Rising from the Depths

by Tiffany Roberts

  The speed with which she was adjusting to her new life, her new situation, was astounding, and he was proud of her for it. She smiled often, even through some of the difficult moments. Kronus found himself smiling more in turn. He’d noticed her wistfully looking out toward the sea on a few occasions, and he could only guess at her thoughts in those moments, but she always perked up when she turned her attention to him. Her rapid adaptation put him to shame; even after nine months, he still wasn’t fully adjusted to life in The Watch. Eva was an example worthy of emulating.

  Despite Kronus’s best efforts, he knew he was sometimes terse, knew he let frustration color his speech when he felt overwhelmed or uninformed. Those instances occurred most frequently when discussing human matters. Eva responded to his gruffness in two ways — she gave it back to him tenfold or joked and teased until she coaxed a smile onto his face. In either situation, she never backed down.

  A new side of her was awakening a little more every day — cheerful, playful, and sometimes carefree. He’d not seen her in such good spirits before. Upon reflection, he realized it must’ve been how she was before the attack; this wasn’t a new Eva, though she’d undoubtedly been altered by her experiences — muted, perhaps, but not broken. Not anymore.

  Kronus turned his eyes back toward her. More of his tentacles were moving now, gliding over her smooth, warm skin, his suction cups gifting her with what she called little kisses. She stirred, burying herself more snugly against him, and drew in a long, deep breath that she released as a sleepy, contented sigh. Her tousled hair tickled his arm and chest; despite how strange hair had been to him since he’d first seen Macy years before, he’d found that he enjoyed the feel of Eva’s hair.

  She did not wake, and he was willing to let her sleep a while longer.

  If he’d ever known happiness, it must’ve been during his earliest years of life, before he was sent to live with the hunters, who turned even play into training and lessons. Such was well beyond the power of his memory. The first glimpse he could recall of happiness had been from Jax and Macy. In hindsight, that might have been part of why he’d so strongly opposed her presence in the Facility; he’d been jealous of the happiness the couple shared.

  But now, he finally knew what it felt like firsthand. He had Eva to thank for that.

  Every day, she grew a little stronger, he grew a little prouder, and they grew a little closer.

  Kronus trailed a tentacle farther up her leg, running its tip along her inner thigh. He’d known hunger before; the hunters who supplied food to the kraken were skilled and dedicated, but they did not always meet success. Their people had endured lean times. But the sort of hunger he felt for Eva was unlike any he’d ever experienced. Tastes of her left him constantly wanting more; his appetite for her was insatiable.

  His tentacle worked its way to the apex of her thighs to brush over her folds. Her scent and taste flowed across his suction cups; feminine, sweet, and alluring. He groaned softly. Though his suction cups picked up her flavor well, their touch didn’t feel intimate enough, didn’t feel real enough.

  Kronus’s mind leapt back to the conversation he’d had with the other males before Eva came to share his den. Dracchus’s words resonated above all else.

  The tongue works very well. And the taste…

  When he increased the pressure of his tentacle, Eva released a whimper and squeezed her thighs together around his limb. Her scent intensified.

  He wasted no time in consideration; he’d not yet tasted her directly, but he would remedy that now. He would see just how well his tongue worked for her.

  Carefully, he disentangled himself from Eva and the blanket that had somehow twisted around them. He managed to do so without waking her; Eva’s features were drawn for a moment, as though in confusion or mild distress, but she rolled onto her back, and her expression relaxed again. He anchored his tentacles around the posts at the foot of the bed and drew himself down slowly, unable to pry his gaze from the majesty of her naked form. No matter how she saw herself, she was perfect in his eyes. It took all his willpower to keep from running his hands over every bit of her body.

  Not now. Not yet.

  He positioned his torso over her legs, propping himself on his arms, and stared down at the patch of hair on her pelvis. Leaning on one hand, he parted her thighs. They fell to either side with little coaxing. Her sex lay open to him, its petals pink and wet, perfuming the air with her scent.

