Rising from the Depths

by Tiffany Roberts

  Eva followed his gaze with her own. The sun hung low over the horizon; it was red-orange, its glow staining the ever-moving seawater in the same shade, which was contrasted by the deep blue and violet of the shadows beneath the waves’ crests. Flecks of pure, sparkling white shined everywhere, glittering with more brilliance than all the stars in the sky at night.

  He took gentle hold of her and swam to the edge of the pool farthest from the sea, where he leaned his back against the stone and positioned her to lay atop him. His arms banded around her, holding her close, and she rested her head on his shoulder. He settled his cheek upon her hair.

  They remained like that as the sun slowly disappeared behind the horizon. Violet chased away the reds, pinks, and oranges staining the sky, and the shimmering color on the ocean’s surface shrank until only a narrow strip of vibrancy remained.

  “I have watched the sun set over the ocean almost every day for nine months,” he said. “I had never seen it before coming here. Not like this. Not from…above. And I never understood how beautiful it is until I met you, Eva. You opened my eyes to this. To everything that’s always been around me.”

  “How have I changed that for you?” she asked, running her fingers over his forearm beneath the water.

  “Because yours is a beauty I could not ignore,” he said. His voice sounded slightly strained, as though the words were difficult for him to get out. “Once I saw you, I could not help but see everything else…could not help but compare it to you and find it lacking, or wonder if you would appreciate it as I do.”

  Eva raised an arm, reached back, and cupped Kronus’s cheek as she turned her face to look up at him. “And you never found me lacking?”

  His tentacles coiled around her legs and waist, offering an almost full-body embrace. “Never.”

  She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to his jaw. The simple answer meant so much because his actions often transcended the need for words.

  Warmth spread through her body, and little wings fluttered in her belly. When she and Kronus came together, it was as though the whole world fell away; all her troubles, worries, and struggles ceased to exist, and there was only the two of them with their passion and caring for one another. He’d been there for her during her lowest moments, had pulled her from the deepest, darkest despair, had been a shining beacon that guided her ashore from a sea of blackness.

  “Thank you, Kronus,” she said, lifting her head and opening her eyes to meet his gaze. The final rays of sunlight had faded, but his eyes burned with a light of their own. “For never giving up on me, even when I gave you reason to.”

  She turned in his embrace, and his tentacles loosened, allowing the movement. The water lapped just beneath her breasts as she straddled him and cupped his face between her hands. “I haven’t said it yet, but you deserve more than anything to hear it. Thank you for saving me that day, and every day that followed. Thank you for teaching me to live again.”

  His skin changed to a violet as deep as that of the sky, making his eyes seem even brighter in comparison. “I have only tried to give you what you deserve, Eva. And I have failed that task time and again.”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “Because you deserve everything, but all I can offer is all of me.”

  “Who is to say what I deserve?” Eva leaned closer, skimming her lips over his cheek and placing a light kiss on the corner of his mouth. “What you’re offering is what I want, Kronus. All I want…is you.”

  He smiled, and his skin shifted again, though she could no longer determine its color in the deepening twilight. “Then I am yours, Eva. And when the sea tries to finally claim me, I will fight it off to have more time with you.”

  His words sparked a sudden, bone-deep fear in her; she’d already lost so much. She couldn’t bear even the thought of losing Kronus, too. Tears filled her eyes as she threw her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. “The sea can’t have you. Not you.”

  “It already knows it cannot take you,” he replied, enfolding her in his arms and tentacles. “You are mine.”

  Eva pulled back just enough to press her mouth against his in a fierce kiss, closing her eyes. He kissed her in return just as fervently. Their lips meshed, nipped, and caressed as they breathed life into one another. His hands moved over her back as he clutched her, holding her as close as possible, but even that wasn’t close enough for Eva.

  After what might have been only a single moment or an eternity, she became aware of a gentle glow through her eyelids. Eva opened her eyes to find Kronus bathed in blue light. With a startled gasp, she broke the kiss and drew back to look him over. His stripes were glowing, casting a soft blue luminescence over the two of them and reducing the rest of the world to far away, unimportant darkness.

