Macy’s father took the canister. “I have something for you before you go,” he said, opening the lid. He reached into his pocket and produced a small wooden box, which he slid into the container before resealing it. “Your heart’s always been with sea…you just forgot it for a while. Sarina’s was, too…keep this with you, where it belongs.”
“Thank you,” Macy said, voice trembling, as Jax accepted the canister. “I love you both.”
“Love you too, Macy girl,” her father replied gruffly. He shifted his gaze to Jax. “You take care of her, or I’ll break you. Don’t care how big you are, or how many arms you have.”
Jax nodded; this was the bond of family she’d talked about. The protectiveness, the caring, the love. “She is the most precious thing on land or sea, and will always be treated as such.”
Macy’s father nodded. “Go. Get away from here.”
Wrapping her legs around Jax’s waist, Macy said her final farewells.
Jax turned; Dracchus was studying the humans with a mild look of confusion on his face, as though he couldn’t quite understand what they were. Arkon stared, unabashed, at Aymee. “Come. Let us return to our people.”
Chapter 26
The days Macy had spent waiting to be back in Jax’s arms were the longest she’d ever experienced; now that she was in his embrace again, she never wanted to let go.
Arkon and Dracchus crowded around Jax in the entry chamber, waiting for the water to drain. Macy caught Arkon’s gaze and smiled at him. She doubted she’d be able to adequately express her gratitude — he and Dracchus had gone to The Watch with Jax and waited for days to ensure she was safe.
“Pressurization normalized,” the computer said, and the interior door slid open. “Welcome back, diver one-two-seven.”
Macy removed the mask and tugged off the hood as Jax carried her through the doorway.
He placed her gently on her feet and shifted a hand to her stomach. Her breath caught; there was barely contained emotion on his face. “Is it true, Macy?”
She placed a shaky hand over his, hating that the suit was between them, and nodded. “Aymee showed me the scans before she erased them. I…I never thought it was possible. Even when I noticed the changes in myself, and displayed the symptoms, it never crossed my mind.”
“Never thought what was a possibility?” Dracchus asked.
Jax held her gaze, brow creased in question. Macy nodded.
“She is carrying a youngling,” Jax said. “Our youngling.” A slow smile spread across his lips.
“That…how…I don’t understand,” Arkon stammered.
“How doesn’t matter, only that it is,” Jax said. He tipped his head forward, pressed his forehead to Macy’s, and closed his eyes. His hand moved slowly over her belly.
“A youngling?” Dracchus stared at Macy.
She placed her hand on the back of Jax’s neck. She was excited and terrified at once; there was no going back to The Watch, now, and she didn’t know anything about childbirth. What if something went wrong? What if something was wrong with the baby?
Aymee’s scans had put some of Macy’s worries to rest. She’d nearly cried when she saw the baby’s tiny hands and short, thin tentacles and heard the beating of its three hearts. By all appearances, their baby was a kraken. It was everything else that concerned her — would it heal like Jax? Would it grow claws to protect itself?
Would the baby be able to breathe underwater?
“This…this could be a blessing to our people,” Arkon said. “If we can reproduce with humans, perhaps we can overcome the way we were designed, and return from the brink of extinction.”
Macy pulled back from Jax and stared at Arkon; now that she knew the truth, she couldn’t forget about the past conflict between their peoples.
“Why are you looking at me that way?” he asked, tilting his head.
“If the others found out, what would they do, Arkon?” Macy asked. “The kraken have hated humans for so long, and if they discover this… What will this mean for human women? What would the kraken do?”
“Nothing.”
All eyes fell on Dracchus; Macy guessed the others were as surprised by his response as she was.
“The kraken have struggled,” he continued, “but that does not mean we will provoke another war against the humans. If our people can come together, you are the start of it, and you will need to be the example we follow.”
His words were a relief, but a kernel of doubt remained. What she’d seen of most of the other kraken hadn’t been reassuring, thus far, and she couldn’t guess how they’d react to this news. She hoped Dracchus was right…
But desperation could drive people to do terrible things.
