Chapter Twenty-Four
Mao
Mao needed a moment. He needed just one, single, freaking moment, but it looked as though he wasn’t going to get that for a while.
Watching his mate, in a huge pool, with a big-assed fucking kraken, was definitely not on his bingo card for life, and that’s without the multitude of sensations coming through the bond he shared with his mate.
The krakens were the most dominant, and Mao assumed that would happen no matter where a kraken went or who they were with. It wasn’t strength for power’s sake. Mao got a deep sense of ancient wisdom, of shared pain, and how hard it was to stay hidden in an ever-modernizing world.
Even the fear for their children—Mao could understand now why Alexi decided to have the bunker records destroyed.
That didn’t mean Mao agreed with that decision—he still felt that was unfair on the shifters in those records both living and dead, and clearly Todd hadn’t wanted that either which led to why they were at the krakens’ compound and in this mess.
By the Fates, if those records had been destroyed completely, Ekon could’ve died… Mao tried to shut down that line of thinking, but his mind took him back to when he’d handed Ekon the detonator, and how Ekon had hit that button… Mao had to close his eyes as his vision blurred.
Focus on Ekon. That wasn’t as easy as it might sound when the eternal fae had the power to take over his mate’s body.
That did not sit right with Mao, and he desperately hoped, no matter what the krakens were planning, that the takeover wasn’t permanent addition.
He was mated to Ekon. He was in love with Ekon.
Not some freaking fae who was using Ekon’s body for…
Mao had no idea what the fae’s end game was.
His cat took comfort from the bond he could still feel with his mate. But it was like there was a mass of voices and sensations clamoring around it, all vying for attention, and seriously, it was giving Mao a headache.
He did get a sense of peace coming from Ekon—that was a positive.
Being in the pool with a kraken… Mao didn’t really want to think about that either.
Personally, he didn’t think any normal red-blooded alpha shifter, like himself, would want to see their mate being touched and handled by someone else.
Something else? Mao wasn’t sure what the terminology was when it applied to tentacles.
Mao knew it wasn’t sexual, there was nothing intimate in the handling, and he wasn’t going to be a jealous idiot who got angry because his mate was able to relax with someone else.
Mao desperately wanted Ekon to be well. That was it.
Period. Full stop. If that meant Ekon had to spend time wallowing in the water with a kraken, then that’s what it was.
Even with Mao’s strong focus, other fragments of kraken conversation were coming through.
Mao homed in when someone called Markov was mentioned—another kraken brother.
It was him and his mate Cassius that destroyed the other records…
the ones on Andromeda’s ship, that Todd said they had to find.
Markov and Cassius had gone originally looking for the ship, to find out what had happened to Cassius’s son, Riley.
Was he one of the boys taken for the assassin program?
Mao wasn’t sure, but it was clearly part of the kraken’s story, and Mao did get the impression Cassius got Riley back.
It was fascinating, listening to snippets—so much lore and shared history—and yet it wasn’t coming from direct speech.
It was as if Mao was privy to movie clips of multiple people’s lives, all playing at double speed. It all came through Ekon.
It became evident the krakens shared their own mind links—independent from the links they shared with their mates. There was the human side of the krakens, who couldn’t be ignored.
Mao glanced up, noticing Alexi and the dragons had entered the pool area. Alexi still looked as though he wanted to punch someone, and Todd’s dragons wore unhappy expressions.
All those alpha personalities. How on earth does anyone make any decisions about anything around here.
Rubbing his head, Mao focused on Ekon. Please be all right. Just please be all right.
Mao lost his heart the day after they met, although it was never lost, more given as a gift.
Mao pledged his heart and soul to a wonderful man with a tragic back story, who managed to emerge as both amazingly strong and yet also very fragile.
Mao felt as though he was wading through uncharted waters…
and fuck, there was that word again—water.
Learning they were going to have to go out on a freaking boat, at least Mao hoped it would be a boat because he had no intention of swimming to some godforsaken trench somewhere in the middle of an ocean.
The fact he didn’t like being in the water at all, which included being on it, was irrelevant right now.
If it’s what Ekon needs, I’d swim to hell for him.
After what felt like forever, Todd finally shifted and got out of the pool carefully helping Ekon, who seemed very loose-limbed and relaxed. As Mao went forward to touch him, he braced himself because he wasn’t sure if the eternal fae was still running the show.
Ekon immediately reached up, caressing the side of his cheek. “No, it’s me at the moment. The fae is waiting, but we have to do this. Are you okay?”
And fuck, wasn’t that the twenty-four-thousand-dollar question?
