Page 18 of Kiss for My Kraken
“My name is not Jekyll and you know it,” the doctor snapped. “Call me Jackson or Victor or even Vic, just not that stupid nickname.”
He reared back, surprised by the annoyed note in the doctor’s voice, then Jekyll sighed and rubbed his face. For a moment he looked like any other weary human male, but Sam knew how deceptive that appearance was.
“Sorry,” Jekyll said quietly. “It’s been a difficult week.”
Sam frowned at the other male. Both the irritation and the weariness were breaks in the doctor’s usual tight control. Had something happened to him? Since Sam had been lurking by Nina’s cabin all week, he hadn’t heard if there were any rumors swirling around the doctor—or rather, more rumors than usual. The town might trust his medical advice, but they remained wary of his other side.
Jekyll’s mask slipped back into place as he raised an eyebrow.
“How’s my little patient doing?”
“She isn’tyouranything,” he growled, his whole upper body emerging from the water, and Jekyll’s eyes flashed green for a second before he held up his hands.
“Professional concern only. I can’t let myself get involved with a patient.”
Can’t?There was an odd note in Jekyll’s voice on the last words, but Sam didn’t press him. He sank back down into the water, his tentacles holding him in place as the current flowed around him.
“I need a boat.”
Jekyll raised his eyebrows. “What kind of boat?”
“Just a small boat—a rowboat or even a canoe. Something to cross the river.”
“You want to take your human to your island.” A statement, not a question. “Are you sure that’s wise?”
“No,” he said roughly. “I’m not sure of any of this. I’ve been alone for a long time.”
“You’re not the only one.” The green glow reappeared briefly in Jekyll’s eyes before fading again. “It’s dangerous to admit humans into our world. I’m sure you know that.”
“I know. I just…” He paused, struggling to put his thoughts into words. “I want to try.”
The doctor studied him for a long moment, then nodded slowly. “I have an old rowboat in my garage. It hasn’t been used in years, but I can have it cleaned up and brought here for you tomorrow.”
“Thank you.” He hesitated, then added, “What do I owe you?”
Jekyll shook his head. “Nothing. If you can make this work, that will be enough. I hope…” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I wish you luck, Sam. Be careful.”
He nodded and dove back under the water, his mind swirling with possibilities. Would she come to the island if he asked her? He suspected she would, an answer that both thrilled and terrified him. Was he ready to let someone into his sanctuary? Into his life?
The memory of Nina’s kiss, of her hand on his face, answered for him.
He swam back towards his island, wondering how it would appear to her. Could he make it more welcoming, more inviting? Could he make himself more inviting?
He surfaced near the small beach on the eastern side of the island, where the current was gentlest. There, hidden by overhanging trees, he hauled himself onto the beach and transitioned to his land form.
As always, the process was uncomfortable, almost painful. His tentacles reluctantly merged and reshaped, forming powerfullegs that still retained faint patterns of suction cups along his outer thighs. His gills closed completely, his respiratory system shifting to rely entirely on lungs.
When the transformation was complete, he stood unsteadily on the riverbank, his body feeling awkward and heavy without water’s buoyant support. He took several small steps, grimacing at the unpleasant sensations—the pull of gravity, the scratch of air in his lungs, the way the ground seemed to push back against each footfall.
But if it made her more comfortable, he would learn to hold this form. Not just for minutes at a time, as he had done in the past, but for hours. Days, if necessary. He would push through the discomfort, the vulnerability, the exposure.
He moved carefully along the bank, each step more confident than the last as his body adjusted to its altered form. He still did not look human—his skin retained its silvery-blue sheen, his eyes their unnaturally bright color. His features hadn’t changed and he was still huge and powerful, but he could pass, perhaps, as something more human.
He forced himself to maintain the land form as he inspected his cabin. The structure was solid, built by his own hands from river stone and massive timber. He had designed it to be easily accessible from the water and half of it extended out over the water on stilts. There was also a large trap door in the center of the main room that opened to the river below and a floating platform at water level where he could moor the boat.
Was it possible she could find his home welcoming? Comfortable?
The main room was spacious enough, with a large fireplace and shelves filled with the treasures he’d collected along with a number of books—one of his few indulgences from the human world. Tall windows looked out across the water and the paneled walls were polished to a soft sheen, but unfortunately, he had little in the way of human furniture. A few chairs, a low table, and a sofa that he rarely used, preferring one of the long wide benches in front of the windows or next to the fireplace. The bed in his bedroom was massive, designed to hold his immense weight, but it was little more than a platform piled with soft pillows and blankets. He had never needed more. Until now.