“We do not need to discuss this now,” Jax said, running a hand down Macy’s back. “Are you ready to return to our den?”
“I’m ready.”
They thanked Arkon and Dracchus again and said their goodbyes. Jax bent down and carefully lifted Macy to his chest; her leg throbbed, but the pain was nothing compared to what it had been. He carried her through soothingly familiar corridors, past several rooms that held surprisingly fond memories, and, finally, into the cabin she’d chosen to share with him.
“Is my imprisonment reinstated?”
“No. They’ll not keep you here like that again. You are kraken, now, but more, you are mine. No one will treat you that way again, so long as I live.”
He set her down on the edge of the bed and sank to eye-level before her, raising his palms to her face. The pads of his thumbs brushed over her cheekbones. “I almost lost you, Macy. I have never been so afraid.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.” She placed her hands over his and searched his eyes; the echoes of his fear lingered in their emerald depths, but his love shone brighter. “I just couldn’t stand by and do nothing, Jax. I can’t… I hate feeling useless. When I heard Melaina was missing, I thought of Sarina, and how devastated Rhea would be if she lost her daughter. I needed to help. I know you and the hunters would’ve done everything you could to find her, but I…I had Sam.”
“I do not want apologies, Macy. It was dangerous and foolish, but you saved a life. And now…” Jax dropped his gaze. “You are safe, and that is all that matters.”
He drew her into an embrace, and she wrapped her arms around him, pressing her cheek to his warm, solid chest. She took comfort in his presence, in his strength.
“I’m so glad they didn’t hurt you, Jax.”
“I would do it again, even at risk of death…because they saved you when I could not. You gave up everything for me, Macy, and I would do the same and more for you.”
Macy lifted her head and kissed him, taking in his breath, tasting his essence. “Thank you for saving me that day.”
His tentacles slipped around her, drawing her even closer. “You are by far the greatest treasure I have ever taken from the sea.”
Epilogue
Macy bit down on her scream, digging her fingers into the backs of her thighs. Pain and exhaustion saturated every cell in her body. Rhea and Helen were on either side of the bed, keeping Macy’s legs parted and bent, and Thana was hunkered at the foot of the bed. As much as it hurt, Macy had to push when instinct demanded.
“Almost there!” Thana exclaimed.
“You are doing so well,” Rhea soothed, brushing her hand over Macy’s damp hair.
Macy concentrated on her breathing; any second, she’d need to push again. Hours of labor had steadily sapped her strength. She didn’t feel human anymore; she was a mindless, baying animal.
The urge came again. She pushed, and couldn’t contain her scream this time. “Jax!”
There was a bang.
Rhea lifted her gaze toward the door. “What are you doing?”
“I will not wait out there any longer,” Jax said, moving to Macy’s side.
She looked up at him; his eyes were wide beneath a creased brow, his pupils narrow slits across their green backdrop.
�
��This is a female’s place, Wanderer,” Rhea said firmly.
“And this is my female,” he replied, not looking away from Macy. He placed his hand on her shoulder. “My place is at her side.”
Macy had argued that she wanted him there to begin with, but the females had been insistent.
Rhea opened her mouth to say more when another contraction hit. Macy sucked in a deep breath, reared up, and pushed.
“The youngling is coming!” Thana said.
Immense pressure filled Macy, crushing her insides. She released one more cry. Relief flooded her abruptly. She fell back against the bed, limp, and closed her eyes.
A loud, high wail filled the room. Jax tightened his grip on Macy’s shoulder.
“She is a female,” Thana declared happily.
Macy opened her eyes as Thana tied and cut the umbilical cord. Rhea wiped the baby’s face with a towel, and then the newborn was in Macy’s arms.
