Dracchus’s answer touched something deep within Kronus; he understood those conflicting drives all too well. Leaving Eva to join in this hunt had been amongst the hardest things he’d ever done — a fact made ridiculous if he paused to consider the many difficult and dangerous tasks he’d undertaken in his lifetime.
They sailed onward, steered by Camrin’s steady hand, and easy conversations flowed between the periods of companionable silence. It was a strange journey for Kronus, but he welcomed the company. They were all on the water for the same goal, regardless of their species or their past relations. That was something in which to take pride; they’d come a long, long way over the last few years.
Old electric lights were illuminating the dock when the boats finally sailed into the bay. The gently bobbing structure glowed like a beacon on the dark water, a heartwarming sight after a long day of hunting.
After the boats were tied off, the kraken dove into the water and quickly saw to the razorback, removing the harpoons and spear before hooking it to the crane tethers. The fishermen on the dock hauled the body out of the water and into the air once it was secured.
Humans and kraken worked together to butcher the creature, cutting slabs of meat from its massive body to be stored for later use. Kronus remained until that work was done; the final task was to lift the bundled meat up to the warehouse using a larger crane situated atop the cliff, but the humans were more than adept enough to accomplish the task on their own.
The dual moons had risen above the town by the time Kronus and the other kraken — minus Dracchus, who chose to travel by land with Larkin and Randall — dived back into the water. They swam around the cape and along the coastline, keeping near to the surface and in formation in case of any lurking razorbacks. The journey proved uneventful.
Kronus lifted his gaze as he moved out of the water, sweeping it over the pale, silvery sand and shadowed cliffs to the dwellings atop the ridge. Lights — all produced by flames, as there was no electric power out here — burned in some of the windows, welcoming their males home.
Turning his head, he looked at the last house in the row, the house he shared with Eva. His brow furrowed; the place was shrouded in darkness, reduced to a lump of shadow atop the night-shrouded cliff.
Unease coiled its tentacles through his gut, slithering and cold. Eva should have been home already. He hurried his pace across the sand, offering distracted answers to queries from his companions that he didn’t really hear in his suddenly frantic state.
This was her first day of work in weeks. She is tired and went to sleep. I cannot fault her for that, especially as I am always telling her to rest.
That was the simplest, most likely explanation.
Yet his hearts beat faster than usual, and his eyes continually drifted toward his home, even when he drew too near the cliff, and it was blocked from his view by the rock face.
Or she is visiting with one of the other females. I cannot keep her all to myself, however much I long to. Humans are a social people.
His mind leapt back to the day she’d taken herself to the beach in her wheelchair and attempted to crawl into the sea. That had been her lowest point, but she’d come back from it, hadn’t she? Kronus shoved the possibility aside; she would not have done that again, not after all her progress. Not with how close they’d grown and all they’d shared. She was happy.
He waved to the others after scrambling up the rocks and onto the ridge, wasting no time in darting home. Rocks and vegetation bit into the undersides of his tentacles, but he ignored the stinging pain. Though part of him knew he was overreacting, it was just as he and Dracchus had discussed — it was instinct.
He would open the door and rush inside to find her sleeping peacefully in their bed. The noise of his entry would likely disturb her slumber, and he would quickly rinse the brine from his skin in the shower before joining her in bed, feeling like a fool for all his worry.
When he reached his dwelling, he forced himself to stop and release a long, slow breath. He opened the door quietly and slipped inside. The moonlight flowing through the windows created long patches of light across the floor. The bedding was rumpled, but Eva was not in bed. A strange smell hung in the air, mingling with so many familiar scents that he could not place it. Perhaps she’d brought home a plant to eat that he’d not yet encountered.
“Eva?” he called. His voice seemed thunderous in the small, relatively quiet space.
When she didn’t answer, he moved to the bathroom and pushed the door open. He was greeted by more silver moonlight and black shadows. Within the light rested Eva’s prosthetic leg. Kronus spun about, panic flaring in his chest like a fire splashed with fresh oil. His gaze darted to the bed again; it was only from this angle that he noticed her crutches on the floor, one laid atop the other.
Heat prickled across the surface of his skin.
“Eva!” he shouted.
Kronus rushed to the bed, grasped the blankets, and tossed them off — as though she might somehow have hidden herself among them. The fabric fell to the floor over and around his tentacles. It was only then that he identified the odd smell; it was on the blankets, brushing directly against his suction cups.
Alcohol.
It was a drink many humans seemed to enjoy, but it made their minds…muddled. Eva had not partaken in such beverages while she’d been with him…
Dread solidified low in his belly as he coiled his tentacles around the bedding, seeking every smell, every taste, that clung to it. Most were known to him, familiar reminders of his life with Eva. But there was more — not just that bitter whiff of alcohol, but a masculine scent, stale sweat mixed with something pungent and foul.
Rage fanned the flames of his panic. Eva was gone, but she hadn’t left of her own will. He wadded the blankets and hurled them aside, arms trembling with impotent fury. Turning, he stalked toward the door only to halt abruptly on the other side of the bed. His tentacle had touched something moist and sticky, something with a metallic tang.
