Page 65 of Rising from the Depths

“Yes.” Dracchus nodded. “Instinct.”

Silence settled between them again, allowing the sounds of wind and sea to rise to clarity.

“So…how about this weather?” Camrin asked cheerily, his tone so exaggerated that both Kronus and Dracchus smiled.

“The weather is better than any conversation of it could hope to be,” Kronus replied.

Dracchus grunted his assent.

“Does this come naturally to you two, or is it something you have to consciously work toward?” Camrin asked.

Dracchus turned his head toward Camrin. “What do you mean, human?”

“Just that I can’t imagine anyone being as grumpy as you guys without actively trying to be.” Camrin’s grin, as amiable as ever, softened his words considerably. “You guys need to relax a little. Aren’t you supposed to be friends?”

Once again, Kronus and Dracchus met each other’s gazes.Friendwas one of those words that had held little meaning for Kronus through most of his life; it had existed amongst the kraken primarily as an artifact of their long-ago contact with humans. He understood it better now.

He and Dracchus had been rivals at best and enemies at worst, but those times had passed. Where did that leave them? What did thatmakethem?

“We are not friends,” Kronus said, “though we could be. The building of such a relationship is difficult when both individuals areassholes.”

Dracchus’s features darkened. For a moment, Kronus was sure he’d pushed too far, that he’d overestimated the good will extended toward him, that Dracchus was about to attack.

Slowly, Dracchus’s frown split into a grin; the expression was sharp-toothed but not predatory.

Solemnity settled over Kronus’s face. “For everything I did, Dracchus, for every wrong—”

“I know,” Dracchus said gently. “Your actions afterward have spoken loud enough, Kronus.”

“Yet I mustsayit.” A strange sensation flitted through his chest, a desperate energy that threatened only to worsen. He rubbed at it absently, knowing in the back of his mind it would not be eased in such a fashion. “For all the wrongs I have done to you, to our people, I am sorry.”

The smile fell away from Dracchus’s lips. He leaned forward, reached out with one thick arm, and placed a hand on Kronus’s shoulder. At another time, in another context, Dracchus’s touch would have signaled a fight, with raking claws and thrashing tentacles. But things had changed…and Kronus was coming to see that many of those changes weren’t bad.

“I am sorry, as well,” Dracchus said, “for how it all happened. For each of our people who were lost along the way. Would that there had been a better end to it for all of us.”

“It…took me a long while, but I think I understand now. I have an idea of what you and the others were fighting for,” Kronus replied. “Had I known sooner, I would have chosen to swim with you from the start.”

“You two are all over the place,” Camrin said. Kronus turned to find the human shaking his head. When he noticed Kronus’s stare, Camrin quickly averted his gaze. “I just mean that one moment, you’re looking ready to tear out each other’s throats, and the next you’re about to give each other a hug. It’s confusing to innocent bystanders like me.”

“Yes.” Kronus smirked. “We are acting more like humans with each passing day.”

Camrin laughed, a rich, hearty sound that reminded Kronus of the man’s father, Wade. Every time Kronus had been around Wade and Breckett at the same time, the two fishermen had joked and laughed frequently. Their light moods had always seemed to contradict the burly, sea-worn visages they presented to the world.

Dracchus and Kronus both chuckled. Even Vasil, whose displays of emotion were rarer and more muted than Dracchus’s, watched with an amused smile on his face.

However strong his instinctual protectiveness and possessiveness regarding Eva, Kronus could trust these males. If he couldn’t be with her, this company was tolerable, evenpleasant. The realization did nothing to ease his impatience to be home with his mate, but it provided some comfort.

“Tell us about her,” Vasil said. His voice jarred Kronus from his thoughts.

Swallowing the reflexive rebuke threatening to emerge, Kronus dropped his gaze to the floor of the boat, where the water that had run from their bodies was cooling in a pool of shadow. He loved Eva, and she loved him, but he was also proud of her, impressed by her, awed by her. Why not share that pride? Why not allow himself the pleasure of praising her, of conveying his good fortune to these males?

“I…first noticed her before the attack. She alone of her human companions looked at me as a person, with curiosity rather than judgment. When I freed her from the razorback, all she wanted was to go back and rescue her companions.”

As Kronus continued to speak — about her selflessness, her consideration, her massive stores of inner strength and willpower — he fell in love with Eva all over again. In his mind, he was looking into her pure blue eyes and combing his fingertips through her golden-brown hair, and the ghost of her scent flowed through his memory. He could almost feel her silken skin against his, could almost feel her fingertips trailing lightly along the length of a tentacle or over the muscles of his abdomen. Even the recollection of Eva was enough to warm his blood.

“You are changed,” Dracchus said when Kronus was finished.

Kronus reflected upon those words for several moments before replying. “No, I am not. I still often feel the urge to throttle you, for example.” He smirked. “Eva has…brought out the best in me. She has broadened my understanding of a great many things and has taught me patience, but she has not made me change. She…wants me as I am.”

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