  “What is this?” she asked, awed, brushing her fingertips over one of his shoulder stripes.

  “My light,” he replied. “Tonight, and forever to come, it is yours. You need never suffer in darkness again.”

  Eva smiled, her eyes locking with his. “You’ve been my light since the moment you saved me.” She brushed her nose across his cheek, moving her mouth closer to his siphon. “Make love to me, Kronus,” she whispered. “Here, now. I don’t care if anyone comes. I just need to feel you. All of you. I need you inside me.”

  He answered with a growl and a kiss even more passionate and possessive than the last.

  Chapter 15

  Kronus pulled open the door and stood aside to allow Eva through. She paused long enough to wave at Doctor Rhodes before stepping out of the clinic. Kronus fell into place beside her. According to the doctor, she’d improved faster than either he or Aymee had expected. He’d made some adjustments to her prosthesis, given her another booster shot, and sent them on their way.

  In the five days since their rocky journey to the tidal pool, Eva had pushed herself steadily harder; as of three days ago, she’d decided she no longer needed crutches. Her pace was sometimes slow, and she moved with a slight limp that grew more pronounced on inclines and declines, but she was walking on her own, and she shone even brighter because of it.

  They turned and followed the short road into the town center, which was bustling with activity. Midday meal in The Watch meant many of the townspeople took a break from their duties to eat and converse for a little while. Today, there was music being played on the other side of the square. Kronus’s siphons twitched, and he cocked his head.

  The music grew louder as they crossed the town center. The crowd was thicker near the source of the music, with clusters of people speaking in boisterous voices to hear one another over the music. Other people were moving — dancing — with one another, laughing and smiling. The humans making the music were at the center of the crowd, banging and strumming instruments with delighted expressions. One of the music makers had a long, thin piece of wood raised to his lips; it produced high notes as he blew into it and moved his fingers over the holes along its length.

  Eva grabbed Kronus’s hand and turned to face him with a wide smile. “Dance with me, Kronus.”

  He shifted his attention back to the nearby crowd, which was at its thickest perhaps five or six body lengths away. Their spirits seemed light, their moods merry, but dancing meant something different to kraken. It was no carefree act for Kronus’s people. A dance was a purposeful thing, meant to assert dominance, to attract a mate, to establish prowess. It was not done for entertainment.

  “Come on,” she insisted, tugging him toward the dancers.

  Kronus scanned the crowd; there were at least four other kraken present, including — to his surprise — Ector, one of the kraken elders. The old kraken was closer to the town hall, conversing with a group of humans.

  He looked back at Eva’s expectant face. Joy sparkled in her eyes. She wanted this, wanted to dance with him in front of everyone, showing the town that they were a mated pair. And Kronus found that he wanted them all to know she was his.

  Bringing her hand to his
lips, he pressed a kiss on her knuckles and led her toward the dancers.

  “Eva?”

  Kronus and Eva turned their gazes to the male who’d spoken her name.

  Blake.

  The human male stepped closer, his gaze traveling up and down Eva’s body. Something white hot sparked in Kronus’s gut and spread through him, devouring everything in its path.

  Eva withdrew her hand from Kronus’s and faced Blake. The man’s hair was shaggy and disheveled, his face unshaven, and the flesh beneath his eyes had a purple tint.

  “You’re…walking.” The astonishment in Blake’s tone matched his stunned expression.

  Eva nodded and grasped the sides of her skirt. “I am.”

  Kronus clenched his jaw and resisted the instinctual urge to flare red and challenge this male.

  “How?” Blake blurted.

  “Aymee and Arkon made me a prosthetic leg,” Eva said.

  “You look...” Blake’s gaze trekked over Eva again, “good.” He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Really good.”

  “Thank you. Now, if you’ll—”

  Blake reached out and caught her arm before she could step around him. He raised his other hand toward her face, but Kronus clamped his much larger, orange-skinned hand on Blake’s wrist, halting the motion of the human’s arm. Just a little pressure in the wrong direction could cripple the man.

