She had woken to find him gone, but it couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes later when he emerged from the tunnel with a meter-long spinefish dangling from an extended tentacle.
Macy set her food down and crawled toward him. She brushed her fingers over his tentacle before settling her hand over his. “Jax?”
His eyes fell to her hand. “I have something to ask of you,” he finally said, “but the choice is yours.”
Something in his voice — his uncertainty, perhaps — made her heart skip and her stomach clench. She was used to him lapsing into companionable silence from time to time, but this…she’d never seen him so withdrawn, so…off.
Was he…was he going to send her away? Send her back home?
The thought stung. She hadn’t realized how much it would hurt…but she hadn’t expected to care for him so deeply, either.
Jax lifted his gaze. “Why do you appear so troubled, Macy?”
She drew away “Are you…are you giving me up?”
“What do you mean?” He tilted his head, brow creased.
“Are you giving me the choice to go home?”
He slid his tentacles toward her, wrapped them around her back, and pulled her close. Raising his hands, he cupped her cheeks. “Why would you think that?”
Macy put her hands on his shoulders and searched his face. In it, she saw sincerity, desire, confusion. “You’re not acting like yourself, Jax. So, when you said you had something to ask me, that it would be my choice, I just thought…” She licked her lips and inhaled deeply. “You’re not letting me go, then?”
“I don’t ever want to.” He smoothed back her hair, and his thumb brushed over her ear. “I am sorry that I’ve not behaved like myself this morning. My thoughts have been…burdened.”
All the fear and panic that had welled inside her vanished, leaving a vast space to fill with concern. She settled a hand over his and pressed her cheek into his palm. “What’s wrong?”
“Arkon came searching for me this morning. He was troubled…in part because I betrayed his trust.”
“How so?”
“I have avoided him the last few times I went home because I did not want to lie to him.”
Macy frowned. “What would you have lied to him about?”
The tip of his thumb claw lightly grazed her cheek. “You.”
“Me? Why would I— You don’t want him to know about me.”
“I don’t want any of them to know about you.”
To keep his people safe, he’d refused to tell her much about their home. To keep Macy safe, he’d hidden her from the kraken.
“What…what would they do if they did?” She pressed her palms to his chest.
“I…do not know, Macy. They are all aware of the history between our people. How that would affect their reactions, I cannot guess. If they came to know you, I do not think any would wish you harm.”
“You didn’t harm me, even before you knew me.”
There was a sorrow in his smile that she’d not seen before. “I am not like most of them.”
She nodded and took his hands in hers, settling them on her lap. “And Arkon?”
“He would not hurt you.”
“You said this is only part of the problem. What’s the rest?”
“I have raised the suspicions of another kraken, and he seems determined to convince our people that I have betrayed them.”
“Betrayed them how? Because of your absence? That’s normal for you, isn’t it?”
“When I went back to find your suit, Dracchus confronted me. He had declared a hunt. I refused, which I have never done. I have missed hunts during my wanderings, but I have never refused one while I was present. Our people rely on the hunters to bring in enough meat to keep them fed, especially those who are unable to go out on their own.”
How could she not feel responsible for that? He’d gone back because of her, and had refused because of her.
“Is that all it takes? You refuse a single hunt, and it means you’re working against them?
He squeezed her hands gently. “In your home, you grow food for your people, and you have men who hunt on land and sea to bring home meat, don’t you?”
“Yes, but if someone doesn’t work for a day, it doesn’t mean they’re betraying us.”
“Because you have plenty already. For kraken, there is only the hunt. It is our survival. There is nothing more important, except protecting females and younglings.”
“What will they do?”
“I cannot say.” One of his tentacles brushed up and down her back slowly. “But it makes little difference to me. My place has never truly been there.”
The melancholy in his voice was undercut by a strange confidence. She didn’t know how to respond to him, didn’t understand how he felt about it; he likely didn’t understand, himself.
“What was it you wanted to ask me, Jax?”
“I have betrayed your trust, as well, Macy.” His jaw muscles ticked. “I told Arkon I would show him what I have been hiding in ten days. It was not right for me to speak for you, to take your choice, so know that you do not have to agree. You don’t have to come with me and meet him.”
Withdrawing a hand from his, she traced the dark stripes on his head and pressed a kiss to his lips. “You trust him, and I trust you. I’d like to meet your friend.”
Jax leaned his forehead against hers and slipped his arms around her. “You are certain?”
“Yes.” Macy smiled and rubbed her nose against his face. “It will set your mind at ease, and maybe his... Well, maybe not so much his.”
“I think he will be more…curious, than anything.”
She chuckled. “I remember someone else being curious.”
“I still am.” The tip of a tentacle slipped between her thighs and the hem of her long shirt.
His touch sent a thrill through her. Her sex clenched, and she rose to her knees, bracing her hands on his chest and parting her thighs. He settled his hands on her hips.
“What is it you’re still curious about?” she asked.
“I want to know every little piece of you, and learn how you respond when I touch each one.”
“So touch me, Jax,” she begged. His words made her ache for more.
He bunched her shirt in his hands and drew it over her head. She returned her hands to his broad chest, and he cupped her breasts, caressed them, teased their hardened tips.
