Chapter 8
“Move to the left. Faster,” Shen barked. “Use your tentacles to help you slice through the mud, then grab me around the neck.”
Kai did as Shen commanded, using his stronger tentacles to help push his legs through the muddy terrain of the ring. Then, locking his arms swiftly around Shen’s neck, he swung him onto his back.
Mud splattered everywhere.
Shen clambered to his feet, covered in the thick brown goo and laughed, wiping it out of his hair and eyes. “Not bad. Make sure you keep your weaker tentacles out of the way when you lunge.”
“Yeah, they still hamper me when I’m tired.” Kai sighed. They were aching like all hell today, had been since Luna had disappeared nearly a week ago, if he was honest. Ridiculous though it was, it almost felt like his body had gone into mourning since then. Pain had been his constant companion of late, and he knew it wasn’t just the extra wrestling he was doing. That was the trouble with chronic pain; his body still held the trauma memory, even if his mind had mostly forgotten. He only had vague memories of the event, bits and pieces of his mom screaming, of the emergency kraken services and his stay in the hospital. Of being bandaged and hurting and crying.
Over time, he’d learned to stop crying and bear the pain of his shredded tentacles, even though they’d been lifeless. Until finally his parents had buried their pride and taken him to Waldo, Motham’s most famous mage. Physical pain, the warlock had told him during his secret therapy sessions, drawing diagrams on a board, was linked to the emotional part of his brain. The two were intertwined. Inseparable. Which was why when he got sad, so did his tentacles.
So yeah, he got it, but he didn’t like it. Missing a girl he didn’t know, didn’t even like that much except for those tantalizing glimpses of someone else buried deep inside her. But somehow, they’d made magic together when they made love.
It had felt… fated.
Since then, he’d looked everywhere for her, at events, down alleys (yeah, he’d traversed that same alley several times, hoping she’d spring on him from a doorway), but he hadn’t caught a single glimpse of her.
He’d even contemplated visiting that damn orc, Marrick. Going to Club Beast in the East Quarter and begging him for her address. But he couldn’t let Marrick have that much of an advantage over him.
Admittedly, Marrick still hadn’t signed up. Maybe he wouldn’t. But Kai couldn’t risk behaving like a desperate lovesick idiot in front of a potential opponent.
“You wanna take a break?” Shen was looking at him with ruffled brows.
“Yeah—yeah, I guess.” Kai flexed one of his injured tentacles; the scar tissue burned.
“I’ll be honest, Kai, I’ve been worried about you this past week.”
“In what way?” Kai buried his head in his towel so Shen couldn’t see his face drop.
“You seem a bit… flat. Down.”
“It’s nothing, just—I guess the change from sea to being land-based. There’s extra pain from my scars, you know, keeping them hidden in public, and the pull of gravity, but, hey… I’m used to pain.”
“It feels like more than that.” Shen frowned, ducking under the shower and turning on the faucet. Kai watched the brown gloop slide off his turquoise skin.
When Shen got out, Kai took his turn under the wide shower head, welcoming the warm water on his sore muscles. Going over to the control panel on the wall, Shen pressed the keypad and the automatic cover spread back slowly across the ring, keeping the mud at the perfect consistency and temperature until tomorrow, when they would train again.
They moved out of the wrestling room into the brightly lit office next door, with its multiple computer screens, a big modern desk and ergonomic chairs. This was where Shen planned the games. On the walls were framed pictures of past champions. A photo of a young, grinning Shen, holding the first games trophy, twenty years ago, took pride of place over the desk.
Shen had held the title for a full decade before he decided it was time to be with Hana and took up a training role instead.
He was still frowning as he sat down and motioned for Kai to do the same. “You’ve only got me to the dungeon once since you’ve been here, and even then, honestly, I made it easy for you.”
Kai hung his head. “I know.”
The dungeon was the final hurdle. The whole point of the games was for the kraken to pull the other contestant into the dungeon in the center of the ring. Essentially, it was a trapdoor that led into a deep, watery chasm. There, the kraken would hold their opponent until they conceded they were running out of air, and they’d be brought gasping back to the surface, coiled in tentacles.
But… if the contestant managed to free themselves and rise to the surface alone, they were the victor.
Which was exactly what had happened when Marrick won. No one had expected to see that big green head emerge victorious after only two minutes in the dungeon. Kai and all the trainees had stood, mouths agape at the sight of Marrick’s big green fist pumping the air, and Acha nowhere to be seen. Later they found out he’d hunkered down at the bottom of the dungeon, too embarrassed to show his face.
Perhaps that had been his ultimate downfall: not taking defeat with dignity. Because for krakens, honor trumped all else. You fell on your sword with pride.
Kai knew that. But he wasn’t planning to do it.
No way.
He had to pull himself out of this funk. Maybe getting this whole mess off his chest would help.
He opened his mouth, ready to fess up to Shen—and say what, for fuck’s sake? I had a hook-up with a sour-faced little human who blew my body and soul to pieces. Yeah, right. That would go down well. But… but… she’d been like a bomb detonating inside his hearts, just as bad as the device that had injured him years ago.
How would Shen understand, when Kai couldn’t make head nor tail of it himself? Besides Shen would be furious that he’d had sex before the games.
Nope, he couldn’t own up to his indiscretion. “I’ll work on some visualizations to improve my sense of worthiness,” he said. “I think… it’s just been sudden, you know, being told I’d be taking on the role.”
Shen gripped his hand and stared deep into his eyes. “Don’t let self-doubt take hold, Kai. You are more than up to the challenge.”
Kai nodded.
“Let’s eat,” Shen said. “And then we need to check in on new sign-ups.”
