“Kneel for your queen,” I boom, daring anyone to defy me.
Sentries and Counselors cast nervous glances between each other as I stare down Lazell, their unspoken leader, waiting for his next move. His tentacles that usually mimic his surroundings are stiff at his sides, unmoving against the tides. He works his jaw, mulling over his options. Then he dips his head in the barest show of respect.
“Lower,” I order.
He’s tense as he does as I demand, curling his spine in a pathetic attempt at a bow.
“More.”
Satisfaction oozes through me when he bends at his hips, bowing low enough for waves to splash against his face. One by one, the krakens follow Lazell’s lead in a deep bow that, for once, makes me feel victorious.
I may be a king in name only, but today, I have true power. I’ve always longed for this feeling, yet it feels like nothing in comparison to having my mate look me in the eye and accept me, to feel her leave her mark on me and call me hers, as she is mine. That type of power could turn me into the type of male who could fill the sea with corpses.
That type of power is what my people should fear.
Cindi comes up behind me, placing her small hand on my back. “Is it over?” she whispers.
My tentacle immediately wraps around her, and I lift her into my arms, tucking her close to my chest. I nod, heading for our den. “Now I can put a cub in you without worry for your safety.”
Her jaw drops. “You canwhat?”
“You needn’t worry. I’ll take care of you, my little mate.”
“I don’t doubt that for a second.”
A smile stretches across my lips, one she matches. Cindi trusts me, and that’s the greatest gift of all.
EPILOGUE
Vasz
“Ordus. Ordus. Ordus.”
He’s not listening to me, holding on to Cindi as she stares at a…tomb? Boot? I don’t know what the thing is called. She just yells at me whenever I get it wet.
“Ordus. Ordus. Ordus.”
His face twitches, but he’s still not responding. All his focus is on cradling Cindi—and not me, which is highly offensive.
The sun is out, the sand is between my toes, and the waves are calling me. No kraken has dared come near the Island in a long, long, long, long, long time. They are no threat. Why does Cindi and Ordus want to sit beneath the trees and do nothing? It’s so boring.
I stomp my feet to get their attention.
More rejection.
Whimpering, I step forward to nudge Cindi’s arm so she’ll throw the stick, but one of Ordus’ tentacles picks me up and moves me further away. He moves too quickly for me to bite him for such an insult.
Why would he deprive our Queen Mate of something she enjoys so much? She loves throwing the stick—which I find odd. It must be a human thing. I keep having to bring it back to her so she can chuck it again. It gets tiresome very quickly, but it is my duty to keep her happy. If I must catch the stick all afternoon to please her, then that is what I will do.
Ordus hasn’t been letting me be around Cindi as much since her stomach became big and round—sometimes it moves like there’s something trapped inside—another human thing, maybe? My child? Her scent has changed. There’s a faint kraken smell to her. I don’t like it.
She never goes out on her surfboard anymore.
She hates me.
She must.
Why else would she not throw the stick? Why else would she spend all her time with Ordus now? At night, he even banishes me from the den to do something to Cindi—I’m not sure what, but I’m pretty sure he abuses her in there, and I can do nothing to make it stop. All I can do is put myself between them and try to protect her from enduring such pain.
