Page 3 of Kiss for My Kraken
Sam dug his claws into his palms as he watched Aidan gently pick her up and carry her inside the tavern, the dog hurrying after them before the door swung shut. There was nothing else to see. He should leave.
Instead he remained where he was, staring at the door as though he could see through it.
“Evening, Sam.”
He sighed and lifted his head out of the water. He’d never be able to hide from Flora.
“Nice night for fishing, don’t you think?” The innocent-looking little old lady sitting on the edge of the porch gave him a cheerful smile, but she didn’t fool him. Nothing about Flora was innocent.
He wasn’t surprised to see her, even though he was sure the porch had been empty only seconds before. She was wearing one of her trademark track suits—this one a vivid neon green which clashed with her pale green skin. That skin and her unusually sharp teeth were the only signs of her orc heritage. In every other aspect, Flora took after the fairy somewhere back in her family tree.
“What do you want, Flora?” he asked.
“Just making conversation. Catch anything interesting tonight?”
Fuck.From the way her eyes were sparkling, he had absolutely no doubt she was referring to the female he’d pulled out ofthe river. The last thing he needed was Flora deciding that she needed to get involved in his non-existent love life.
“No,” he said firmly.
She raised an eyebrow, and he fought the urge to squirm uncomfortably. How could one tiny little female make him feel so uncomfortable?
“Pity,” she said. “A good fisherman always knows what’s worth throwing back and what’s worth keeping. And eating,” she added, waggling her eyebrows.
He had a sudden and completely inappropriate vision of the female spread out in front of him, wet and willing and naked. Flora laughed as if she knew exactly what he was thinking, and rose to her feet, dusting her hands off.
“Her name’s Nina,” she said, and then she was gone.
He swore again and dove back under the water, letting his skin cool to the surrounding temperature, but it did nothing to cool the heat still lingering in his body. He dove deeper, determined to put all thought of Nina out of his mind. He’d long ago accepted his solitary state. It was foolish to think otherwise.
CHAPTER 3
Nina was dreaming, floating through a world of midnight blue water and sparkling bubbles. A handsome, inhuman face surrounded by long, dark hair. A big, muscular body gleaming silver in the moonlight—the handsome prince from one of the forbidden fairy tales that her friend Mel had secretly shared with her.
“Can you hear me?”
For a moment, she thought her prince was speaking to her, but then the dream vanished, and her eyes popped open. Two people were leaning over her, neither of them her prince. A handsome human man and a big, red-headed male who was most definitely not human.
“There you are.” The redhead grinned, revealing long, sharp canines. A shifter, she realized, and fought the urge to scramble away. What had happened? Where was she?
An anxious whine interrupted her thoughts. Ozzie’s head popped up next to her, his paws resting on the edge of the couch.Couch?She was lying on a couch in what looked like an officeof some kind, with a big desk to one side and music posters plastered on the rough-hewn pine walls. The muffled sound of music drifted through the walls.
“Where am I?” she asked as she gave Ozzie a reassuring pat.
“You’re at the Moonlight Tavern,” the human said, his voice cool and professional. “I’m Dr. Victor Jackson, and this is Aidan.” He nodded at the red-headed shifter. “As for what happened, we were hoping you could tell us. We found you on the back porch, wet and unconscious.”
Wet.She shivered as she realized that her clothes were soaked beneath the blanket that was covering her, and the remnants of her dream floated back through her mind. Water. The river.
“I was next to the river, and I must have lost my balance and fallen in.” Had she fallen? She couldn’t escape the feeling that she’d been pushed, but there’d been nobody around.It must have been my imagination.“But I don’t know how I got from there to here. I can’t believe I made it out of the water. I don’t know how to swim.”
The two males exchanged a quick look before the doctor frowned at her.
“Do you remember your name? Are you experiencing any other memory issues?”
“I’m Nina Albright.” She thought for a moment, but everything else was clear enough—the long drive and the quiet parking area by the river. “I remember everything before I fell in.”
“Good. I don’t believe you’ve suffered any long-term ill effects,” the doctor said, “although you do appear somewhat malnourished.”
Malnourished?She felt the heat rise to her cheeks, but before she could say anything, the door slammed open, letting in a blast of music and a huge male with grey skin and very tall pointed ears.