As they unwrapped Hana’s gourmet sandwiches, they sat down at the desk and Shen brought up the Kraken Games site.
A pop-up told them three more contestants had signed up.
“Good, we’ve reached our quota,” Shen said.
It was the last day to sign up, and Shen had been worried, Kai knew, that they wouldn’t get as many competitors now that Acha was gone.
Today there was a minotaur for the Purple Lantern District, a griffin, and a rather unpleasant looking wolf with a torn ear.
No orcs.
“Ah,” said Shen, “there’s one other contestant. Last minute, just shy of the deadline.”
He flicked the screen, and the application came up.
The photo made a cry rip from Kai’s lips. He turned it into a cough.
Shen turned sharply to look at him.
“A piece of sea grass,” Kai spluttered, banging his chest.
Shen looked back at the screen. “Luna Storm,” he said, and then flicked to the photo. “Competing for the East Quarter. Gods of the deep,” he muttered as Kai sat beside him, rigid as rock. “Just take a look at that. A freakin’ human.”
Kai felt like he’d swallowed his own tongue. Shen swiveled and stared hard at him again. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost, lad.”
“J-just surprised to see a human apply, that’s all.” Kai finally found his voice, then huffed out a laugh that sounded fake as all hell. “How does she think she’ll be in with a chance?” He scoffed.
“Beats me.” Shen shook his head. “Maybe she’s got hidden talents.”
Kai nearly choked again.
Already he could feel his tentacles winding around those soft limbs, wrestling her in the mud. His cock stirred in his shorts. Was this some kind of cosmic joke?
Was she having a complete lend of him?
Astonishment gave way to a burst of anger. Had she been playing him all along? Was there more to her touch on his tentacles? The way she’d challenged him to shift—and how he’d oh-so-fucking-willingly complied.
He’d shown her his moves. Intimately.
From that one encounter, she’d have learned about his body, his vulnerabilities. While he slept, she’d… she’d… probably looked him up and down, seen every damn scar on his wasted tentacles.
Damn her. Damn her.
Kai’s nails dug hard into his palms as he clenched his fists, his tentacles twitching with pure, unadulterated rage.
But he couldn’t show Shen that he was put out. Understatement. He was fucking gutted right now. Kai tried to focus, tried to stay calm.
Shen began reading Luna’s details aloud, totally oblivious to Kai like a ball of thunder next to him.
“Works on the forklifts in the dock warehouses. Practices martial arts and has been a member of Club Beast for the past three years.”
Kai’s thoughts were whirring. Marrick must be training her. Ha! Fuck buddy? More like training buddy. Or both. He ground his teeth into the inside of his cheek until he could taste the metallic tang of blood.
Shen was slapping his knee now. “Well, you’ve gotta give it to her. She’s prepared to make a fool of herself in front of the crowds.”
“Maybe she’s a spy… planted by the Tween authorities,” Kai burst out.
Shen was silent for a moment, considering. “You reckon that’s possible?”
“Who knows.” Kai winced as he relived the whole night with new eyes. “We’ve never had a human competitor before. Just seems—odd, that’s all.”
“Granted there are more humans in Motham nowadays, but few are linked to high breeds.” Shen blew up her photo on the screen. “And she’s with Club Beast. Marrick wouldn’t harbor a high breed in his club, surely?”
Kai curled his fists tight. “Maybe he doesn’t know.”
“If she works in the warehouse at the docks, folks must know her around here, they’ll vouch for her.”
Kai shifted uneasily. Clearly Shen was not fazed. More amused if anything. Damn it, he really should fess up now, tell Shen about his major fuck-up. Maybe they could turn her down for that reason.
Yeah, right. Shen would go apeshit. Kai would be the one out on his ear.
Gods be damned, he had to go find her, have this out with her.
Shen was reading out more of her application. “If she’s competing for the East Quarter, Marrick won’t be fighting; each region can only submit one player.”
“I still think it’s suspicious. Can’t we disqualify her?” Kai grunted.
Shen fixed him with a quizzical look. “On what grounds?”
“That she’s human, not monster.”
“Are you losing your faculties, lad? There’s no rule against that.”
“Well then, that she’s… she’s…”
“A woman?” Shen’s eyebrows waggled. “C’mon mate, you know we can’t do that. Yeah, if she was kraken we’d have grounds, but with no other species can we dictate that.”
“Maybe I can dig up some dirt on her.” Kai muttered.
“Not your job to do that. Besides, why? Just look at the skinny little whip of a thing. You’ll beat her with one flip of your tentacle, have her in the dungeon before she can catch her breath.”
“It’s just—not right.” In his mind’s eye Kai saw himself pulling her down into the depths. Winding his tentacles around her and holding her in a lock until she ran out of breath. Could he? Would he? Or would he fold just at the sight of her, at the humiliation she’d dealt him. Like so many other humiliations he’d been dealt as a youngling.
If only he didn’t feel stuff so strongly. If only his hearts were harder, his ego bigger. He’d fought that side of him continually in training. If he didn’t toughen up, he wouldn’t be fit to fight, let alone win. Kai closed his eyes, visualized crushing his emotions under a rock as he’d done so many times in training sessions.
He stood abruptly, flexing his tentacles, ignoring yet another spasm in those two bastards.
Shen raised an eyebrow. “Where are you going?”
“Out. I need to go for a walk, get used to this land-based shit.”
Shen still looked at him oddly. “Don’t get yourself into trouble.”
Kai shook his head. “I’m not Acha, remember?”
No, he’d already fucked up more spectacularly than Acha.
And the games hadn’t even begun.