  The thought was not unappealing.

  “Release her,” Kronus growled.

  “What the hell?” Blake started and glared at Kronus. “You better get your hand off me.”

  Kronus leaned closer, lips curling back to reveal pointed teeth. “Release your hold on her, human, or I will tighten my hold on you.”

  Blake bared his own teeth but released Eva.

  With a shove, Kronus relinquished his grip on Blake and inserted himself between the man and Eva. Blake stumbled backward, clutching his wrist. He looked past Kronus to stare Eva.

  “What is this? What’s he doing?”

  “You no longer have the right to touch her,” Kronus said.

  “She’s my wife,” Blake snapped. “I can do whatever the hell I want.”

  “No, I’m not,” Eva said.

  “What?”

  “I’m not yours. Not anymore.”

  Blake glanced between Kronus and Eva. The anger on his face morphed to shock, then disbelief, and back to anger again.

  “You’re mine, damnit!” he exploded, stepping forward, only to come to a halt when Kronus pressed a hand against his chest. He jerked away quickly. “Don’t touch me!”

  “Make no mistake, human,” Kronus replied, forcing himself to breathe slow and even, “I will break you if you threaten my mate.”

  “Your mate?” Blake looked at Eva. “You… You’re…with this creature?” The human shuddered before inhaling and shaking his head. “Eva, you’re joined to me. You’re my wife. I will forgive—”

  “I was no longer your wife the moment you walked out of the clinic, abandoning me when I needed you most,” Eva said.

  “I made a mistake, Eva. I—”

  “You rescinded your vow to me, Blake. You ran away and left me, just like you left all of us in the water.”

  “It wasn’t my fault!” Blake yelled.

  Kronus glanced toward the crowd; despite the music and the revelry, Blake’s raised voice had called the attention of several other humans. “You are a coward,” Kronus growled through clenched teeth as he turned back to the man, “and you are unworthy of her.”

  Blake spared a hate-filled glance at Kronus before turning his eyes back to Eva. “Come back home, Eva. I miss you. I didn’t mean what I said. We can work it out, and we can go back to normal. You’ll get over it.”

  Nostrils flaring, Kronus clenched his fists. His claws bit into his palms, but it was all he could do not to strike Blake. He could no longer keep the crimson from his skin; were it another kraken treating him in such a manner, this situation would already have descended into violence.

  He was being insulted in front of a crowd, was being insulted by a male he could destroy, was being insulted in the presence of his mate. It was unacceptable, intolerable. And his lack of a real response was humiliating.

  But he knew Eva enough to understand that she would not appreciate such a display. How would watching Blake get beaten near-to-death benefit her? She wouldn’t feel better about herself, wouldn’t appreciate Kronus more. There was a strong chance it would frighten her. He could not bear the thought of her fearing him.

  “I’ll get over it? You left me no choice but to get over it,” Eva said. “And you know what, Blake? I did.”

  Eva stepped around Kronus and placed her hands on his chest, pressing herself against his body. He put an arm around her shoulders, a flare of pride rising through the haze of rage and possessiveness; she had chosen Kronus. In front of everyone, she was making her choice clear, and she would not back down.

  “I got over you,” she continued. “I will always remember our friends, and I will always remember you…and I’ll remember how you ran. The first moment things got hard, you ran. And Kronus was there for me. A stranger, someone we thought of as a creature because of how he looks, saved me, and saved me, and saved me, and you were gone.”

  Tears filled Eva’s blue eyes, but fury burned behind them.

  “You were gone, Blake,” she said, “but Kronus was there. He showed me what it means to care for someone, to never give up on them, to love them. You and I had a good time while it lasted, but it was never that. It was never love.”

  “What are you saying?” Blake’s chest rose and fell with quick, shallow breaths. “I loved you, Eva! I still do. I was hurt by all this, too, and it’s not fucking fair for you to lay this at my feet!”