Mao had no idea, and he would never lie to his mate, so he just said simply, “I’m worried about you.
But if going out on a boat is what we need to do, we’ll get this done.
And then we can start thinking about our lives together from that point forward. ”
Because the one thing Mao was sure about was that he was going to use everything in their bond, and in his strength, and in his power, to make sure that Ekon came back from that darned sea trip as unscathed as possible.
“From what I can gather,” Ekon said quietly, as Mao scooped him up into his arms, uncaring he was dripping wet, “is that the healing will happen when all the records are together, when they are all in one place, which is something that hasn’t happened for a long time.
The eternal fae will find his healing and be able to move on to where he needs to go to find peace. ”
“What about you?” Mao asked, noticing that Todd had finished dressing, his clothes sticking to damp skin, and was indicating they follow him.
“We’ve got a room in our part of the building where you two can stay and Ekon can shower,” Todd said, while his two mates came and sandwiched him.
“It won’t take us long to organize the logistics, and we’ll probably be on our way later today.
It’s just a case of us getting all the krakens together as we don’t all live here.
Organizing transportation to get everyone in the same place. ”
“We’ll need stuff for the kids as well,” Lucas added. “Traveling with little ones is never a quick and easy thing to do.”
“You’re taking the children?” Mao juggled Ekon carefully to grab his clothes, then followed Todd out of the poolroom.
As they traveled back through the building at a slower pace, entering a part of the building that was full of light and bright colors until they were led down a carpeted hall past several more doors, Todd explained, “Every member of the kraken line is going to have to be there. Don’t worry about our little ones.
” Todd grinned confidently. “They all love being out on the water. Our biggest problem is going to be keeping them on the boat because we really don’t want to lose them in some of the high waves. ”
High waves? Mao quickly put that thought out of his mind. As far as he was concerned, boats should only ever go out on flat water.
“You can use this suite here, it’s the closest to me.
” Todd opened a door looking pointedly at Ekon making it clear why he was offering it.
“There’s an adjoining bathroom and coffee facilities, and we’ll have some food sent up shortly.
If you need anything at all, the phone on the cabinet is a direct line to me.
Rest up, reconnect as best you can, because I’m warning you now, this trip won’t be easy, but it’s very necessary.
” His gaze lingered on Ekon who had his eyes closed.
Mao couldn’t miss the tinge of sadness in Todd’s tone, and Ekon clearly picked it up as well when his eyes opened and were shadowed with fear.
“This is personal for you, too,” Ekon murmured, staring at Todd.
“It is.” Todd nodded. “I know it doesn’t feel like it right now to either one of you, but you coming here was a blessing.
By going out to the trench…” Todd inhaled sharply, and Ki immediately stepped closer, tugging Todd into his side, a large hand rubbing down his back.
“It feels like one of those full circle moments,” he finished quickly.
Mao felt uncomfortable again, as if he was witnessing an ancient grief that wasn’t his to share. “Thank you for the room, and the food would be awesome.”
Todd was clearly a perceptive kraken. “I know it seems confusing, but all will be revealed. And, on a plus point, you and Ekon get to see one of the rarest sights ever.”
Mao frowned and tilted his head slightly.
“You’ve never lived until you’ve seen all the krakens shifted together and singing,” Ki smirked. “The power levels will give you a hard-on for days. Ouch.” Ki winced as Lucas slapped his arm. “What? It’s true, don’t tell me it’s not.”
Maybe I’m the one who’s dreaming, Mao thought, but fortunately, Todd and his mates left—still bickering—leaving him and Ekon alone.
“Do you feel like having a bath?” Mao asked, dropping Ekon’s things on a chair as he passed, carrying Ekon through to the door he noticed.
In the bathroom, an enormous tub sat in the middle of the room.
“Although, you have just spent all that time in the water…” He really wasn’t sure what Ekon needed.
“I’m making your clothes wet,” Ekon said with a quiet chuckle. “I just like being here in your arms.”
“What was it like,” Mao asked, putting Ekon down on the tiled floor, reaching for a heated towel to drape over Ekon’s shoulders before kneeling to strip the sodden pants off Ekon’s lower body.
“What was it like being in the tentacles of a kraken?” He rose and used the towel to slowly dry his mate and warm him up.
“It was nothing like they write about in stories,” Ekon said, pressing closer, as if instinctively seeking Mao’s scent. “It’s gonna be all right,” he whispered into Mao’s throat, inhaling.
Mao wasn’t sure if Ekon was reassuring himself or Mao, but he’d take it because it was a promise for their future.