Page 56 of Kiss for My Kraken
The final day of festival preparations would begin soon. Nina would head to town to help Ben set up the tavern’s booth. He would follow at a distance, keeping watch. And tonight, when she returned to her isolated shack, he would be waiting for the confrontation they both knew was coming. He’d managed to convince Eric to let them face The Chosen directly, although the sheriff also had watchers stationed along the roads leading out of town as a precaution.
He submerged again, letting the cool water clear his mind. He’d faced many dangers over the years, from violent storms to thehuman scientists who had imprisoned him. But never had he deliberately positioned himself as a barrier between humans and their prey. Never had he planned to reveal himself so completely, so intentionally.
But that was before. Before Fairhaven Falls had become his sanctuary. Before Nina.
His fears receded, replaced by cold certainty. Let Jed and his men come with their scripture and their judgment. Let them face what truly dwelled in the depths they so feared.
He would be waiting.
The day passed in a blur of heightened senses and constant vigilance. He shadowed Nina to town, keeping watch from the water next to the main square as she helped set up for the festival. The town buzzed with excitement, humans and Others alike hanging decorations and arranging booths.
In any other circumstance, he might have marveled at the transformation. Fairhaven Falls had always celebrated Halloween with enthusiasm, but this year seemed especially vibrant.
From his hidden vantage points, he spotted Jed and his companions several times. They moved through the crowds with barely concealed disgust, their plain, dark clothing stark against the colorful attire surrounding them. They made no attempt to blend in or participate, watching instead, their eyes constantly scanning faces.
Hunting.
He tracked their movements, noting how they positioned themselves strategically around the square, how theycommunicated with subtle hand signals. They were organized, methodical—and completely unaware of the predator tracking them.
He had a moment of heart-stopping fear when Jed approached the tavern’s booth where Nina was arranging baked goods. He tensed, ready to spring forward and consequences be damned.
But Ben, bless his grumpy rabbit heart, intercepted the man with a tray of samples, his ears twitching with poorly concealed irritation as he deliberately blocked Jed’s line of sight. Nina slipped into the back of the booth, out of view, and by the time Ben grudgingly moved aside, she was nowhere to be seen.
He relaxed marginally, sending silent thanks to the tavern owner. The confrontation wasn’t meant to happen here, in the open, surrounded by innocent bystanders. It needed to be contained, controlled—on their terms, not Jed’s.
As afternoon faded into evening, more people trickled into the square. Lights twinkled in trees, music filled the square, and the scent of food and mulled cider hung in the air. He observed it all from the water, his senses attuned to any threat to Nina, who moved through the crowd serving treats from the tavern’s booth.
She wore a simple costume—chef’s whites with a blue scarf tied at her neck, the exact shade of his bioluminescent markings. The sight of it, this subtle claim of connection to him, sent a wave of fierce possessiveness through his body.
Mine. My mate. My home.
The possessive thought should have troubled him. For years, he had claimed nothing, owned nothing but his solitude. Yet as he watched Nina laugh with Annabelle, her face bright with momentary joy despite the tension he knew she carried, theword felt right. Not a cage, but a shelter. Not a chain, but an anchor.
As the festival began to wind down, he made his way back to Nina’s shack. The time had come to prepare for the confrontation he knew was coming. Jed would not leave Fairhaven without attempting to reclaim what he saw as his rightful property—Nina. Flora had cheerfully agreed to “accidentally” let them know the location of the shack once darkness fell.
The night was cool and clear, stars emerging in the velvety darkness above the river. He positioned himself in the deep pool across from Nina’s dock, hidden from sight but able to observe everything that was happening on the riverbank.
He didn’t have to wait long. Nina returned just after ten, escorted to the edge of the property by Ben, who carried a shotgun openly across his chest. The rabbit’s ears twitched constantly, scanning for danger as she entered her shack and locked the door behind her.
Ben stood guard for a few minutes, his posture alert despite his usual slouch. Then, with a last suspicious glance around the clearing, he melted into the trees, heading back towards town. But Sam knew he wouldn’t go far—the rabbit would be positioned nearby, ready to intervene if needed.
An hour passed. Nina moved about her shack, lights going on and off as she prepared for bed with deliberate normalcy. To any watching eyes, she appeared unaware of the danger lurking in the shadows. A little while later all the lights went off.
Just before midnight, his heightened senses detected movement along the forest path. Multiple footsteps, trying for stealth butbetrayed by cracking twigs and shifting leaves. Three distinct patterns—Jed and two companions, approaching from the direction of town.
He submerged fully, his body tensing with readiness. In the water, he was speed and power incarnate, his true form a weapon honed by millions of years of evolution. His skin rippled with anticipation, bioluminescent markings dimming to near invisibility as he prepared to strike.
A final, unwelcome surge of doubt washed through him. Once he revealed himself, there would be no going back. His sanctuary might be compromised forever. The peaceful existence he’d carved out in Fairhaven could shatter like glass against stone.
But then he remembered Nina’s face when she spoke of Jed—the shadow of old fear, the memory of powerlessness. He thought of her courage in building a new life and her trust in him, in the two of them.
And he knew, with bone-deep certainty, that some prices were worth paying.
The men emerged from the trees, dark shapes against the night. Jed—identifiable by his height and rigid posture—approached the front door with the other two behind him. He made no attempt to muffle his footsteps, confident that Nina was alone and unprotected.
He watched, cold fury building in his chest as Jed tested the door handle, finding it locked. The man hesitated only briefly before producing something from his pocket and working at the lock with an ease that spoke of long practice.
Breaking in. Violating her sanctuary.
