Tia
I wake up slowly in a bed that feels too big and too cold. My hand reaches across the sheets searching for the solid wall of muscle that held me through the night. Nothing. Just empty space and cool fabric. My eyes snap open. The room looks the same but Kraken’s gone.
Kevin sits on the nightstand right beside the bed.
His little spider plant leaves stretch toward me like a quiet hello.
A smile breaks across my face before I can stop it.
Kraken brought him in here for me. The big scary biker president who barks orders and carries guns actually carried my houseplant so I wouldn’t wake up alone.
Or maybe Kevin sprouted legs and walked himself across the compound.
The ridiculous thought makes me giggle out loud.
Either way the gesture feels huge. Warmth spreads through my chest like sunshine after a storm.
Fuzzy butterflies tumble around in my stomach.
He thought of me. He did something small and sweet in the middle of all this darkness.
I hug my knees to my chest for a second and just smile at Kevin. "You have a soft spot for grumpy bikers too, huh buddy?"
I slide out of bed and pad into the bathroom on bare feet.
My ankle feels better this morning. I splash water on my face and brush my teeth.
My reflection looks rumpled and wide eyed but somehow lighter than yesterday.
I pull on clean shorts and a soft tank top from my backpack.
The cartoon kraken on the bag watches me with its sunglasses.
The door opens just as I finish. Kraken fills the frame. Tall and broad and radiating that alpha energy that makes my knees feel unreliable. His eyes sweep over me once.
"We’re leaving the compound," he says. His voice sounds dangerously quiet. "It’s no longer safe here."
My stomach flips. "Leaving? Right now? Where are we going?"
He steps inside and closes the door behind him. The space shrinks with him in it. "I’ll tell you along the way. We move fast."
I nod even though questions bubble up fast in my head.
He doesn’t offer more and I know better than to push right now.
I grab the last few things from around the room.
My mismatched socks go into the bag. Kraken watches every move I make.
His presence feels steady. Protective. Like no matter where we go he’ll keep the bad things away.
I zip everything up and sling the bag over my shoulder.
Kevin comes with me of course. I tuck him carefully into the side pocket so his leaves don’t get crushed.
"Ready," I say after a minute. My voice comes out softer than I mean it to.
He takes my backpack from me without asking.
His fingers brush mine and send little sparks up my arm.
We walk down the hall together. The compound feels tense and quiet.
Men move with purpose loading bikes and trucks.
No one stops us. Kraken leads me out to the lot where his Harley waits.
Black chrome gleams under the morning sun.
The engine looks like it could eat miles and spit out trouble.
He swings a leg over the seat and holds out a helmet to me. "Put this on."
I take it and slide it over my head. The fit feels snug. Safe. I climb on behind him and wrap my arms around his waist. Solid muscle meets my hands.
"Hold on tight," he says over his shoulder.
The engine roars to life beneath us. The vibration climbs up my thighs and settles deep in my chest. Kraken pulls out slowly at first then picks up speed as we leave the gates behind.
Razor wire and floodlights fade in the mirrors.
Key West shrinks behind us. Salt air whips around us.
I squeeze him tighter and watch the road stretch out ahead.