Did he even know how strong he was?
Her heart thundered in her chest, and every drop of blood in her body sang with longing. She leaned on him, his body holding her up and her body wanting his more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life.
Here was all the overwhelming, brain-melting lust she’d expected from diving into the kraken’s soul. Not deep in the heart of a creature from the abyss, but in the arms of the living man whose soul was entwined with the monster’s. Was entwined with hers.
He’d lied to her to keep her safe. She had to tell him he didn’t need to lie anymore, and he didn’t need to keep her safe, either. The kraken would never harm her.
He tipped her head back, his grip rough with panic. “What did you do?”
“The kraken won’t hurt me,” she tried to tell him.
“Hurt is all the kraken does! It isn’t safe, Carol. It’s a weapon. It was created to kill everything in its path so the Soul-Eater wouldn’t be able to gorge itself on them. To kill everything between it and the Soul-Eater. Anything that stood in the way of its duty. And that’s you, Carol. That’s you.”
“You’re wrong.”
“The kraken never has a mate—”
“I’mright here. The kraken hasme, Moss. You have me.” She grabbed him and kissed him, all soft lips and sharp teeth and bloody desperation. “Don’t you dare take yourself away from me.”
*I have to go. The shadow dragons are gone. If the Soul-Eater is free—*
She softened the kiss but didn’t stop.*Then you’re the only one who can save us. Not your family. I get that they know the history, same as you. But the kraken is the only one who’s experienced it.*
*It’s too dangerous.*
She found his hand and curled her own into it. All those calluses and scars—the life he’d had ripped away from him. Everything he’d lost.
And he was determined that he had to lose more.
That wasn’t fair. And she was sick of life not being fair.
Moss was hers, and she wasn’t going to let any other fate take him from her.
*The kraken said you’re the only one who was ever able to control it. That you CAN control it. You said it’s a weapon. A weapon that YOU wield.*
*What if I’m not strong enough?*
She let out a huff of breath that was more sob than sigh. *Then I’ll swan dive into your head again and set things straight.*
*How can you trust me when I don’t even trust myself?*
*It’s the kraken you don’t trust.*
He gave a hollow laugh.*It’s both of us. I know all my weaknesses. And the kraken knows how to take advantage of them.*
*But you both want the same thing.*
He pulled away and stared into her eyes. “Do we?”
Shadows writhed all around them. She held his gaze.
“You both want to save the world. And you can’t do that hiding in a cave at the bottom of the ocean.”
He closed his eyes and bent his head until his forehead rested against her chest. “I wish I knew whether I believed you because it’s the truth, or because it’s what I want to hear.”
“Move away from the woman and the dragon.” Lance’s voice boomed over the noise of the helicopter. Simultaneously, hespoke into her mind: *Carol, get to a safe distance. We don’t know what this being is capable of.*
But she did.
