Rising from the Depths
The Kraken #5
Tiffany Roberts
Contents
Untitled
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Also by Tiffany Roberts
About the Author
Rising from the Depths
The Kraken Book #5
A Novel
Tiffany Roberts
Copyright © 2018 by Tiffany Freund and Robert Freund Jr.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be used or reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form by any means, including scanning, photocopying, uploading, and distribution of this book via any other electronic means without the permission of the author and is illegal, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, contact the publishers at the address below.
Tiffany Roberts
[email protected]
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover Illustration © 2018 by Cameron Kamenicky
Proofread by Cissell Ink and Ronika Williams
Created with Vellum
To everyone who ever felt they weren’t worth it — you are.
Special thanks as always to our amazing cover artist, Cameron Kamenicky and his tenacious assistant, Naomi Lucas; to Ronika Williams and Tammy Simmons for your honest feedback and keen eyes; and to Christopher and Amy of Cissell Ink for your thoroughness and expertise.
And to all of you, our readers.
Chapter 1
364 Years After Landing
“Do we really need them tagging along?” Ozcar asked, jabbing a thumb toward the small group of kraken males gathered on the dock nearby.
Breckett, the burly, hairy-faced man standing within arm’s reach of Ozcar, didn’t glance up from the rope he was coiling. “They’re part of The Watch as much as you or me.”
The surrounding water sparkled under the morning sun, casting bright, undulating light on the fishermen as they prepared their boats and equipment. The day was already warm. Nine months ago, it would have bothered Kronus; his years beneath the waves and within the controlled, consistent climate of the Facility hadn’t prepared him for the weather on land, but he’d since adjusted to the fluctuating, more extreme temperatures on the surface.
“We’ve been taking care of our own for three hundred and sixty years,” Ozcar argued. “We didn’t need them through any of that, and we don’t need them now.”
Kronus clenched his jaw to hold in the words that nearly spewed from his mouth; they wouldn’t help the situation.
It is us who do not need you.
The other kraken — Vasil, Brexes, and Charos — exchanged glances with one another, their tentacles writhing restlessly on the dock’s surface.
Many of The Watch’s humans at least attempted to be friendly to the kraken, but some, like Ozcar, made no secret of their distrust and suspicion. It didn’t matter to the latter group that the two people had lived together in peace for well over a year. Kronus understood their feelings. When they looked at the kraken, they saw inevitable violence, saw the looming destruction of their way of life, saw monsters.
Part of Kronus felt the same way when he looked at humans.
He adjusted his hold on his harpoon gun, ensuring it was directed away from Ozcar — more to deny himself the temptation than put the human at ease. He shifted his attention to the gentle water off the dockside.
“Funny how some of you kids talk about how things used to be like you have any idea,” Breckett grumbled, tossing the coiled rope into his boat. “Fishing’s the best it’s ever been, and this town is at its strongest in decades.”
“That’s because of this mass migration,” Ozcar said. “The coast is teeming like never—”
“Don’t tell me like never before.” Breckett’s skin reddened beneath his thick facial hair.
Conflicts between young and old, between past and present, were familiar to Kronus. But he had no desire to reflect upon his own experiences; there was work to be done. Out there, in the open water, he could forget everything else for a while and focus on what mattered — the hunt.
He could focus on helping his people.
“This is unheard of!” Ozcar declared. “These numbers, in these concentrations—”
“It’s happened before,” Breckett said, “and it will again.”
“These migrations are regular occurrences,” said Vasil, drawing all eyes to him.
Ozcar’s face reddened; Kronus doubted the younger human’s frustrations were quite the same as Breckett’s.
Monsters weren’t supposed to have a say.
“Every fifteen or twenty years,” Vasil continued, “mature mirrorfins gather along the coast to breed, and it attracts all manner of sea life.”
“And our nets can handle it, just like always,” said Ozcar. “We don’t need them.”
“We need them now more than ever, looking out for us,” Breckett said. “Making sure we all get home.”
“Unless you believe your nets and little boat will hold against a razorback,” Kronus said, staring at Ozcar. “You are welcome to take that risk. We are not the only predators lured by this migration.”
Kronus turned his attention away, ignoring Ozcar’s stammered response. He watched the sunlight glittering across the ocean’s surface. He’d spent his life below, watching shafts of light create dancing webs of delicate shadow on the sea floor. Even after nine months in The Watch, it felt strange to witness everything from land, especially beside the beings his ancestors had reviled and warred against.
Human voices called his gaze toward the shore. The dock was flanked on either side by swathes of beach visible only when the tide was at its lower phases — as it was now — over which stood tall, curving cliffs.