  Kronus closed his eyes and inhaled. Fire blazed through his veins, and his cock strained against his slit, blocked from emerging by the bed. As much as he longed to enter her again, he wanted this taste of her more.

  When he opened his eyes again, he lowered his head between her thighs and slid his tongue into her folds. Her salty-sweet flavor swept through his mouth, momentarily obliterating his memory of all other tastes; none could compare to hers. Nothing could come close. Sliding his hands under her backside, he lifted her pelvis off the bed and pressed his mouth to her sex. He greedily lapped her nectar as he worked his way up to flick his tongue over her clitoris.

  “Kronus,” Eva rasped breathlessly. She moaned and reflexively squeezed her thighs together, but Kronus wrapped his tentacles around her knees and pulled them wider apart, further opening her to him.

  He glanced up, looking over her body and through the valley between her breasts to watch her face. Her eyes were closed, and her lips were parted. She panted softly with every stroke of his tongue as it explored her slit. Eva’s sounds and reactions only aroused him more. Nectar flowed from her, and Kronus groaned, savoring every drop.

  Her taste was delectable, but he needed more of her, needed to feel more of her.

  He draped her legs over his shoulders and slid his hands up her back, lifting her off the bed. Most of his tentacles swept forward to support and caress her, encircling her waist and coiling around her breasts. Her back bowed, and she gasped as his suction cups latched on and kissed the hardened buds of her nipples.

  Wrapping his arms around her thighs, he sucked her clitoris into his mouth and swirled the tip of his tongue around it.

  Her entire body tensed.

  “Kronus!” Her hands fell upon his head, and her nails bit into his skin. “Oh fuck!”

  She gyrated her hips, grinding her sex against his mouth. A fresh wave of sweetness flowed out of her, washing over him like the tide rushing ashore. She writhed in his hold, and her hands fell to clutch his wrists as though they would better ground her.

  He thrust his tongue deep inside her as her inner walls contracted, gifting him with more of her essence, and drank deeply. He lapped, nipped and sucked until she was mindless in his grasp, reduced to pleading and calling his name. He only stopped once her trembling thighs went slack, and she lay quivering and limp in his hold.

  As he removed his mouth from her, he licked her nectar from his lips and groaned appreciatively. His cock — fully erect, extruding, and seeping with oils — throbbed achingly.

  He lowered Eva to the bed and withdrew his tentacles. Leaning over her, he braced himself with his arms to either side of her head and gazed down. Perspiration coated her rosy skin, hard nipples were reddened from the attention they’d received, and her eyes, dark with lust, were glassy and half-lidded as they met his.

  “This will happen often, female,” he said.

  Eva chuckled huskily. She raised a hand and trailed her fingers down his chest, her nails grazing his flesh as they moved toward his abdomen. “And what of you?”

  Kronus arched a brow. “What of me?”

  Eva wrapped her fingers around his cock. He hissed, gritting his teeth, as his hips jerked.

  “Would you like my mouth on you, Kronus?” Eva asked, pumping her hand along his shaft to elicit a shudder from him.

  It took Kronus a moment to realize what her words implied; just as he’d never considered using his mouth on her until his talk with the other males, he’d never considered the reverse being a possibility. With a female kraken, i
t remained an unlikely prospect — unless a male didn’t mind having his cock shredded. But what threat could Eva’s blunt teeth pose to him? He already knew the pleasure she could create with her mouth and tongue from her kisses.

  The feel of her hand on him already had Kronus on the verge of a climax. His entire body thrummed, but he fought it back, too intrigued by her question to allow himself to come.

  Eva released his cock. Kronus clenched fistfuls of the bedding, nearly snarling at the pleasure-pain left in the absence of her touch.

  “Lie back,” she commanded, shoving against his shoulders.

  He obeyed; the promise of her touching him again was too enticing a motivation to resist.

  Straddling the central pairs of his tentacles, she leaned over him and grabbed his cock. She kept her eyes locked with his as she lowered her head. He watched, captivated, as her lips wrapped around the head of his shaft. She sucked, taking him deep into her mouth. Her tongue slid over his sensitive skin, its texture creating delightful friction.