She stared down at her daughter’s tiny features; though the baby favored its kraken blood, she possessed some distinctly human features. Macy brushed her finger over the little nose, along the soft brows, and through the fine hairs atop her head. She moved her eyes down to the small, webbed fingers with their dainty claws. The baby’s skin was nearly the same shade as Jax’s, darkening near her waist, where her eight tentacles were drawn up in a tight bundle.
Jax sank down beside the bed, leaning over the low side rail, and gently ran the back of one finger over the baby’s cheek. “We have a child,” he said, voice filled with awe. “A daughter. She is so small…”
Macy turned her smile toward Jax. “You’re a father.”
Though the bewilderment in his expression didn’t fade, the corners of his mouth lifted.
“It is the mother’s place to name the youngling,” Rhea said. “She needs a strong name, so she will thrive.”
Macy knew the kraken took inspiration for their names from stories they’d heard through the holograms — stories from ancient Earth mythology, barely remembered in The Watch. She’d listened to a few of them with Jax and Arkon, but none of the names stood out to her.
“Jax?” she asked.
He finally pulled his gaze away from their daughter. “What is it, Macy?”
“Would you name her?”
“But it’s the female’s place,” Rhea argued.
“You thought Jax was strange before he took a human as a mate,” Macy said gently, “so why start conforming now? We do things differently.”
Rhea blew air from her siphons, though a smile tugged at her lips. “So be it.”
Jax’s eyes were back on the baby; he lightly traced her cheeks and chin with his bent knuckle. Macy lifted her up, and he carefully pressed his palm to the baby’s chest, covering it completely. He was silent for a long while, not looking away from their child. One small tentacle wrapped around his wrist.
“Sarina,” he said finally.
Macy’s breath caught, and her eyes stung. “Really?”
He nodded, and with his free hand, cupped Macy’s cheek, brushing away the first of her falling tears with the pad of his thumb. “She is birthed of land and sea, and will know the love of two peoples. She is…a new beginning. We cannot forget the past, but we can shape the future.”
Her heart expanded with love for Jax and their daughter, and she drew the baby close. Sarina began rooting, and Rhea helped Macy position the baby at her breast to feed.
Macy wrapped her arm around Jax’s head when he leaned in, turning her face to kiss him.
“You are the greatest treasure in the sea, Jax. You’ve given me more than I could ever have hoped for.”
“Anything and everything for you.” Jax looked down at Sarina and caressed her head. “Both of you.”
Jewel of the Sea (Book 2)
HIS MUSE AND HIS JEWEL…
Three months ago, Aymee had no idea the kraken — half-human sea dwellers — even existed. Now, the violet eyes of the kraken Arkon haunt her imagination, and she longs to know his touch. But word of his people has spread beyond The Watch, and Aymee’s attraction to Arkon may endanger the safety of human and kraken alike. To protect him, can she bring herself to forsake him? Is her desire for Arkon worth putting both their worlds at risk?
HER INSPIRATION AND HER PASSION…
Arkon has spent his life in the pursuit of knowledge. Then he met Aymee and found a new quest: to make her his. She inspires him, draws him in, dominates his thoughts. When he finally builds the courage to approach her, she’s everything he imagined and more. But a group of murderous humans are hunting the kraken, and continued contact with Aymee may destroy them both. Now that he’s tasted her sweetness, he can’t give her up…but can he risk his world and his people to satisfy his need for her?
Chapter 1
361 Years After Landing
Aymee smiled as she walked along the beach. The sunlight warmed her skin, sand squished between her toes, and she knew he was watching.
Arkon.
Her mysterious, otherworldly admirer was out there, hidden in the undulating cerulean water.
She shifted the weight of the metal canister to her left arm and picked her way through a patch of rocky ground to the lower beach. It was a familiar place, little changed by the passage of time. The place she and Macy, her best friend since childhood, had called their own — before a tragic accident had taken the life of Macy’s sister.
After that, Macy refused to go near the water. Aymee had little reason to go to the sea without her friend.
Now, the ocean sang to her, and she counted the days between these exchanges. It was worth the wait just to get little glimpses of him.