They were dressed in what Kronus understood to be underclothes — scant garments that covered only what humans considered their most intimate parts. A common enough sight; the beach near the kraken dwellings outside town had grown popular for many of The Watch’s humans, who often wore similar attire when they swam.
Though this beach was faster and more convenient to access from town — a quick walk down a ramp rather than a hike through the jungle — Kronus couldn’t help but suspect another reason for these humans to have come here.
This place was far less likely to have kraken present.
The humans waded into the water as a group and swam away from the shore, laughing and splashing as they moved.
Kronus ran his eyes over the carefree humans — two males and three females, all appearing to be in their prime. Joy such as theirs had never been expressed among the kraken before Macy, Jax’s human mate, had come to the Facility. Kronus still considered the behavior somewhat foolish; adults had no business frolicking like younglings. But their smiles and good humor produced a feeling in him which had become increasingly familiar over the l
ast two years. It manifested as a hollowness in his chest and gut, sometimes so powerful it seemed his body would collapse in upon itself.
He refused to acknowledge it for what it was — envy.
One of the human females glanced his way and briefly caught his gaze before speaking to her companions.
The humans’ playfulness and laughter faded as all five looked at Kronus, brows low. They exchanged hushed words and disgusted expressions. It was nothing new to Kronus; the humans prone to cruelty or intolerance often seemed bolstered by a sense of righteousness that left them unmindful of any consequences.
And what repercussions would they have faced, anyway? The kraken who’d chosen to dwell in The Watch did so with full knowledge that the humans didn’t typically resolve their disagreements through violence. It was frowned upon in human rules and traditions, and even though humans still fought one another from time to time, a kraken battling a human would be seen in an entirely different light. The damage a kraken could inflict upon a human in a physical confrontation was immense. The still-building relationship between the two peoples would not likely endure the strain caused by such an event.
Most humans seemed accepting. That had to be enough for now.
Heat suffused the deepening hollowness inside Kronus as the humans continued to stare at him. Their humor had taken a cruel twist; they were not laughing out of joy but at his expense.
All of them except one…
A petite female with lightly tanned skin and warm brown hair kept her gaze on Kronus as her companions, still talking and laughing, turned their attention away. He found himself unable to take his eyes off her. Her features, like those of so many humans, were at once gentler and more defined than any kraken’s, in large part due to her eyebrows and nose. But her face was unlike any Kronus had ever seen.
Something about her held his attention — the light in her eyes, the curve of her pink lips, or the hair brushing against her unblemished skin. Perhaps it was because she alone had not looked away, because she alone seemed to see him.
One of the males swam to the female and wrapped his arms around her. She blinked and shook her head, breaking eye contact with Kronus, before turning to face the male. He drew her close, and they pressed their lips together in a kiss.
The heat in Kronus’s chest flared and spread throughout his body, making the surface of his skin itch. He turned his head away from the humans in the water. Their mating habits and relationships meant nothing to him; he’d come to The Watch only because the Facility, the place where his people had lived since their creation, could no longer be a home to him.
Kronus was not worthy of that place anymore. He couldn’t look at its walls without remembering everything — the betrayal, the pain, the loss.
The other kraken remained nearby, but Ozcar and Breckett had moved into their respective boats. Breckett worked alongside another older human, Wade, to secure the rigging of their vessel. Most of the other fishermen had also moved into their boats.
Vasil was staring at Kronus. Quiet Vasil, as observant as Arkon but always outside everyone’s notice. Though he’d been one of the kraken captured by hunters two years before, Vasil hadn’t broken under the mistreatment he’d suffered at their hands — unlike Neo. Neo, who’d—
No. There is no point in following that line of thought.
Vasil flicked his eyes toward the humans in the water. When he returned them to Kronus, the question within them was clear — are you with us?
Clenching his jaw again, Kronus tightened his grip on his harpoon gun. He had a duty to fulfill. He had people to protect and feed, even if they all weren’t his people. Once that was done, he could return to his house atop the cliff, to the thoughts that often consumed him when he was alone.
Holding Vasil’s gaze, Kronus nodded.
Eva raised an arm to shield her face from the wave of water Blake sent her way, which dampened her hair as it splashed over her. She laughed and returned fire, which resulted in peels of laughter from Samuel and Blake and giddy shrieks from Hailey and Addison.
