Chapter 4
Nina
I woke up to bright light coming in through the windows of the cabin. I couldn't believe how well I'd slept!
Sliding out from under Delmar's arm, I half climbed, half dropped out of the bed. Or did you call them bunks if they were on a boat?
Delmar made a sleepy, grumpy sound, found the pillow I'd been using, and tucked it close with a smile. I grinned down at him, tempted to climb back under the covers. Unfortunately, I was fully awake and a morning person. I wanted to move around, not lay back down.
The morning air was cold, making me shiver despite my leggings and blouse. I grabbed the hoodie from the hook and slipped it on. I was delighted to find that it covered me to mid-thigh. It was thick, warm, and smelled like Delmar. Perfect!
I didn't want to disturb Delmar, and I didn't want to leave, so I tugged the curtain to the little bed area shut. It wouldn't muffle much sound, but it would keep the area dark and cozy for him.
I looked around the cabin in the light of day. Except for the mess we'd left on the little table, everything was still as tidy as I’d remembered from last night. I was clear how much care Delmar put into his boat, just like he’d claimed last night.
It was clearly old, but there wasn’t any peeling paint. The cushions on the bench seats were a soft gray and looked almost new. The kitchenette had recently been refurbished judging by the lack of wear on the small countertop.
Wait, was there a bathroom? I was suddenly very aware of my overly full bladder.
There was one door that looked promising. Trying to keep quiet, I eased it open to find a little compartment with a toilet and nothing else. It was small, but extremely clean. That was surprising for a guy living alone.
I did my business, then washed my hands in the kitchen sink. After a little searching, I found toothpaste and several brand-new toothbrushes in the kitchen. Opening one, I brushed my teeth at the kitchen sink. Afterwards I felt good.
I craved coffee though. With my fresh breath, I was tempted to wake up Delmar and see if he’d go to the nearest coffee shop with me.
No, that would be mean. Most people weren’t like me, they didn’t wake up quickly and without a groggy transition.
I felt especially bad because I was the one who kept him up so late.
I was feeling generous because he’d been a perfect gentleman all night.
We snuggled, and he didn’t try to slip a hand up my shirt or down my pants.
Although, I could swear the guy had extra arms because at one point, I’d woken up and thought I was being snuggled by four or five arms wrapped around me.
It was probably a dream.
Wanting to give Delmar a treat, I decided to try making coffee here. Another search of the kitchen cabinets didn’t reveal a coffee maker, only a strange pot that looked a little like a teakettle. I considered ordering some to be delivered. Except how did you put an address in for a boat?
As I debated what to do, I let my eyes wander. I noticed a basket of items tucked away in a corner next to the door. What was this?
Curious, I picked up something that looked like a handheld telescope made of copper. It reminded me of the spyglasses depicted in old movies. Intrigued, I set it down and picked up another item. It was an unbelievably delicate teacup with a leaf pattern around the outside.
Everything in the basket was old, and some things were badly damaged. Did Delmar collect antiques? I’d have to ask when he got up.
A small wooden box caught my eye. Unlike the other items in the basket, I was drawn to pick this one. It was an irresistible impulse.
Once it was in my hand, I was surprised to find that it felt lighter than expected.
The top opened easily, flipping back on delicate, tiny hinges to reveal a silver pendant on a chain.
It gleamed in the early morning light, inviting me to run my finger over its smooth surface.
I wasn't a jewelry person, so I didn't own much.
What I had were mostly pieces I bought during trips that were meaningful to me.
This one was different. Something deep inside me wanted it.
“No!”
Delmar's cry hit my ears at the same time my index finger touched the piece of jewelry. Pain engulfed my body. I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Light enveloped me and for a moment, I was sure I was in the center of a nuclear explosion.
Then nothing.
Delmar
Helplessly, I watched my mate, the center of my world, touch the cursed object. She disappeared in a flash of light and when I could see again, an adorable harbor seal was lying where she’d been standing.
So that was what the curse did—my mate was now a seal.