He raised his tentacle into the moonlight. The blood coating it glistened in the silver glow.
A sudden, immense pressure in his chest stilled his hearts and stole his breath. His blood seemed colder than the air in the storage rooms of the Facility, where water turned solid. He’d tasted her blood before, when he pulled her out of the water after the attack. There was no question this was hers, too.
A thousand thoughts blasted through his mind in that instant — guesses about where his mate had been taken, about what fate might have befallen her, torrents of guilt for having left her alone, dozens of actions to consider. He rejected all of it.
Instinct, fury, and love; those were what he clung to, those were all that could help him find Eva and make her safe again. He would not allow himself to imagine what harm she might have come to, not now. Without wasting another moment, he burst out of the dwelling, nearly knocking the door off its hinges, and roared into the night.
The sound exploded from his burning chest, tore apart his throat, and reverberated through the night sky, so powerful it seemed likely to shake the moons and drown the ocean’s whispers forever.
He hoped Blake heard it. Hoped the man was shaking with fear of what would be hunting him.
Chapter 19
Moonlight shone on the grass along the ridge, granting the illusion of countless thin, gleaming knives jutting from the dirt. Were they as dangerous as the night made them appear, Kronus would have plucked each and every blade with the intent of driving their points into Blake’s flesh one by one.
Ghostly lantern lights bobbed on the path ahead, held aloft by dark figures — his neighbors, his people, but they were not who he wanted to see. He needed to find Eva, to take her in his arms and never release her. He needed to find Blake and draw the man into a different sort of embrace, one that would be relinquished only after the final, rattling breath escaped his frail human lungs.
But where are they? Where has he taken her? Where is his home?
“Kronus?” someone called from just ahead, raising a lantern. The light momentarily blinded him.
He growled and lifted a hand to shield his eyes. “Move aside. I must find her.”
“What is wrong?” another person asked; Kronus recognized the voice as Vasil’s.
“He took her, and I must go!” Kronus shouted. His skin was red, with fire coursing over its surface, and his hearts beat hard enough that they threatened to break his ribs. “She is hurt.”
“Kronus, you must calm down,” Ector said, hands raised in a placating manner.
“I will not be calm,” Kronus grated through clenched teeth. “She is mine, and she has been taken! Now move aside.”
Two more figures raced to join Ector and Vasil. Macy and Jax.
“What’s going on?” Macy asked, worry etched on her features. “I heard yelling.”
“Eva is gone,” Ector replied with a deep frown.
“Gone? I just walked her home a couple hours ago.”
“Taken,” Kronus growled.
Why wouldn’t they stand aside? Why were they leaving him no choice but to go through them?
“But that can’t… I just saw her!” Macy’s eyes widened. “Blake! We had a run in with him on the way home. He was confrontational and kept trying to grab her. He was drunk, but I didn’t think he’d do something like this.”
Kronus surged forward. Macy started and flinched back, but not before he clasped his hands on her upper arms. His muscles were tense with desperation. “Where is he?”
Macy cried out, hissing through her teeth as her features tightened in pain.
Jax moved in a blur. His fist connected with Kronus’s jaw hard enough to send the ochre kraken reeling. Kronus’s hands slipped from Macy’s arms, but he recovered quickly; the pain on his face was distant and unimportant, little more than a dull throb.
Before he could reach for Macy again, strong arms looped around his own from behind, hauling him backward. Jax charged at him, but Macy stepped between them, putting her hands against Jax’s chest. He halted as though he’d hit a cliff.
“Jax, stop!” Macy yelled.
Kronus struggled against the restraining arms, but whoever held him wrapped their tentacles around him to limit his movement further. “Release me! I must find her!”
“You do not touch my mate!” Jax roared.
Meeting the other kraken’s gaze, Kronus lunged forward. The males restraining him grunted as they fought to keep hold.
“That’s enough, Kronus!” Macy snapped, then turned back to Jax. “The fighting needs to stop now.”
“He hurt you!” Jax snarled.
“I’m fine. He’s worried about Eva.”
“He is out of his mind. He does not get to put his hands on you, ever.”
“If it were Macy missing,” Kronus said, “you would be the same. You are not that much better than me, Wanderer.”
Jax’s eyes burned with reflected light from the lanterns. There were more people gathered now, but Kronus didn’t look at them. They didn’t matter.
Macy reached up and cupped Jax’s face, drawing his attention back to her. “You know what he says is true. You would have fought all your people for me. In some ways…you did.”
Jax pressed his lips into a tight line, brow furrowing.
“Please,” Kronus said, casting his pride away. He relaxed, ceasing his struggles, knowing they would do him no good. “I need to find her. She is hurt, and in danger. I need her.”
Macy turned toward him. “I can show you Blake’s house, but I need you to promise me something, Kronus.”
“Anything, as long as she is safe.”
She approached Kronus, shaking off Jax’s hand when he reached for her. “No matter what you see, or what happens, you can’t kill Blake. Things are different here, and the alliance between the kraken and humans is still new. We have our own way of dealing with people who have done wrong.”
