Page 61 of Kiss for My Kraken
He watched the dog’s antics with amusement, but his attention quickly returned to Nina. She stood on the dock, swaying slightly with exhaustion, her face pale in the moonlight. The night’s events had taken their toll on her. While he had been processing his unexpected acceptance, she had been dealing with the trauma of confronting her past.
He lifted her gently into his arms, cradling her against his chest. She made a small sound of surprise but didn’t protest, relaxing into his embrace instead and resting her head against his shoulder.
“You’re tired,” he said, carrying her towards his cabin—their cabin now. “You need to rest, little minnow. Everything else can wait until morning.”
“Mmm,” she murmured, already half-asleep. “Safe with you.”
Those three words almost made him stagger.Safe with you.After a lifetime of being feared, of being seen as a danger, hearing her declare her absolute trust in his protection was a gift beyond measure.
He carried her into the cabin and laid her gently on the bed platform. She curled instinctively into the soft blankets, a small smile playing on her lips even in near-sleep. Ozzie, who hadfollowed them inside, hopped up beside her, circling three times before settling at her feet with a contented sigh.
He watched them both, these two beings who had upended his solitary existence in the most unexpected and wonderful ways. His heart felt full to bursting with emotions he had never expected to experience—not just love, but belonging. Not just protection, but partnership.
For so long, he had defined himself by his differences, by the aspects of his nature that set him apart from others. He had accepted isolation as the price of his existence, resigning himself to watching life from the shadows of the river.
Nina had changed all that. She had seen him—truly seen him, in all his alienness—and found not a monster, but a match. And through her eyes, others now saw him too. Not as a threat or an aberration, but as a member of their community. As someone who belonged.
He moved to the large window that overlooked the river, gazing out at the moonlit water that had been his sanctuary for so long. The river would always be a part of him, a fundamental aspect of his nature, but it no longer needed to be his boundary—the dividing line between himself and the world.
Behind him, Nina murmured something in her sleep, a soft, contented sound that drew his attention back to her. In the silvery moonlight filtering through the window, she looked almost ethereal, yet she was undeniably real.
Mine.
He went to join her, gently curling his tentacles around her to avoid disturbing her rest. Tomorrow would come with its own demands and decisions. But tonight, in the quiet aftermath ofrevelation, he allowed himself to simply exist in this new reality—one where he was known, accepted, and loved. Not despite what he was, but because of it.
The fear and isolation that had defined him for so long began to recede, like river mist burned away by morning sun. In their place grew something new and fragile and infinitely precious: a sense of belonging. A sense of home.
Not just to a place, though his island would always be a sanctuary, but to a community. To Fairhaven Falls, with its werewolf rangers and rabbit tavern keepers, its meddling matchmakers and curious doctors. A place where differences weren’t just tolerated but celebrated, where the extraordinary was, paradoxically, ordinary.
He closed his eyes, listening to the gentle rhythm of Nina’s breathing, the occasional soft snore from Ozzie, the familiar lapping of the river against the shore.
Welcome home, River King.
Flora’s words echoed in his mind as sleep finally began to claim him. And for the first time, he truly believed them.
He was home.
CHAPTER 25
The pumpkin-shaped fairy lights strung across the Fairhaven Falls town square glowed warmly against the twilight sky. Nina stood at the edge of the square, momentarily overwhelmed by the spectacle before her. Even though she’d participated in the setup, the finished result, an extravagant Halloween wonderland, was far more elaborate than she had anticipated. Not the mass-produced plastic horrors she’d seen in chain stores, but handcrafted marvels that blurred the line between seasonal decor and genuine art.
“They really go all out, don’t they?” she whispered, squeezing Sam’s huge hand.
Towering scarecrows with intricately carved vegetable heads stood sentinel at the entrances. Ethereal music floated from a band of musicians in the gazebo, their instruments adorned with autumn leaves and berries. The scents of cinnamon, apples, and woodsmoke mingled in the air, creating an intoxicating perfume that seemed to embody autumn itself.
Sam stood rigidly beside her, his almost-human-passing form still impressive and unmistakably powerful. In this shape, histentacles were hidden, but his height, broad shoulders, and the faint blue luminescent markings visible beneath his skin marked him as unmistakably Other. His dark hair fell in long waves around his face, and his bright blue eyes darted nervously around the crowded square.
“We don’t have to stay long,” she assured him, noticing the tension in his jaw. “Just enough to make Flora happy.”
His lips quirked into a small smile. “Flora is never satisfied.”
“True.” She laughed, then added more seriously, “But really, if it gets too much?—”
“I’ll be fine,” he interrupted gently. “I want to be here. With you.”
“Then let’s dive in,” she said, tugging him forward. “I want candy apples and those little fried dough things Ben was complaining about making all week.”
He followed her lead, his steps becoming smoother as they moved deeper into the festival. She felt eyes turning towards them—not just towards Sam, as she’d feared, but towards them as a couple. The attention wasn’t hostile, merely curious, and often accompanied by friendly nods or waves.