“I can fix this!” I cried out, dropping to my knees next to Nina’s new form. I gathered her into my arms, relieved to feel her breathing steadily. Fighting tears, I petted her soft, dappled coat. “It’s going to be okay. It’s going to be okay. It’s going…”
My voice trailed off as Nina’s eyes fluttered open. She focused on me and opened her mouth, letting out a soft seal bark. Her eyes went wide, and she let out another bark, as if trying to speak but finding she couldn’t make the same sounds.
“I know this is scary,” I said, talking quickly. “But it’s not permanent.”
Before I could tell her all the ways I was going to get her human body back, her form blurred, and I was holding Nina’s human form.
So not a seal but a seal shifter. Wait, had she been cursed or was she a shifter, and I hadn’t smelled or sensed it on her?
“Nina?”
She sat up, looking around. “What happened?”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “What do you remember?”
“I touched that,” she said, pointing to the box with the cursed necklace on the floor nearby. “Then everything hurt, and I guess I passed out. Then I woke up and couldn’t talk, and now I can talk. This is so odd. I need to go to the hospital.”
Nope, she wasn’t a born shifter. That damn pendant had done this to her. I should’ve left it at the bottom of the ocean, but no, I had to bring it up with the idea I could neutralize it.
“Oh shit, I’m naked! Why am I naked?” she tried to get up, but shifting twice in rapid succession had worn her out.
I grabbed a blanket from the bed and wrapped her in it, then helped her to her feet.
“You’re clothes, um, got ripped,” I said. lifting her to her feet. I kept a hold on her because her entire body was shaking.
She looked down and saw her destroyed clothes on the floor. “Did I do that? Why would I rip up my clothes? That doesn’t make sense.”
“It doesn’t,” I agreed, trying to figure out how to tell my mate I might ave accidently cursed her.
“Did I have a seizure?” she whispered, clutching me. Her legs went out entirely, and I swept her up. She smiled up at me. “This would be so much more romantic if I didn’t feel so weird."
I sat down on a bench, snuggling her on my lap. “You don’t need the hospital. I know what's wrong.”
I expected questions, not panic and aggression.
“You drugged me!” she gasped. “You bastard! Was it in the tea? What did you do to me? Was all the talking a dream? Fuck!”
Even weak and in an awkward position, she landed a shockingly powerful left jab to my face.
Pain made my eyes water, blinding me for a moment. “Please, let me explain!”
I was trying to keep her from falling to the floor, but I didn’t want another fist to the face. Eventually she managed to wiggle out of my hold and slide to the floor. I jumped up and stood in the cabin doorway to keep her from trying to get outside.
“I’m leaving!” she screamed, staggering to her feet. “And if I have to kill you to get out of here, I will!”
I was impressed with her fortitude. After what she’d just gone through, she should be unconscious, not standing and ready to fight me off.
Her threats were also a turn-on. Krakens admired strength and the proper application of violence.
“Let me explain,” I said. “After I’ve told you everything, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”
She looked around and pulled a knife off a magnetic strip in the kitchenette. She held it out threateningly, even as she staggered, barely staying on her feet. My admiration for my mate shot up even further.
“No,” she snarled. “I’m leaving, and you’re not going to stop me.”
I held my arms out to the sides and stepped forward until the knife tip was pressed against my chest.
“I’d never hurt you,” I said. “I swear, all I want is to talk. There are things you need to know.”
She kept the knife where it was, staring at me with determination. With a huff, she relented and dropped the knife away from my chest.
“Talk fast,” she said, taking a step back and slumping down on the bench we’d been sitting on. Shivering, she drew her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, still holding the knife in a white-knuckled grip.
When she’d shifted, she’d shredded all the clothes she’d been wearing. I grabbed a soft fleece blanket and held it out to her.
She watched me with a wary expression but accepted the blanket and wrapped it around herself. I hated how pale and frightened she looked.
“Talk,” she demanded.
I nodded, took a deep breath, then spoke. “I’m a kraken. I can shift into a giant creature that looks like a cross between an octopus and a squid.”
She blinked, her face blank, then she burst out laughing. “Of course this would happen. I think I’ve met the perfect man only to find out he’s insane.”
“I’m perfect?” I asked, feeling a smile tug on my lips.
“Focus,” she snapped. “Finish telling me all your crazy beliefs so I can leave.”
“I’m not crazy or insane,” I said. “I’m going to show you something. Try not to freak out.”