She’d met Arkon only once, three months earlier. Their encounter had been hurried, and Arkon remained hidden throughout — except for the fleeting moment during which he’d shown her his face. She’d painted his violet eyes, with their alien pupils, many times since, had seen them in her dreams, but it wasn’t enough. She longed for him, not his memory.
The wind flipped her hair into her face. She tucked it back and glanced up at the rock formation ahead. As a child, it had reminded Aymee of a krull, an animal native to the nearby jungle. They were tall, powerful beasts with long necks, slender horns, and purple fur. Stone stretched from the seaside cliffs here and dipped into the water, resembling a krull with its head lowered to drink.
Few townsfolk came to this beach, and fewer still to this part of it. That made it an ideal location for these supply exchanges.
A metallic glint caught Aymee’s eye as she approached the cliffs. A second container sat nestled amidst the rocks. With anticipation thrumming through her limbs, she quickened her steps.
Settling onto her knees, she stood her canister in the sand beside her, and lifted Arkon’s container from the recess in the cliffside. Something rattled inside.
Warmth blossomed across her chest.
She tucked her canister in the empty space, gathered the container Arkon had left, and stood.
The loose material of her blouse and skirt fluttered around her as she dragged her gaze over the restless, sparkling waves. He was out there, waiting, but she’d never spot him unless he wanted to be seen.
Why didn’t he approach her? Why did he hide from her?
Releasing a wistful sigh, she went inland, giving the ocean — and Arkon — her back. She paused near a rock and slipped her sandals on before resuming her walk. Soon, soft sand gave way to dirt and vegetation. The briny scent of the sea mingled with the smell of plants and earth.
She followed the footpath leading back to town for fifteen or twenty meters before stepping off. Weaving through tall, vibrant indigo capeweed flowers, large, green-and-violet-leafed bushes, and tangled vines of crimson creeper, she placed her container down and knelt near the edge of the cliff.
Her heart raced as she reached forward and parted the vegetation in front of her.
The beach stretched out in either direction below her; to the right, it snaked along the coastline, n
arrowing into a pale ribbon with distance. To her left, it widened until it hit the bulge in the cliffs that ended in the krull-rock, where the strand passed beneath the hollow in the formation.
While the beach was finite, the ocean stretched into infinity, incomprehensibly large. The water darkened to navy blue and then to midnight as it neared the horizon. The evening sun would be swallowed by the sea within a few hours. Its soft orange glow met the blue of the sky in the beginning of a nightly struggle against encroaching darkness.
It was beautiful, and that beauty would only intensify as sunset neared. But it couldn’t hold her attention now.
“I know you’re there, Arkon,” Aymee mumbled, sweeping her eyes over the rolling surf. Beads of sweat trickled between her breasts and down her back, the humid air made more suffocating by the vegetation around her.
Finally, her waiting paid off.
The incoming waves broke around a vague shape. A moment later, the form gained definition — Arkon’s leanly-muscled arms and broad shoulders emerged, followed by his tapering torso, and finally…his tentacles.
“There you are,” she whispered.
He grew more distinct as the water retreated and he moved inland. His skin changed to match the sand, but his camouflage was imperfect in open air and direct sunlight. She wished he’d revert to his natural color — the loveliest blue-gray she’d ever seen — but understood why he didn’t.
There was no telling how the people of The Watch would react if they knew a kraken came ashore so close to their town once a week. The townsfolk gossiped incessantly about the night Jax — one of Arkon’s kind — had broken free of a holding tank in the warehouse and escaped into the darkness of the sea with Macy. That only a handful of people truly knew what’d happened didn’t stop anyone from talking.
Most were unable or unwilling to understand that Macy had chosen to go with Jax. All they’d seen was a monster. If only they knew of the intelligence, beauty, and prowess Aymee had witnessed. Would it have changed their minds, or instilled more fear in them?
The Kraken Series Boxset: A Sci-fi Alien Romance Series Books 1-3 with Bonus Exclusive Short Story Page 30