Kronus clenched his fists. His claws bit into his palms, but he barely felt the pain. “If she lives, you have my vow.”
Though he hadn’t allowed himself to acknowledge it yet, he’d known, deep within, that Eva’s death was a possibility in this situation. He didn’t want to think about it, didn’t have time to. But now it was there, now it was undeniable, and he could not ignore it.
His chest constricted as he leaned forward, overcoming the strength of the kraken restraining him for a moment. “If she is lost to me, I will kill him, Macy. Not you or anyone else will stop me. And once he is dead, your people may do with me as they wish.”
Macy frowned and looked back at Jax briefly. “I don’t believe he will kill her, Kronus. But please remember your vow. You need to choose whether your revenge is more important, or Eva.”
“Take me there. Now.”
She looked at Ector. “I need you to get Councilman Bailiff. His home is just behind the town hall. Tell him to go to Blake Denzen’s home, and that he is possibly holding Eva captive.”
Ector nodded, cast a final glance at Kronus, and hurried off; despite his age, he moved with swiftness and surety.
“No more wasting time,” Kronus growled. He tugged on his arms again, and his captors released their hold on him. Rolling his arms at the shoulders, he held his gaze on Macy, ignoring Jax’s glare. “Lead, female.”
Macy turned and stepped around Jax, shifting her attention to Rhea, who had been observing from the grass on the side of the path with her daughter, Melaina, beside her.
“Could you watch Sarina and Eros?” Macy asked.
Rhea dipped her chin. “I will.”
Macy thanked her and hurried along the path toward the jungle. Kronus followed, falling into place behind Jax, who seemed intent on serving as a barrier between his mate and Kronus. Many other kraken followed, their tentacles rustling the grass and vegetation around the path.
Just inside the jungle, they came across Randall, Larkin, and Dracchus. The trio joined without hesitation; Ector had passed them only a short time before and had explained the situation.
The group continued through the jungle, the few lanterns amongst them often overpowered by the blue glow of the surrounding plants. If the hidden creatures in the vegetation made any sounds, Kronus paid them no mind, keeping all his focus on Eva. His hearts did not slow, and he found himself bristling at the pace of travel; they needed to move faster.
Macy increased her speed once they emerged from the trees. The pastures passed on either side, dark and silent, and soon the group crossed onto the first of the town’s paved roads. Kronus kept no track of the turns Macy led them through. The beating of his hearts grew louder and louder as he followed her, and the heat under his skin intensified further.
He’d given his word not to kill Blake.
Could he keep it?
“This is it,” Macy said as they approached a small residence; it was one of several similar structures nestled along the road, with little to distinguish it from its fellows apart from the potted plants set out front — while the other homes displayed healthy green and purple plants, these were brown and wilted.
Ector and Walter arrived — along with several other townsfolk — as Kronus moved to the front door.
“Are you sure about this?” Kronus heard Walter asking. “This is an awful big ruckus to stir up without any—”
Kronus slammed his shoulder into the door, throwing all his weight behind it. Wood snapped and splintered as the door burst inward, dangling by a single hinge.
Clothing and trash lay scattered about the place — soiled shirts, empty bottles, crumpled papers, and at least one half-eaten meal. The air was sour with the odor o
f alcohol and human sweat.
“What the fuck?” called a familiar voice. Blake. He skidded into the main room and looked at Kronus, the color draining from his cheeks. Fresh red scratches and welts covered his bare chest. With a curse, he fled into the room from which he’d emerged.
Kronus gave chase, ignoring the voices behind him. Grasping the door frame with hands and tentacles, he pulled himself into the bedroom only to halt just past the threshold.
Eva was sitting on the bed within, her hands behind her back and legs bound together at her knees. A wad of cloth was tied around her mouth. Dried blood matted her hair and clung to the side of her face. Her eyes widened as they fell upon Kronus, and she released a muffled cry, struggling against her bonds.
Blake stood on the other side of the bed behind her, a long-bladed knife in one hand and a wild gleam in his gaze. He held the weapon toward Kronus. “Stay away!”
Kronus gritted his teeth and advanced. He’d taken worse than what Blake could do with the knife; so long as Eva was safe, Kronus could accept a few new wounds.
Eyes rounding, Blake retreated a step. He glanced at Eva, and his eyes hardened. Blake darted to the bed, grabbed hold of her, and pulled her back against his chest. Grasping a fistful of her hair, he tugged her head back and pressed the blade of his knife to her throat. A pained, frightened cry escaped her, muted by the cloth.
Kronus stilled. That terrible, cold fear arose within him again to war with the heat of his fury.
“I said stay back!” Blake yelled. “I won’t let you take her from me again. She’s my wife!”
Eva’s nostrils flared with heavy breaths. She held Kronus’s gaze and carefully shook her head.
A gentle movement of air at Kronus’s back told him some of the others had entered and were standing behind him. He didn’t move any farther into the room, didn’t adjust his position to allow anyone else entry. There was no guessing how Blake would react if he were suddenly confronted by two or three kraken instead of just one.
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