She rolled her eyes, then watched me expectantly. I braced for her to scream, and I let my tentacles emerge from my back.
Her eyes went wide, and her jaw dropped.
“I don’t want to take my full shape,” I said, grabbing one of the tentacles in both hands and hugging it to my chest. I used to do that a lot when I was young as a way to soothe myself. “I can’t talk when I’m in my kraken form.”
“I didn’t dream it,” she whispered.
“Dream what?” I asked, cautiously optimistic by her lack of panic.
“I felt those,” she said, pointing to one of my tentacles. It waved at her with the tip, making a slight smile appear briefly on her face. “Last night, when we were snuggling, I thought I felt extra arms around me.”
“They must’ve snuck out while I was asleep," I admitted.
She bit her lip, entirely focused on one of my waving limps. “This is real. I’m not asleep. I can touch, smell, hear, and see. This isn’t a dream.”
“It’s not,” I agreed, relieved that she seemed to be adjusting quickly. It wasn't every day that you found out mythical creatures existed.
She was silent for almost a minute before she uncurled her hands from around her legs and dropped her feet to the floor. She didn’t put the knife down.
“Can I touch one of your, um, tentacles?”
All of them wiggled with excitement except for the one I was still hugging. “They’d like that.”
I stepped closer, and she reached out her free hand to run her finger down the end of a tentacle.
Another one wrapped loosely around her wrist, and a third one patted her shoulder.
She wasn’t upset when the tentacles touched her and even set the knife aside so she could explore them with both hands.
“What did you mean when you said they’d like that? That makes it sound like they have a mind of their own.”
I let go of the one I was hugging so it could also touch her.
“They kinda do. They each have tiny little brains, so I don’t have to control so many limbs at the same time.
They aren’t going to be doing algebra or anything, but they can explore and grab without me individually controlling them. They mostly do what I want them to.”
“Mostly?” she asked with a chuckle. Her expression suddenly went from amused to angry. She grasped one of them in a grip that was almost painful and met my gaze.
“Did you change me into a kraken thing?”
I shook my head. “No! That’s not possible. We aren’t vampires, we can’t change someone into one of us.”
“There are vampires?” she asked, then shook her head. “No, focus,” she grumbled to herself. “If you didn’t turn me into a kraken, then what happened earlier? Why did it feel like my entire body had changed shape for a few minutes? When I tried to talk, the wrong sound came out.”
I pointed to the box on the floor. “I think that did it. It’s a cursed object. When you touched it, you changed. Could you let go? You're hurting me.”
She opened her hand as if my tentacle had burned her. “Oh, I'm sorry. I didn’t realize I was doing that.” She eyed the box lying on its side. “Did you know that piece of jewelry would turn me into a, um, what am I?”
“You turned into a seal shifter,” I said. “This probably doesn't help, but you are the most adorable harbor seal ever.”
“That explains the bark,” she said. “My question is still valid. Did you know what would happen if I touched that?”
“I didn't,” I said. “I can sense magic and curses, but I'm not able to know what they'll do. I found it during one of my dives. I planned to take it to a bruja to have it taken care of so no one would find it and get hurt, except you touched it. I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
I blinked rapidly, feeling so guilty that I had to fight back tears. Nina pushed a tentacle out of her way and cupped my cheek.
“Hey, I know this is crazy, but I believe you,” she murmured. “Do you think this bruja could fix me?”
Eagerness made it easier to push back the tears. “Hopefully. I'll call her.”
Nina opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted when her stomach growled loudly.
“And breakfast,” I said. “We need to feed you plenty of food to help your body recover from all that happened.”
She blushed and nodded. “It's strange, but I want pancakes and sardines.”
I chuckled and urged her to sit back down. “You're a seal shifter, that's not weird at all.”
I made all my tentacles pull back into my body before rushing over to my pantry. I pulled out three tins of my favorite sardines and brought them to her with a napkin and fork.
“Here, give them a try.”
She took them and didn't even hesitate to open one of the cans and start eating.
“This is so gross, but it tastes so good,” she grumbled.
“Don’t worry, you'll be back to your old sardine-hating self soon,” I promised.
I added a silent I hope and turned my attention to making the best pancakes she'd ever had.