Macy arched into his palms with a sigh.
When the tentacle between Macy’s thighs stroked her slit, she gasped and parted her legs further. The tip of his limb slid along her slick folds. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back, surrendering to his ministrations. She rocked against him, jolts of pleasure sweeping through her as he moved his suction cups, one at a time, over her clit.
She came quickly. He took hold of her hips, forcing her to ride out the waves. Liquid heat flooded her core and flowed from her, coating his tentacle and her thighs. Before she’d recovered, he lifted her and pressed the tip of his jutting erection to her sex, lowering her onto him with deliberate slowness. Her inner muscles quivered, drawing him deeper.
Jax slid his hands to her legs, guiding them to encircle his hips, and she locked her arms around his neck.
Breath ragged, she opened her eyes.
The two of them remained still, their bodies intertwined, and Macy felt the beat of his pulse echoing through her. She’d never felt so close to anyone in her life; her bond with Jax transcended physicality, extending into her heart, her soul.
She hugged him closer, kissed him, rose and fell to take him fully into her body. His tentacles ran up her back and curled over her shoulders as he broke the kiss and pressed his lips to her neck.
“Macy,” he rasped, moving in time with her, his thrusts pushing deeper and deeper.
Macy closed her eyes and tilted her head back. “Love me, Jax.”
He growled and returned his hands to her hips, lifting her up and slamming her down on
his shaft. She took him to his base, and his feelers writhed, flicking along her folds and over her clit. All the while, his lips trailed heat over her face and neck.
She lost herself in a whirlwind of sensation and pleasure, in Jax’s scent, feel, and intensity. Short breaths escaped her with his thrusts, each one striking a cord within her that pushed her higher and higher until she finally erupted.
She came with a cry, clawing at his back with her nails.
Jax roared as her sex clamped on his shaft, and his body shook with the force of his climax. His heat flooded her. She rode him until neither of them had anything left to give.
He held her when she sagged against him, as they both caught their breath, and continued to place gentle kisses on her skin.
Macy smiled and rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. She was on the verge of dozing when he spoke softly.
“Always, Macy.”
Chapter 15
The water was still dim when Jax and Macy left the cave; the sun had only just begun cresting, and the gray-blue sky bled first to pink, then to golden as it approached the horizon. They held hands as they swam. Though it slowed their pace, it was a comfort to them both. They hadn’t seen the razorback during their excursions over the last several days, but Jax would never forget how close they’d come to tragedy.
He was reluctant to allow Macy beyond his reach.
Jax kept close to the coastal cliffs as they moved; the rocks had been their salvation when the razorback attacked, and he’d not risk another chase to reach cover.
They saw a variety of fish on the way — grayfish, spinefish, gulpers, and dozens more Jax had no name for — but it was the basketmouths that caught Macy’s attention. Longer than razorbacks, the basketmouths glided near the surface, their long, flat bodies flowing behind him as they held their wide mouths open. Despite their size, their only prey were creatures so tiny they were nearly invisible.
Finally, they reached the Broken Cavern. It had been years since Jax’s last visit, and he’d forgotten the strangeness of the place. When he’d first found it, he’d thought — in his inexperience — that it was a natural cave, somehow overlooking the perfectly shaped planes of the walls and floor. It seemed, from outside, to be part of the cliff face.
He knew now that it had been built by humans.
Macy’s eyes were wide as she looked from side to side. The floor was flat and deep — as deep as seven or eight kraken, stretched end-to-end — and the walls extended over the water level. It was dark inside, and as they left the last of the meager daylight behind, Jax cast his own glow.
Smiling, Macy moved her gaze over him appreciatively, just as she had two nights before when they joined beneath the starry sky. Though this was neither the time nor the place, his blood heated with arousal.
When they were far enough inside to see the huge chunks of crumbled stone on the bottom, he brought Macy to the surface, blinked the water from his eyes, and swept his gaze about.
The Broken Cavern was the largest cave he’d ever found; the ceiling was so high that it was lost in darkness, but a huge crack allowed the still-gray morning light to filter through it. At some point in its existence, the roof had broken open, dumping stone into the water.
To either side, the walls jutted a body’s length over the surface, like perfectly flat, symmetrical cliffs. Two metal bridges spanned one side to the other. The center of one of the bridges was missing, its edges twisted and bent. Massive chains hung from thick posts set into the tops of the walls.
“All this time, we never knew… How do we not know about these places in The Watch?” Macy’s voice, though soft, echoed off the walls.
“I cannot say, Macy. All of this was made many years ago, and the people who walked here are long dead.”
They swam to one of the ladders set into the wall. Jax allowed Macy to climb the metal rungs first and hauled himself up behind her. The metal groaned under his weight.
Macy stood on the stone walkway, mask in hand and head tilted back as she surveyed the huge chamber. She stepped to the second wall, leaning forward to examine the fading, flaked paint upon it, and pulled back her hood.