A sense of lightness permeated Eva. She’d never imagined her life could be so perfect. While she missed her family, who still resided in Emmiton, her move to The Watch had been worth it. Just being here, in this moment, with her friends beneath the warm, bright sun made it all worthwhile. She didn’t have a care in the world, and she was joined to the most handsome man she’d ever seen.
When she glanced at Blake, she found his gaze already upon her. He winked and ran his tongue along his upper lip. Her own lips curved up as lust sparked within her. She could easily imagine the titillating thoughts coursing through his head — similar thoughts were flashing through hers. There’d scarce been a day during which they’d kept their hands off each other since their joining.
“It’s so good to have the day off,” Addison said, tilting her head back and closing her eyes as she treaded water.
“Are you serious?” Hailey smacked the surface of the water, splashing Addison in the face. “Even on work days, you’re always slacking off!”
Addison sputtered, wiping the moisture from her face. “Sam,” she whined, “are you going to let her talk to me like that?”
Samuel swam up behind her, grinning. He leaned his head forward and brushed his lips over the shell of her ear. “Well, she is right.”
Addison scoffed and turned, slapping his shoulder. “Jerk!”
Samuel laughed and swam away.
Blake snickered. “Have to agree.”
Addison’s face fell into a comical pout. “I don’t know what Eva sees in you, Blake, much less why I still put up with Sam!”
“Aw, come on now, Addy,” Samuel crooned, returning to her side and slipping an arm around her. “You know I don’t judge you. It’d be hypocritical, since I join you on a lot of those breaks.”
Addison’s face flamed red. She sent a spray of water up into his face.
Eva smiled as she watched her friends. Though she’d been in The Watch for less than a year, they’d taken her in as family from the beginning. Blake, of course, had had a lot to do with that. He’d introduced her to them as soon as they’d come into town together; they’d met in Emmiton when he’d come to buy hides from her father, and he’d decided early on that she was the one for him.
“Ugh, check out what’s looking our way,” Hailey said.
Eva followed Hailey’s gaze with her own. Fishermen were working all along the dock, but her friend wasn’t referring to them; she was staring at the kraken. There were four of them, each a different color, each taller and broader than the nearby human males. Even from this distance, twenty or twenty-five meters, she could see the subtle movement of their tentacles on the dock.
She’d caught her first glimpse of their kind the same day she’d come to The Watch. The creatures were terrifying, but intriguing. All she’d known before that day was from stories that had drifted to Emmiton on the lips of far-roaming traders, stories about intelligent, talking, many-limbed creatures from the sea. That was all the kraken had been to Eva and her family — stories. Most of the kraken seemed to remain on the outskirts of town, where they worked, but there always seemed to be a few mingling with the humans, often working alongside them.
Her eyes locked with those of the ochre kraken. There was a stern set to his features, his brow low and his lips downturned. The golden sunlight lent a uniquely beautiful vibrancy to his color.
“What do you think they’re thinking?” Addison asked.
“Probably thinking they have a chance with you,” Samuel said, kissing her shoulder. “They can think again.”
“How can anyone stand to be touched by those things? They’re disgusting,” said Hailey. “It’s probably like being touched by a bunch of worms, all cold and slimy.”
Addison gagged. “Stop it! That’s a mental image I do not need.”
Sam and Blake laughed.
“It’s such a waste,” Hailey continued. “I had my eye on Randall Laster when he came
into town with his rangers a few years ago, but now he’s with one of them. I mean, how can he stand touching that, much less fucking it?”
“They can impregnate human women, too,” Blake said. “They’re breeding with our kind.”
“That’s even worse! It’s unnatural. Just the thought of one of those things squirming inside me makes me want to vomit.” Hailey’s revulsion was clear in her tone, though it seemed exaggerated.
Eva kept her attention on the ochre kraken as her friends continued to talk. He held her gaze unwaveringly. Awareness flickered in his eyes, as though he knew what her friends were saying despite the relatively low volume of their voices and the distance between them. A pang of guilt struck her, though she didn’t necessarily disagree with her friends; the kraken were…inhuman.
Her gaze roamed over the male. Though she couldn’t make out the subtler details, the differences between kraken and human were stark and unquestionable — the most obvious of all being the eight tentacles each had in place of legs. The appendages were lined with suction cups along their undersides and seemed to be in constant motion; they were wholly alien.
Something splashed behind her, and an arm snaked around her waist an instant later, turning her and pulling her against Blake’s large, hard body.
“Doesn’t matter,” Blake said. “They won’t get you. You’re already mine.”
Eva shifted her focus to the man holding her, her newly joined husband. The conversation she’d missed didn’t matter; she was his, and she harbored no worries about the kraken.
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