Page 46 of Kiss for My Kraken
He surged upwards towards her dock, his protective instincts transforming his usually graceful movements into something more predatory. He tasted the water again, filtering for more information, then saw her hurrying towards him, her movements jerky and panicked.
A fiery rage bloomed within him. Someone had done this. Someone had put that fear in her eyes, that tension in her body. His tentacles curled with suppressed violence, suckers flexing unconsciously. She scanned the riverbank, searching for him. When her gaze settled on the subtle disturbance he created inthe water, her posture changed—relief mingled with the fear, although the fear remained dominant.
She ran towards the dock, the green dress she wore fluttering around her legs. An unfamiliar garment. She’d dressed differently this afternoon, he realized. For what purpose?
“Sam,” she called urgently, dropping to her knees at the dock’s edge. “Sam, we have a problem.”
He surfaced immediately, water cascading from his shoulders as he rose to meet her. The distress on her face fed his rage, even as his hand reached for hers.
The moment their skin connected, he felt the trembling in her fingers, the rapid pulse at her wrist. His rage intensified, becoming something ancient and terrible. Whatever had happened, whoever was responsible, they would regret causing her pain.
Her scent reached him fully now—fear, yes, but also something deeper. A bone-deep anxiety that spoke of old wounds reopened. This wasn’t a new threat, then. This was something from before. Before him. Before Fairhaven Falls.
“Tell me,” he demanded, even as he placed his other hand gently on her cheek. She leaned into his touch, her eyes closing briefly. When they opened again, they shimmered with unshed tears. “They found me, Sam. The people from Haven’s Grace. They’re here in Fairhaven Falls.”
He hauled himself up on the dock next to her, scanning the tree line. Nothing yet, but he would be ready.
Her hand tightened on his. “We need to talk. I need to explain.”
He nodded, knowing he needed to understand the nature of this threat to better counter it. But one thing required no explanation: she was his to protect. His mate. His heart.
And he would destroy anything that threatened her.
“I told you I grew up in a closed community,” she began, her voice steadier now. “It’s in the mountains two hundred miles north of here. We called it Haven’s Grace, though there was precious little grace to be found there.”
He remained still, listening.
“Elder Matthias founded it thirty years ago. He broke away from another religious group, claiming they had become too worldly.” Her lips twisted. “Which meant they occasionally used electricity and didn’t shun everyone who disagreed with them.”
“We were taught that the world outside Haven was corrupt. That Others were abominations, creatures of the devil sent to tempt and destroy humanity.” Her voice caught. “I believed it all. How could I not? It was all I knew.”
He bit back a growl, but he didn’t interrupt.
“I told you they arranged a marriage for me—with a man named Jedediah Thorne. He was one of Elder Mathias’s most devoted followers. Jed started visiting our home, bringing small gifts, talking about our future together. He was… intense. Always watching me, correcting me, telling me how he would shape me into a proper wife.”
This time he couldn’t suppress the growl, his hands tightening instinctively on her.
She touched his cheek. “It’s all right, Sam. I got away from him. But there’s something else. I told you I ran away the night beforemy wedding. But the wedding wasn’t the only reason I ran.” A shuddering breath escaped her. “I overheard Jed and Elder Matthias talking. They were planning something—a cleansing, they called it. They’d discovered a small community of Others living in the next county. They were going to drive them out. By any means necessary.”
A tear slid down her cheek.
“All my life I’d been taught to accept and obey but that was the last straw. That was the night I ran. As soon as I was away from them, I contacted the county sheriff’s department. They promised me they would protect the Others, but I didn’t stay to make sure. For the first year, I moved constantly, always afraid they’d come after me. And now they’ve found me.”
“They are not going to take you,” he vowed, rage turning his voice to ice.
The thought of Nina—his Nina—trapped in a place where hatred and control were masked as righteousness made his chest constrict with fury. The thought of another male presuming ownership of her made his tentacles churn the water beneath the surface, responding to emotions he could barely contain.
The river around him responded to his mood, currents shifting, growing more turbulent. Small eddies formed where there should be none. A fish darted away, sensing danger.
She is mine now, he thought fiercely.Mine to protect. Mine to cherish.
He would never let them take her. He would tear apart anyone who tried.
For a moment, he allowed himself to picture it—rising from the depths in his warrior form, his tentacles seizing her enemies and dragging them beneath the surface, watching as their self-righteous hate dissolved into terror as the river claimed them.
The fantasy pleased him, but he knew she wouldn’t want that. She needed protection rather than vengeance—and that he could provide. That hewouldprovide.
He watched as she pulled herself together, and his admiration for her resilience only deepened his resolve. No one would hurt her again. Not while he drew breath.