The painting had been the only reason Arkon agreed to come here after Jax discovered it years ago. It was in slightly worse condition, now, but the basic shapes were still clear — stretching from one end of the wall to the other, it depicted humans of various shapes and sizes. Time had largely obscured their features, but their joy was apparent. Arkon had said someone created the image by hand in the ancient days.
Jax had always harbored doubts about that… Before meeting Macy, at least.
“This is amazing. What was it used for?” She turned and walked to one of the posts, running her hand over one of the huge chain links.
Jax moved closer to her, glancing up at the broken ceiling. When was the last time a piece had fallen?
“I don’t know, Macy.”
“This stuff is almost like mooring…but I’ve never seen ships big enough for this.”
“There are some, on the seafloor,” he replied distractedly. “You should move back for now, out of sight. Until Arkon has come.”
Macy met his gaze. “Okay. You’re…sure?”
Jax nodded and gestured to the steps cut out in the wall behind them; they led up to the next level, from which the bridges connected the two sides.
Macy climbed the steps and settled herself as far back as she could, leaning against the wall. She placed her mask beside her and folded her hands in her lap.
Positioning himself between Macy and the ladder, Jax crossed his arms over his chest and rested his elbow on a nearby post. An unfamiliar, restless energy flowed through him; he willed his limbs to still.
He was so unused to the feeling that he didn’t immediately recognize it: nervousness.
Soon, he heard movement in the water and shifted his attention toward it.
Arkon’s glow was unmistakable as he swam to the ladder. He climbed swiftly, stopped atop the walkway, and looked at the faded painting. “It has been a long while since I came here.”
“I know. This place is fitting, though.”
Meeting Jax’s gaze, Arkon frowned. “No more vagueness, Jax. It doesn’t suit you. What do you wish to show me?”
Jax turned to the painting. The people it depicted wore clothing that looked nothing like Macy’s, and many of them had different coloring and features, but they were all clearly human. Her people, for better or worse, had made this place, had made the Facility, had made the kraken.
“A human,” Jax finally said.
“Your attempts at humor are strange, Jax.”
“I’m not being humorous. I’ve been away for so long because I rescued a human female from the sea during the last storm and have been living with her since.”
“This…” It wasn’t often Arkon was speechless; Jax couldn’t help feeling a pang of satisfaction at it, despite his nervousness. “Have you gone mad, Jax? You…you’re serious?”
Jax twisted to look behind. “Macy, please come and meet Arkon.”
Her footfalls were quiet as she stepped into the open. She looked into Jax’s eyes before she turned toward Arkon, smiled, and raised her hand in greeting. “Hello, Arkon.”
Features slack, Arkon looked from Macy to Jax. A tiny crease appeared in the center of his brow. “You have a human,” he said, flatly.
“Her name is Macy.”
“Macy.” Arkon tilted his head and parted his lips as though to speak, but it was several moments before he produced a sound. “My apologies if I’m… You must understand, this…this is…”
She laughed; the sound was amplified by the cave, but was no less beautiful for it. She stopped beside Jax. “I understand very well.”
“Of course. Typically, I’m somewhat more articulate. Jax has a reputation for pushing into the unknown, but this is unprecedented, even for him.” Arkon moved a little closer. “You’re wearing one of the suits from the Pool Room.”
Macy
settled a hand over her stomach. “Jax gave it to me.”
“What function does it fulfill? I’ve been curious about those suits for a long while.”
“It goes with the mask,” she gestured behind her, though the mask was out of sight, “and together they protect me underwater. Otherwise, I can’t be under for more than about thirty seconds, and anything below a certain depth could kill me.”
“So humans can’t survive underwater…”
“Apparently not,” Jax said.
“You’re a different color than Jax.”
“Yes.” Arkon spread his arms to the sides and glanced down at himself. “Most of us are, even if variations are only slight. Is it not the same for your kind?”
“It is,” Macy replied. “My friend Aymee is tanner than me, and her hair is brown. Some humans have lighter or darker skin, and different colored eyes and hair. I guess it’s just not something I think about much because it’s normal to me. The colors I see on you and Jax are different…and we don’t change colors, either.”
“They do,” Jax corrected, “but it is much subtler, and they cannot control it.”
Arkon moved closer still, stopping immediately in front of Macy.
Jax tensed for a moment. His instinct was to protect, but he trusted his friend.
Lifting a hand, Arkon brushed his fingertips over Macy’s hair. Jax recalled his own curiosity and fascination all too well; neither had truly diminished, but it didn’t make it easier to watch another male touch her.
Arkon’s nostrils flared, and he met Jax’s gaze. “Your scent…”
Jaw clenched, Jax nodded. He hadn’t anticipated this reaction in himself, couldn’t have guessed he’d feel this way, but there was no denying it. Macy was his, and he wasn’t comfortable with anyone touching her.
Arkon dropped his hand and backed away. “You mated with a human?” His expression was too conflicted to decipher.
Jax waited for a flash of shame, for the sense that he’d betrayed his people, the guilt of committing an unspeakable wrong. All he felt was contentment. What shame was there in what he and Macy had shared?
“Um…he can smell that?” Macy’s rubbed her reddened cheeks. “Of course he can,” she muttered.
Treasure of the Abyss (The Kraken Book 1) Page 17