  Eva turned to face Blake fully and stepped toward him. Kronus let his arm fall away; it took all his willpower to keep from grabbing Eva and dragging her back against him, from shielding her from any and all harm with his body. This was her time. Her fight. That did not diminish his rage, but he could not act upon his own feelings.

  “Do not talk to me about fair,” she growled, jabbing a finger into Blake’s chest. “You blamed me for everything. If you had just stuck by me for a little while, I could’ve helped you through it, too. We could’ve made it together, but you left, forsaking me, Blake, and there’s no coming back from that. And now that I can look back on it…I’m glad you left. Because it’s led me to something, to someone, so much better.”

  “You can’t mean that! Damnit, Eva, I—” Blake moved closer, grabbed Eva’s face, and slammed his mouth over hers.

  Kronus darted forward as Eva jerked her head back and swung her hand, slapping Blake across his face. Blake reeled from the blow; the opening was more than enough for the kraken to seize.

  Thrusting his arm out, Kronus clamped a hand on Blake’s throat, just beneath he man’s jaw, and lifted him off the ground.

  Blake’s startled cry was cut off by a grunt. He grasped Kronus’s forearm with both hands, kicking his feet in the air as though it would earn his freedom.

  Eva gripped Kronus’s extended arm. “No, Kronus, don’t!”

  Rage-fueled strength coursed through Kronus’s muscles; he trembled with his fury, and his skin felt as though it were ablaze. He’d tolerated a lot of disrespect thus far, but he would not allow anyone to treat his mate that way.

  “I told you not to touch her,” he grated through bared teeth. All he had to do was squeeze, and he would crush the man’s throat.

  Blake’s struggles grew more desperate as his face reddened.

  Eva’s fingernails dug into Kronus’s skin, but he did not release his hold. He drew Blake closer and looked directly into the man’s eyes. “She is mine. You will regret it should you wish to challenge me, human. You gave her up. You left her behind. I have claimed her, and she has chosen me.”

  Soft, small hands grabbed Kronus’s face and tugged his head down. He snarled instinctively, skin bristling, only to fin
d Eva between him and Blake; she flinched at his reaction. A pang of guilt and shame pierced his burning cloud of rage.

  “Kronus, stop. Don’t do this. Please.” She brushed her thumbs over his cheeks. Faint tremors coursed through her hands. “You need to calm down. You’re hurting him.”

  It wasn’t the fact that he was hurting Blake which lead him to release his grasp, but that his actions were hurting Eva. When Kronus opened his hand, Blake dropped to the ground, falling backward to land on his backside. The kraken paid him no more attention; all Kronus’s focus shifted to Eva alone.

  “Thank you,” she said softly. “As angry as I am with him, I don’t want him hurt or…killed.” She glanced at Blake over her shoulder before meeting Kronus’s gaze again. She stroked his cheek. “He isn’t worth…this.”

  Kronus’s awareness of his surroundings rushed back to him. The music had stopped, and there were people gathered all around, staring at Kronus. Some of their expressions were judgmental, some were confused, but the fearful faces struck him hardest — especially those of the human younglings who clung to their parents with wide eyes.

  Blake coughed and staggered to his feet. He held a hand at his throat as he slowly backed away, staring at Kronus. “He tried to kill me!”

  “That’s enough!” called a male human as he wove his way through the crowd. He emerged nearby, his face pink and his eyes wide. Kronus had never spoken to the man, but he knew him as Walter Bailiff, the head councilman of The Watch.

  Ector moved to a place beside Walter, wearing a troubled look on his face. Whispers rippled through the crowd, too low and indistinct for Kronus to decipher. The immediacy of his fury had diminished, but he was still aflame inside. He could not help but turn his head to glare at Blake.

  “I understand that this little…occurrence was, uh, unsettling,” Walter called, tongue slipping out to wet his lips, “but there’s nothing to be frightened about.”

  “He was choking Blake!” someone shouted.

  “Blake was kissing the kraken’s woman!” another person yelled from the opposite side of the crowd.