  His eyes widened at the feel of it; it was unexpected, overwhelming, and intensely pleasing. He gritted his teeth, dug his claws into the bed, and bucked his hips involuntarily. She bobbed her head up and down, sliding her lips along his shaft and making maddening circles with her tongue.

  “Eva!” Kronus snarled and reached up to take hold of the bed frame before he did any more damage to the bedding.

  As easily as he’d plunged her into mindless pleasure, she enslaved him to his own.

  With a few flicks of her tongue, Eva became his master.

  “Where are you taking me?” Eva asked, watching her footing as she picked her way over the rocks. Briny wind tugged at her clothing and blew her hair around her shoulders. The sound of waves rolling onto the shore grew more soothing as they progressed, becoming a steady, sighing rise and fall.

  Kronus remained close to her, holding one of her hands to offer support; he was more solid to her than the stones under foot.

  “This way,” he replied.

  She rolled her eyes. “I meant beside the obvious.”

  He turned his head to face forward, looking toward a place where the rocks fell away into the ocean. “The tide is low this afternoon.”

  Eva followed his gaze. “So it is. That still doesn’t answer my question.”

  Lifting his free hand, he pointed to the long, wide outcropping of low rocks ahead that extended from the coastal cliffside along which they were moving. Calm water glistened in the late evening sunshine amidst the stone. “There are pools here that only exist when the tide is this low. I think you will enjoy them.”

  She eyed the rocks skeptically; they’d already crossed several rough patches through which she’d struggled, and it seemed there would be more before they reached the level area awaiting them. Her legs were already sore and tired.

  “I don’t know if I can make it, Kronus.”

  Tensing his arm to strengthen her support, he helped her over a jutting stone. By her estimate, they had at least another thirty or forty meters of this before they reached the pool.

  “Do not start whining at me again, female.”

  “I am not whining.”

  “That is what people always say when they whine,” he replied. “Push yourself through this, and you will be stronger by the end. I will be with you throughout.”

  Eva looked at Kronus. She understood him a little more each day. Though he was gruff and standoffish most of the time, there was a thoughtful, considerate, caring male beneath that rough exterior who was afraid to let his guard down. The vulnerable moments she’d been gifted were rare, and she treasured them because they were only for her.

  That he’d be with her meant a lot, but it didn’t take away her longing to be able to do it on her own. She was still growing accustomed to her prosthesis, still learning how to balance herself and slowly building the muscles that would power her forever-altered stride.

  She still experienced moments of unbearable pain. It was during those times that Kronus’s mask slipped to reveal the concern perpetually hidden beneath. Though the boosters Aymee administered had helped hasten her recovery, Eva knew she’d never be the same. Only time could determine how severe those changes would be.

  Kronus stayed at her side, allowing her to lean on him as they walked. His tentacles flowed over the rock like water, and she couldn’t help a touch of good-natured jealousy; she was stuck with a leg and a half, while he had eight. That hardly seemed fair.

  After some more grunting and straining, they crested a low rise and paused. A large, natural pool stretched out before them. Its surface shimmered orange with reflected light from the setting sun. The stone surrounding the pool was crusted with splotches of purple, red, and green — strange sea creatures Eva had never seen before. Beyond the rocks lay the open sea, its waves rolling tirelessly to and from the horizon.

  “Wow,” Eva breathed. “This is beautiful.”

  Immediately after losing her leg, she’d been filled with hopelessness. She’d always enjoyed exploring the world around her; after her injury, she couldn’t see how she’d ever be able to do that again. How would she climb mountains, hilltops, and trees? How would she dive from high cliffs into pure blue waters? How would she trek through dense, sweet-smelling jungle foliage to discover new places as beautiful as they were dangerous? Coming to The Watch with Blake had been a step on that journey, the opening of a door to a new place, to new things, but she’d felt like that door had been slammed shut after the attack.

