“We wait for night fall,” the captain stated. “Now, go and prepare.” Turning his back, he looked out of the window. Standing tall, the captain placed his arms behind his back, looking every bit the part of a pirate.
As the others shuffled off to "prepare", they couldn’t help but chatter.
“No, seriously, what are we stealing again?”
“Do you ever listen?”
“Yes, but the captain never said what we are stealing.”
“Of course he did.”
“Then what is it?”
“Errrrr… I errr, nope, I don’t know either.”
“See, how the hell can we prepare when we don’t know what we are stealing?”
“Shhh, don’t let the captain hear you, just go with it.”
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
“Naa, that’s wind, fart it out and it will be fine.”
“Anyone got a biscuit?”
As the light of the morning streamed into the nursing pool, Jessica’s body protested, she had been up all night.
The night had been long and arduous. In total, ten hatchlings had broken free of their shells and were now splashing away happily within the pools. Jessica may have been bone tired, but she was deliriously happy. She had helped these beautiful babies come into the world and they were stunning. They were each different in colours and markings, with blues and greens all the way to purples and reds. So many variations, their little faces and wide green eyes nearly gave Jessica cuteness overload.
“Are. You. Well?” Dave asked as he approached from carry the last hatchling of the night to the pool. It had taken him a good ten minutes to detach each of the little tentacles from his arm. Each time he detached one, another stuck back on. This little one had been one of the smaller eggs and now saw Dave as more of a mother figure.
It was so adorable that Jessica couldn’t help but smile.
“I am tired, but I’m great,” she admitted and blinked sleepily.
“Thank you,” Dave said, and Jessica turned towards him.
“There is no need to thank me, I should be thanking you.” And that was the truth. Being present at such a time was an honour and a privilege.
Turning, she faced Dave, his handsome face and stunning green eyes were hidden by the fall of his hair over his face. Gently, she reached up and pushed it away.
“Thank you for letting me be a part of this,” she stated, yet when she went to move her hand away, he held it in place, holding it to him as he rubbed his cheek against her palm.
Tingles erupted at his touch, making her heartrate increase. Jessica didn’t try to pull her hand away. In fact, she wanted to get closer. Since the very first moment she saw Dave, she had been attracted to him, who the hell wouldn’t be? But since they had started to deal with the hatchlings, seeing him act so gentle and kind was the biggest turn on for her. She knew he was a Kracken himself and, surprisingly, that didn’t bother her. In their world, shifters were the norm.
"Dave?" she asked gently, and waited for his green gaze to meet her own. The world disappeared, it was only them, even the sounds of hatchlings splashing had vanished as if they had been placed into a bubble.
"Would you…" She paused, changing her mind because she didn’t want to come off as rude. Biting her lip, she stopped herself blurting out the words.
Instead, a large palm cupped her cheek and tilted her head to look up, once again green meeting green.
"Ask," Dave stated simply, his voice deep and calming.
"Can I see… you?” She blushed. "Your true self?"
Dave’s eyes widened, yet he didn’t pull away, she watched as he frowned, looking away before he met her gaze again.
With a single nod he released her cheek, the loss of his warmth was instant, but it didn’t last for long as he took her hand and pulled her out of the nursing pool. Jessica had a job to keep up with Dave’s giant steps, but once they were out of the caverns and onto the small cove, he stopped.
