He hesitated. He’d learned this as a victory. Why did the words feel so heavy? “They won.Wewon. Shifterkind was saved, and who saved it, and from what, were forgotten.”
“And for hundreds of years—athousand years—whenever the kraken shifter died, one of your family went to take its place?”
“The kraken’s a weapon. In times of peace, it’s best kept sheathed.” He swallowed, his throat thick. “Besides. The Soul-Eater’s still alive. The shadow dragons’ magic keeps it trappedalive, that’s the point. The risk is still there. The prison needs a guard, and the kraken is that guard, waiting to be called.”
“And that’s why you’re not meant to be here. Why you have to leave. Why youdidleave.” The tightness in her voice cut him like a knife through the ribs.
His shoulders slumped. Only the warm pressure of her hand, still pressed on his back, held him up. “I’ve told my family where to find you. And to tell MacInnis where you all are. You’ll be safe. And I…”
Carol took her hand away. The cold where it had been ached.Get used to it, kiddo,he told himself, trying for gruffness, trying to be the bluff warrior he was meant to be. The eternal guard, heading towards his fate with his head held high.
Not lost, alone and already grieving.
Then Carol was in front of him, her hands on his shoulders for less than a heartbeat before she raised them to cradle his face. He fell into her eyes, drowning himself, memorizing the movement of light on her dark irises and knowing it was pointless.
No memory would be as sweet and intoxicating as the reality. And even that memory would fade, becoming something twisted with longing and regret.
The kraken never had a mate, and this was why.
“You said the kraken waits. Where?” Carol demanded.
“The deep dark, below. The edge of the ice. Between the shadow dragons’ fortress and the rest of the world.”
“So it’s imprisoned, too. For hundreds of years. No wonder it felt so… lonely.” Sympathy softened the tense lines of Carol’s face, and shock rippled through him.
“You talked to it?”
“It pulled you out of the sea, Moss. Dragged you out and left you in my arms, after you disappeared on me. You say the kraken never has a mate, well, it sure seems intent on keeping us together.”
“This is my fate. I won’t let you share it. You have a life out here—”
“So do you!”
“I won’t make you come with me.”
“And why do you have to go? You said it yourself. The Soul-Eater’s been imprisoned forcenturies.”
“And if he breaks free, we’re doomed.”
Carol stepped back. Whatever she saw in his face made hope drain from hers. He’d finally found the determination to do what needed to be done, and there was nothing he could do to stop her pain.
“So that’s it? You wait under the sea, forever, for a call that never comes?” She shook her head. “What call, anyway? Everyone who made this plan has been dead for a thousand years!”
“The shadow dragons—”
“The shadow dragons aren’t going to call you.” Her voice was strong and thick with dreadful certainty. “They’re all dead.”
Moss reeled away from her. “No. That’s impossible.”
“Maggie and her uncle are the last ones left. That’s why we’re taking her and the eggs to him.”
“You said they didn’t have any parents. But—” He clawed both hands through his hair. “There must be others. Antarctica is their fortress. The shadow dragon clan has lived there for—for…” His hands dropped. He stared at nothing, numbly. “For long enough for their numbers to dwindle.”
Carol’s face was pinched and white. “You knew dragons existed, but you’d never met one. I thought you knew—” She broke off.
He laughed bitterly. “That they were gone? No. I thought we were each staying in our mythical lanes, grimly abiding by the rules of our ancient pact.”
“Moss—”
