Page 55 of Lover from the Waves

Ector drew to a stop at the base of the formation, which gained a few details as she stared at it—primarily due to the deeper shadows in its recesses and crevices. It had a gradual upward slope, reaching toward the surface but coming at least a few meters short.

Ector turned to face Kathryn, and his skin suddenly lit up.

Her eyes widened as she swept them over his body, which was now cast in a gentle blue glow emitted by countless points of light along his stripes. That light made his normally drab green skin a deep, muted blue.

For the first time, she had the sense that she was looking upon a truly alien being, a creature of allure beyond human capability; he was otherworldly. But that body, that face, those eyes—they all belonged to Ector.HerEctor. Her mate, her husband.

Ector released her hand and backed away slightly. He pointed a finger at Kat before turning that finger toward the seafloor.

“He wants you to stay here,” said Kane.

Kathryn chuckled. “Yeah, I think I understood that one.”

“Sorry. I don’t have hands—or a body at all, really—so it’s not always natural for me to discern between full-blown sign language and universally recognized gestures.”

“It’s all right, Kane.” Kat smiled at Ector and nodded.

He smiled back at her. Turning back toward the rocky hill, he pressed his hands to it and pulled himself up, swiftly and silently, to the top. He paused there, a ghostly figure with his tentacles fluidly moving around him like they were part of the water.

Kathryn’s curiosity grew. What was he looking at? What was he lookingfor? She knew he had something specific he wanted to show her, but what would she possibly be able to see without a light in this darkness?

Ector is my light.

The thought—the realization—warmed Kathryn’s heart and softened her smile. It was the truth; she didn’t know how it had happened so fast, but it was theabsolutetruth.

She wasn’t sure how long he remained in place. It couldn’t have been more than a minute or two, but she would’ve been content to watch him, admiring his otherworldly glow, for hours. Still, she wasn’t disappointed when he drifted back down to her. That the eager smile hadn’t left his face was an encouraging bonus. He made several quick gestures with his hands.

A few seconds passed in silence after Ector’s hands had stilled. He stared at Kat expectantly, and all she could do was stare back.

“Uh…Kane?” she prompted gently.

“Hmm? Oh, right!” Kane made a throat-clearing sound. “He says he will take you over soon.”

She nodded to Ector to indicate her understanding. “Thank you, Kane.”

“You are welcome, Kathryn. I must confess that the only translations I’ve had any real experience with have been translating technical specifications into practical applications.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said distractedly as her eyes roamed over Ector’s body again. She’d had no idea that the kraken could make themselves glow like this. She had so many questions, but she probably wouldn’t have asked them then even had she been able to speak with Ector—the answers weren’t important right now.

She and Ector were on the cusp of something amazing. She could feel it pulsing off him, sensed it in every cell of her body. Even if they were to turn back now and head to camp, this swim was the most memorable of her life. She’d never forget this look she’d had at Ector’s underwater world. But it wasn’t done, and her anticipation of what was next made her heart thump and her stomach flutter in the most delightful ways.

She kept her eyes on him as the blackness beyond his glow reached its fullness and the last shred of sunlight, which had been merely an echo, a stubborn memory, vanished. She’d been a fool to think of the water as dark before; it was nothing compared to this, and only Ector’s glow—as simultaneously strong and gentle as the kraken himself—held it at bay.

Kathryn reached for him then, and he readily took her hands in his, twining their fingers together as much as his webbing allowed. His smile stretched wider. If she’d harbored any lingering doubts, they would’ve vanished in that instant—he would not let that hungry maw of darkness harm her.

Ector rose, spinning to turn her back to the rock wall as he drew her along with him. Their ascent was smooth and slow. She wondered if this was how it felt for those little paper lanterns the children of The Watch sometimes released into the air; given Ector’s glow, the comparison felt particularly apt.

For that little while, Ector was the only thing in her world, existing in defiance of the void behind him, and that suited Kathryn just fine. Staring into his eyes, she hardly noticed when their upward motion ceased.

Ector dipped his head forward, shifting his gaze to some point over Kat’s shoulder, and lifted one of her hands to twirl her around.

Kathryn’s eyes flared, and her breath caught in her throat. She barely registered the movement as Ector crossed his arms around her and drew her back against his powerful chest.

The rocky hill ran in an irregular oval along the seafloor, but rather than form an underwater plateau, it was cut through by a bowl-like depression. Distance was difficult to determine in the water, but the depression looked at least thirty meters across and nearly twice as wide—visible in its entirety because of its contents.

The bowl was filled with life—lush plants, clumps of coral, and creatures of more species than she could ever hope to count—and almost all of it was glowing as brightly as Ector. She couldn’t have described most of it if she was asked to. The beauty was surreal, and the quality of the bioluminescence gave everything the same ghostly glow that shrouded Ector. But it was all soalivedespite that ghostly aspect, all so wondrous.

“It’s so…beautiful,” she whispered.

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