Page 59 of Kiss for My Kraken
For a long moment, no one moved. Then Nina turned, wrapping her arms around one of Sam’s tentacles in a gesture so natural, so accepting, that his chest ached.
“Thank you,” she whispered, looking up at him with eyes that held no fear, only love.
He gently curled a tentacle around her waist, drawing her closer. “I will always protect you,” he said quietly. “Always.”
Eric approached cautiously, his expression a mixture of awe and concern. “We’ll keep watch tonight,” he told them. “Make sure they really leave town. But I think it’s safe to say your secret is out…”
He sighed, letting his tentacles relax. “So be it. It was bound to happen eventually.”
Eric nodded, his gaze traveling from Sam to Nina and back. “You two okay?”
“More than okay,” she answered, her hand stroking one of his tentacles. “Better than we’ve ever been.”
“Good.” Eric’s expression softened into a smile. “That’s all any of us could ask for.”
“I guess we won’t need to dispose of any bodies,” Flora said, materializing next to him. He bit back a groan when he saw she was wearing herLet’s Get Krakenoutfit again.
“You sound disappointed,” Eric said dryly.
Flora shrugged. “Gladys has a new spell we wanted to try out. But I suppose all’s well that ends well.”
She smiled up at him and he narrowed his eyes.
“You knew this would happen,” he accused, though there was no real heat in his words. Flora had always possessed an uncanny awareness of Fairhaven Falls’ secrets.
“Of course I knew, dearie.” She winked at him, her expression almost maternal despite her elfin stature. “I know all the lost souls who find their way to our little haven. I just had to find the right soul to match with yours.”
“You set up the whole thing, didn’t you?” Ben demanded. “The fishing shack, the proximity to Sam’s island? Did you throw her in the water too?”
Flora actually looked momentarily abashed. “I didn’t know she couldn’t swim.”
“You scheming little—” Ben began, but there was a note of reluctant admiration in his voice.
“Visionary,” Flora corrected primly. “The word you’re looking for is ‘visionary.’”
“Just keep your visions away from me,” the rabbit muttered, and Flora gave him that knowing smile that set everyone’s teeth on edge.
“I have other priorities,” she said briskly. “Right now, anyway.”
She skipped off down the river path, and Ben groaned. “Fuck. I might have to leave town. At least she’d got her claws in someone else right now.”
He caught a flash of movement from the corner of his eye and looked over to see an appalled look cross Jekyll’s face before his usual mask slipped back into place. That was… interesting.
Eric watched her go, shaking his head slowly. “I swear, that female is half matchmaker, half chaos incarnate.”
Nina laughed—a bright, clear sound that seemed to cut through the tension of the night.
“It worked out all right in the end,” she said, leaning into his side. Her warmth against him felt like an anchor, grounding him in this new reality where he stood exposed but unrejected. He curled a tentacle gently around her waist.
“More than all right.”
Ben cleared his throat gruffly. “Not to interrupt this touching moment, but we should probably deal with the immediate issues.” He gestured at the damaged shack. “This place isn’t habitable tonight.”
“I’ll rebuild it,” he said firmly. “Better than before.”
“You know carpentry?” Ben asked skeptically, ears twitching.
“Yes.” His island cabin was a testament to his skill.
