Page 44 of Fallen from the Stars

Because it was forher, not for me.

Something warm touched one of his tentacles. “Vasil?”

That warmth blossomed and spread across his flesh, all the way down to the tip of his tentacle. The pod rocked gently as Theo climbed up beside him. Her concerned eyes met his gaze.

“You okay?” she asked.

He drew in a deep breath, filling his lungs with air that smelled of brine and rain. “Yes. I am fine.”

“Well, come on,” she urged, “cause if you collapse, there’s no way I can haul you in myself.”

“I will not collapse. I amnotseriously injured, Theodora.”

“Then what are you waiting for, kraken? Get in so I can take care of it.” She climbed higher, swung her legs over the side, and dropped into the pod.

Gritting his teeth, Vasil followed her inside. Theo stood to one side, bent over as she removed her pants and brushed sand off her ankles and feet.

“Sit down,” she said as she rose, wadding the pants into a ball and tossing them aside. Her top followed, leaving only her body suit.

Despite his discomfort in the tight space, he could not keep his eyes off Theo after she bared her legs. He longed to run his hands over her skin, to press his lips to her every bit of her, to pull her against him and hold her like nothing else in the world mattered.

He managed to pry away his gaze before she caught him staring, turning his attention to the pair of seats nearby. They were designed for humans, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t work for kraken. Of course, sitting here would almost be like sitting on the floor of that cell, and—

No. This is different.Everythingis different.

Vasil moved to one of the seats, bunched his tentacles together, and lowered himself onto it.

The pod continued to sway in the wind. The motion was subtle but could not be ignored.

Theo set a small box on the open seat and held her hand out to him, palm up. “Give me your arm.”

Thunder boomed outside the pod.

Memories of dark, damp cells and rumbling thunder flashed through Vasil’s mind; they were memories of pain, of blood, of Neo’s angry yelling and Dracchus’s unshakeable calm. His chest constricted as he drew in a shuddering breath.

The rain started a moment later, falling in fat drops that drummed atop the pod and splashed in through the open hatch.

“Damnit.” Theo turned away from him, reached up, pulled the hatch down with a grunt. Wind whistled through the narrowing gap until she sealed the opening completely.

The interior went dark. Vasil squeezed his eyes shut and sought something,anything, upon which to focus — the pain in his arm, the pain in his back, the way Theo’s scent filled the space. This was a new place. A safe place. But even with his eyes closed, hefeltthe walls and floor around him, felt them moving closer and closer.

“Kane, get the interior lights on, please,” Theo said. “Vasil, your arm.”

Vasil raised his injured arm; his other hand gripped the armrest of the seat tightly enough to make his knuckles ache.

He felt her hand on his arm, followed by pressure as she covered his wounds with something.

“Vasil, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re lying,” Theo said gently. “You’re paler than normal, you’re tense, and if you squeeze that armrest any tighter, you’re likely to break it. It’s okay if you’re in pain. I’m going to fix it.”

“I have suffered far worse pain,” he replied, willing his muscles to ease; they did not obey. “I will heal well enough without aid.”

“Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t receive it.” He felt her shift closer, felt the warmth of her skin where her legs touched his tentacles. “Vasil, open your eyes.”

Releasing a shaky breath, he did as she asked.

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