  This spot, this pool, however small in the grand scheme, held as much meaning to her as the ocean held water; it meant she wasn’t done. Things might never be easy again, but she wouldn’t be stopped by her injury.

  “The tide is not often this low,” Kronus said. He raised a hand and gestured over the rocks before them. “All this is usually covered by the sea. But for now, for this little while, it is yours.”

  Eva looked at Kronus and couldn’t prevent tears from blurring her eyes. “Thank you.” She wrapped her arms around him and pressed a tender kiss to his lips.

  He returned the kiss, and when he drew back, he wore a soft smile. “Come. We are not quite there. You can rest at the pool, if you wish.”

  She raised her hand and traced his smile with the tip of her finger. She’d grown used to the differences between them. But it was so much more than comfort with his appearance; she found Kronus appealing. And in this place, in this moment, with his golden eyes shining down at her and his face relaxed and happy, he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen.

  And he is mine.

  “Teach me to swim again,” she said.

  He dropped his gaze and trailed the tip of a tentacle over her ankle. “I do not know how to swim with those. With legs.”

  “You didn’t know how to walk with them either, but you helped me learn to walk again anyway.”

  Kronus nodded slightly in acknowledgement. “Then I will help in the same way. By being an asshole.”

  Eva laughed, and Kronus’s smile widened.

  He helped her down from the rise and, finally, onto the relatively even rock. She stood still, one hand on his shoulder for support as he bent down to remove first the shoe from her right foot, followed by her prosthesis, sock, and liner. Once he set everything aside, he peeled off her outer layer of clothing. The touch of his strong hands sent thrills across her bare skin.

  He hooked a finger beneath one of her bra straps and lifted his gaze toward the nearby beach. “Were it not for the chance of other people drawing close, I would remove these as well.”

  She arched a brow. “Your females don’t wear these things. I didn’t think it’d matter to you.”

  “It matters because you are mine, Eva, and I will tolerate no male looking upon you.”

  His words sent a bolt of desire straight to her core.

  My kraken is possessive.

  She was pretty sure she was wearing a pleased, goofy grin.

  Kronus leaned down and ki
ssed her again; one of those soul-searing, claiming kisses that left no room to question his statement. He was hers, and she was without a doubt his.

  By the time he raised his head, Eva was panting, and her sex throbbed in need. One of his tentacles had coiled around her leg, the tip teasing her inner thigh.

  “We’d better get in that water before I strip and demand my kraken mount me right now, onlookers be damned,” she said.

  A long, low groan escaped him, and his tongue slipped out from between his lips for an instant. His brief hesitance suggested he was prepared to skip the water just to have her. But he finally stooped, slipped one arm behind her shoulders and the other behind her knees, and lifted her off the ground. He carried her to the edge of the pool and entered the water smoothly.

  It was refreshingly cool compared to the hot evening air, especially welcome after the exertion of the journey to get here — they’d left their house and descended onto the beach, following the cliffs around to this spot. The distance hadn’t been great, but the terrain had proven difficult for Eva. The sand, especially, had proven bothersome for her prosthesis, and her crutch was useless on it.

  Kronus held her, and they drifted lazily through the water together. The pool was surprisingly deep, and when Kronus stilled, she caught glimpses of tiny sea creatures through the sparkling surface. He assured her that none of the creatures were dangerous, and she didn’t question him. He’d earned her trust far more than anyone else.

  She broke away from him and began the clumsy but freeing process of learning how to swim with nearly half of one leg missing. Kronus remained nearby, tugging her over the surface when she floundered, but she didn’t require his help often. Though she wasn’t graceful by any means, this would do. With a little adjustment to her stroke, she moved through the water without assistance.

  Soon, they were swimming side-by-side at a leisurely pace. Kronus was quiet, but his unwavering presence gave her all the strength she needed.

  Kronus drew himself to a halt and turned to look toward the ocean. “This is what I truly wanted you to see,” he said, lifting his chin toward the sea.