Now that I’ve calmed slightly, I propel myself along with my tentacles. It’s kind of weird but also fun and fast. Before I know it, I’m shooting up the tunnel and surfacing in Nikos’s pool. Pulling myself up onto the platform, I drag in fresh air and feel my gills automatically seal as I dry off.
My heart is still racing after my close encounter with Saxon, and I find myself having the same thoughts as I try to digest what happened. I’m not sure what to do. Is this a one-time thing where once he’s gotten the scent of my blood out of his system he will go back to normal? Or is this a permanent state and he’s going to hunt me to the ends of the galaxy?
My sex starved body is telling me to turn my ass around and let him impale me with whatever he wants to. You know, fangs or cock or tongue. I’m really not fussy, but the sensible, values her life side of me is telling horny me to fuck off. We don’t want to die today. It’s seriously like those cartoons where there’s a devil on one side and an angel on the other.
I try to reach Xavier again, but he’s still on another call. I’m about to try calling Caspian to find out where he is, because his kraken would protect me from the vampire, but I hear voices in the living area above me.
“What are you doing here, Saxon?” I can hear Nikos’s grumpy tone echo down into the cavern. “Why are you in my home?” I look upwards and realize that this pool links to the top through a shaft with a set of stone steps that circle up the wall. If they look over the edge, they will see me. Shit!
“Lila is in your pool. You have her. I want her. Give her to menow,” Saxon growls, and I hear Nikos click his tongue at him in admonishment.
“No, Saxon. Caspian told me we do not kidnap and ravish females anymore. You must invite them to have sex.” I can’t help but smile as Nikos repeats the words that Caspian scolded him with. “I also do not think she would want you to drink from her when you are in such a frenzy. Go away and come back later.”
“You dare to wave a weapon at me?” Saxon sounds outraged. Maybe it’s his dick. With Nikos, you can never know for sure, but I wish I could see what is going on.
“You are not thinking clearly, and when you do, you will be upset if you hurt Lila.” Nikos doesn’t raise his voice, he just states his opinion in a matter-of-fact way.
A roar echoes down the tunnel. I don’t think Saxon is impressed with Nikos’s logic.
“What is that racket?” A cute, tinkling voice joins the conversation. “What are you doing in our home, sanguinista?”
“Lila is in the pool, and I want her,” he demands again. “Give. Me. Lila.”
“Lila? The boss men’s granddaughter?” Suddenly, a head with beautiful golden hair and eyes peers over and down the shaft that leads to the pool. It’s Nixie, Nikos’s sister, and she smiles and waves. I give her a sheepish grin and wave awkwardly. Her face disappears, leaving me to listen again. “So she is. Well, you can’t have her. Get your shit together and come back once you’re calm. Seeing you like that is enough to frighten anyone, let alone someone who only thought they were human a little over a week ago.”
Another raging growl echoes through the pool as I watch the water ripple from the vibration.
I don’t think this is going to end well for my Aquilian protectors.
“She is my blood rose, and I am not leaving until you give her to me.” He mentions that phrase again, and something tickles the back of my mind. I’m sure Magenta said something about that, but I can’t remember what it was.
“Oh, well that explains your reaction.” Nixie sounds surprised.
“No kidnapping and ravishing. Caspian said so,” Nikos repeats, and I hear Nixie reassure him.
“No, not without enthusiastic consent at least. Sometimes a woman enjoys a good ravishing,” I hear her tell her brother.
“They do? Hmm, I will take that into consideration.” He sounds thoughtful, and I giggle despite the serious circumstances. I wonder why Saxon hasn’t just pushed the two Aquilians out of the way and flashed down. Whatever weapons Nikos wields must be serious, and it’s clearlynothis dick, because Nixie would have reacted.
“Go see Link and ask if he can mute the reaction for the moment. Someone needs to explain what is happening to Lila. The poor girl is having so much thrown at her at once—mated, pregnant, and then that asshole dragon, not to mention lost grandpas, heir to an alien circus, and well, just everything. No wonder she’s hiding at the bottom of our pool. I’m surprised she’s not curled up like a coloomy shell and sobbing.”
I hear Saxon growl once more. “No, I am not leaving. I will wait until she comes out if you won’t let me through.” I wonder how he got to their house. I didn’t hear him enter the water, and I think that’s something I would have picked up in shifted form, but there are no dry paths leading to the homes in the middle of the pool. Holy shit, I wonder if he can fly.
“Fine, then you give me no choice. I’m sorry, Saxon.”
A beautiful, haunting melody rings through the rock chamber, and I find myself swaying in time to it, my eyes drooping and my body relaxing. My tentacles become pliant, and I flop down. It’s so freaking weird not to have legs. I actually haven’t had a good chance to explore this shifter body, but I guess now is not the time. I make a mental note to shift at home in our tub and get Caspian to give me the rundown on kraken biology.
There’s a shout and a thud, and then I hear Nixie and Nikos again as that dreamy feeling leaves me. “I’ll alert Link that we need him. He’ll know how to deal with the unconscious Vilaxian and hopefully mute Saxon’s need for Lila until someone can explain to her what it means.”
“I will go and see if Lila is okay,” Nikos tells his sister.
“Fine, but remember consent is crucial, Nikos. Say nice things to her, and smile without your sharp teeth. That’s enough to scare anyone who’s not Aquilian. And don’t be...” She trails off.
“What?” he asks.
“You. Don’t be you. Be a nice version of you if you want to tempt this woman to swim with you and maybe stroke your fins.”
“I don’t want her to swim with me, I want to fuck her.” Now that the melody has stopped, I’m more lucid again, and I snort when I hear him say that.
