Page 11 of Hunter of the Tide

Her gaze dipped to his lips, and she was tempted to discover what akissfelt like. “I do not know many of your words.”

“Words aren’t of much importance, compared to actions,” he said. “You claimed me from the moment they brought me into the infirmary, didn’t you?”

She placed a hand on his chest and slowly slid it down his abdomen toward his pelvis. The hair beneath her palm was soft over his hard muscle. Rhea recalled the first time she saw him, recalled her surprise when she’d lifted his blanket to see his cock on full display as he lay in the infirmary bed. She’d been intrigued, curious, and shocked by her immediate attraction to him.

The outline of his hardening shaft was visible through his pants. She smiled and met his gaze again. “I did.”

He cleared his throat and caught her wrist again, guiding her hand away from his pelvis. “Slowly,” he rasped. Lifting her hand, he pressed his lips to her knuckles. Her eyes flared. “Humans have some old sayings.Patience is a virtue.Good things come to those who wait. Give this some time, Rhea.”

She frowned, searching his face, uncertain of what to do, of what to say. This wasn’t how she’d been taught, wasn’t how the kraken did things.

“You’re interested in me? You want me?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied without hesitation.

“Then shouldn’t I be worth some time and effort?” He smiled lopsidedly, and the expression heated her blood.

Rhea drew back. “You wantmeto wooyou?”

“I just want us to know each other before we jump into each other’s pants.”

She glanced down at her lower half, confused by his words once again.

“It’s an expression,” he said. “I mean before we have sex.”

“Ah.”

“Just give it time. Visit tomorrow with Melaina. Let me get to know you both, and we can move on from there.”

She searched his expression. He sounded earnest, but this situation was unfamiliar to her. Did he not want her as much as she wanted him? His body suggested he desired her, even if his words implied otherwise.

What would the other females think of her if they knew she was almost begging a male to mate with her? A human male, no less, when there were several kraken males she could choose from at any moment.

She finally nodded; the opinions of the other females were meaningless. “We will come tomorrow.”

Randall released her hand and stepped back, offering a nod of his own. “Good. I look forward to seeing you again.”

Chapter 4

Randall laid another fillet atop the flat grill. The meat sizzled, its scent adding to the already mouthwatering aroma of cooking fish. A pot of Halorian lobsters boiled on the stovetop nearby, its steam billowing into the automatic fan overhead.

“This is going to be some good eating, little guy,” he said.

Ikaros chirruped from his perch atop the counter. The prixxir lifted a paw and waved it toward the food.

Grinning, Randall turned to the island counter behind him and sliced a small piece from one of the remaining raw fillets. He tossed the morsel to Ikaros. The prixxir reared back on his hind legs — his limp was all but gone — and caught the meat in his mouth.

“Maybe I shouldn’t let Melaina feed you quite so much. I swear you’ve gained four kilos since she brought you in.”

The prixxir lowered his head, dropped the meat onto the countertop, and gnawed at it.

“Good thing we’re not back at Fort Culver. The only animals allowed on the counters there are the ones that’re about to be cooked.”

Randall smiled and tended the cooking food as Ikaros ate. He couldn’t deny his excitement. For the first time in the weeks he’d spent in the Facility, he was enjoying himself. That was strange after feeling lost and directionless for so long.

Ikaros played a large role in that. The prixxir hadn’t left Randall’s side since being rescued by Melaina a week before. Though Randall couldn’t explain the bond he was forming with the creature, he knew it was powerful. At night, Ikaros curled up against him in bed, and had taken to laying over Randall’s feet whenever he was sitting.

The creature had given Randall companionship,purpose, and made him feel needed. He’d never reflected upon the importance of such things before — he’d had the other rangers, the directive, the hunt; it had been more than enough to keep him distracted. He hadn’t realized how quickly an individual could lose their drive, how quickly a life could lose meaning.

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