare skin? What would she feel like?

Tastelike?

Arousal heated his blood, and his shaft twitched behind his slit. He was not behaving in a manner his people would approve. Females were meant to have the choice, and he was leaving no choice for Larkin — he’d have her, in the end, and it would only be by her choosing because he’d make himself the only option. Whatever guilt he might have felt for it was a small price to pay for claiming her.

His thoughts shifted again, this time to the interaction between Larkin and Randall. They were family, and their affection for one another had been apparent, but they’d descended into arguing within moments of seeing one another.

Why? Why was Dracchus’s female hurt and upset? Why had Randall stared at him with such intensity and challenge? Dracchus expected such from male kraken attempting to establish their place, but Randall’s competitiveness had been good-natured during his time here. He’d always been content so long as he could hunt, contribute, and spent ample time with Rhea, Melaina, and Ikaros.

The Facility presented new dangers to Larkin, but that didn’t seem reason enough for Randall’s change in demeanor. All the humans living here were in constant danger — Larkin wasn’t unique in that, and Randall knew it better than anyone.

Was it because of Dracchus’s claim on Larkin? That didn’t make sense; Randall already had a female of his own, and Larkin was his sister. Who better to keep her safe than Dracchus?

The bathroom door opened. Larkin stepped out, eyes meeting Dracchus’s immediately. Her cheeks were flushed, and her wet hair hung around her shoulders, no longer a mass of tangles.

His gaze dropped to her loose clothing, and disappointment rippled through Dracchus. He’d come to enjoy the form-fitting coverings she’d worn over the last few days. These were almost maddening, offering little hint of the body beneath. He found himself battling the urge to peel her new clothing off her one piece at a time.

“Now I know it’s not just curiosity that has you staring at me,” Larkin said.

“I never pretended that it was.” His eyes rose —slowly— to meet hers again.

“I suppose not.” She looked away from him, but not before Dracchus caught a hint of uncertainty in her expression. Walking to the bed, she bent forward, pressed her hand atop the blanket, and smoothed her palm over it. “So where are you sleeping?”

Dracchus lowered his eyes — her position pulled the fabric of her pants taut, accenting the curve of her backside. He gritted his teeth. His willpower would be tested this night. However tired he was, his body awakened when she was near, fueled by the possibilities offered by her anatomy.

Kraken females could only be entered from the front, but that was not so for humans.

He moved closer, balling his fists to keep from reaching for her. “There is room enough in the bed for both of us.”

Larkin straightened, turning her head to look him over. “You sure about that?”

Drawing back the blanket, threw herself onto the bed, spread her arms and legs wide, and moaned. The throaty, sensual sound nearly had Dracchus spilling out of his slit.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to move again,” she said.

Dracchus moved around to the far side of the bed. The short journey did nothing to cool his blood, but he could not act on his desires. Not yet. Dracchus was a hunter before all else, and he knew this prey would require ample time and patience to lure out. Brute force would not win this contest.

Though it took only a few moments, Larkin’s breathing had slowed, and her eyes were closed by the time he reached the bed.

Despite himself, he could appreciate the humor in the situation — females had thrown themselves at him in the past, had clung to him with insatiable appetites for mating. And now, the one femalehehad chosen had fallen asleep within moments of reclining.

Carefully, Dracchus shifted Larkin’s limbs aside to make space for himself on the bed. He climbed atop it slowly. The material moved around him, adjusting its support to accommodate his weight. He was unused to the feeling; the sense of weightlessness afforded by water was by far more familiar and comforting. Once he was in place, he slipped his arm around her shoulders and drew her close.

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