Page 88 of Fallen from the Stars

Theo snorted, flicking through the holographic controls on the suit’s wrist piece to release her mask. She yanked it away from her face once the seal broke. “Yeah, and had it beenmyleg shredded and bleeding, I’d totally tell you not to worry, too.”

Vasil’s pupils dilated for an instant before shrinking back down to horizontal slits. “But I would worry because you are not kraken. I will heal. Things could have been far worse than they were. I will happily put your worries at ease once we are safe at the Facility again.”

“Are you trying to shut me up with the promise of sex?” she demanded, brows low.

He tilted his head, a thoughtful expression settling over his features. “Yes.”

Theo raised a hand, pointing a finger at his face. “Well I… I… I’m going to hold you to it, damnit.” She lowered her hand and shook her head. “Is thereanythingI can do for it?”

“The bleeding on all our wounds will have stopped by the time we leave.” Dracchus’s deep voice echoed in the small chamber, making it seem like he took up even more space. “What was that sound?”

“It was from a tool I brought along,” Theo said.

“It is dangerous. It rendered six kraken useless in an instant.”

“Yeah, well, it alsosavedsix kraken, didn’t it?”

“It’s what stopped the creature, Dracchus,” said Larkin.

Dracchus grunted, keeping his eyes on Theo. “Explain it, human. I need to understand what it is.”

“It’s called a sonic jackhammer,” Theo replied. “It’s used to clear buildup under water — the sound waves break up all that gunk and grime and basically shake them off.”

“Why was the sound painful to us while Larkin and yourself seemed unaffected?”

“I may be able to answer that,” Kane said through the diving suit’s wrist piece. “The tool in question utilizes sound frequencies outside the range of human hearing. Many sea creatures are sensitive to the lowest frequencies because those sounds travel best through water, but kraken hearing range is increased on the other end of the spectrum as well.”

Dracchus’s brow furrowed; though the change was relatively tiny, it communicated his lack of understanding without question. “Speak pl—”

“There are very low and very high sounds humans cannot hear, but you can,” Theo said. “It didn’t harm us because we couldn’t hear it.”

“Next time, have him explain it that way.”

Theo turned her face away from Dracchus to hide her smirk. Vasil leaned closer to her and placed a soft kiss on her lips, letting the contact linger for several seconds. For that brief time, everything that had happened outside the sub faded away, and it was just Theo and Vasil enjoying one another’s nearness, relishing the feel of one another’s lips.

When Vasil drew back, he shifted his attention to Dracchus. “I believe this is the underwater vessel Arkon spoke of. The one he and Aymee learned about in the Broken Cavern.”

Dracchus frowned and glanced at the door that would allow them deeper into the sub. “You are certain?”

“Almost.”

“Broken Cavern?” Theo asked. “What’s that?”

“The Darrow Nautical Outpost,” Larkin said. “That’s what it used to be called, anyway. It’s an old submarine pen on the coast.”

“So, what’s the story? Why did they mention this particular sub?”

“The humans on board were attacked by kraken during the uprising,” Vasil said.

“Oh.” Theo turned to face the door. Unease warred with her excitement — the two feelings spread outward from her chest slowly, a tingling and a chill of equal strength. This place was unknown to her; it was new, mysterious, and terrifying, but the thought of delving inside was as thrilling as it was frightening.

She drew in a steadying breath. “Okay, Kane. Open this door so we can get that part and get the hell out of here.”

“Absolutely,” Kane replied. “But…I must warn you, what you will find on the other side of this door is…unpleasant.”

Dracchus shifted closer to the door and swept Larkin behind him. “What do you meanunpleasant?”

Vasil pressed closer to Theo, slipping a tentacle around her leg; his touch seemed more comforting than protective.

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