Chapter 39
Swimming home with Edith perched on his back felt strangely right. The sea rolled calmly around Spencer’s massive Kraken form as he cut through the water toward Krakens Hole, the nursery cove visible in the distance beneath the cliffs.
Behind them, Dave and Brutas had stayed back to “escort” Gerald toward the mainland. Which Spencer suspected mostly meant terrifying him for several more hours. It was a job Dave was particularly looking forward to.
Edith sat comfortably between the ridges of Spencer’s enormous form, one hand resting lightly against him as the wind tugged through her purple hair.
Every so often she laughed softly when he surged through larger waves, and the sound settled somewhere deep inside him.
She felt like home… his mate, the word still felt unreal and yet it felt completely certain.
Kraken instincts didn’t lie about things like this, neither did the strange peace he felt simply knowing she was safe again. Though, underneath it all, bitterness lingered too.
Mark… Spencer’s chest tightened faintly beneath the water. His brother had betrayed him, drugged him and handed Edith over. But even now, Spencer couldn’t fully hate him for it.
Because he understood why Mark had panicked, they’d spent their entire lives surviving together, never settling or belonging anywhere. Vagabonds, some would say, and Spencer had nearly thrown all of that away without explanation.
Still, it had hurt, the silence between them before Mark vanished beneath the sea replayed in Spencer’s mind over and over. Not a goodbye exactly, but close enough.
Edith shifted slightly against him, her hand resting on his head. “You okay?”
Spencer shook a little. It was new to him that, even now, she noticed his moods. Even in this form. He surfaced a little higher so she wouldn’t need to raise her voice over the water.
His head nodded and yet he swam on as Edith hummed softly. “You’re thinking about him.”
Spencer exhaled slowly through the sea spray. “He’s still my brother,” he finally said, and Edith was quiet for a moment.
“For what it’s worth,” she said softly, “I think he regretted it.” Spencer glanced back slightly, and Edith gave him a small shrug. “He looked miserable.”
A reluctant huff of amusement escaped Spencer. “That’s usually how guilt works.”
“Good.”
Spencer smiled despite himself, he really was gone for her.
The nursery cove came into view fully then, hidden beneath the cliffs near Krakens Hollow.
Pale sand curved around the sheltered water while waves rolled gently against the shore.
Spencer surged forward one final time before beaching his enormous Kraken form carefully onto the sand.
Edith slid from his back first, barefoot against the shore as the sea washed around her ankles.
“You know,” she said thoughtfully, “this has been significantly more dramatic than my average Tuesday.”
Spencer made a low, amused sound before shifting. Magic rolled through him fast and familiar, getting used to the shift now, it was easier than the first time. Water rushed around him as he returned to human form, kneeling in the shallows, and he was naked… again.
Honestly, shifting was fun but also deeply inconvenient. By the time Spencer stood and pushed wet hair from his face, he noticed towels and neatly folded clothes waiting further up the beach.
He blinked once.
“How?”
Edith snorted. “The witches, who have two pet Krakens…”
Spencer chuckled and grabbed the towel quickly, wrapping it around his waist before pulling on the clothes left for him.
Beside him, Edith did the same in comfortable silence, discarding the coat she had borrowed. The morning sun had risen fully now, spilling gold across the cove while gulls wheeled overhead.
For the first time since this entire disaster began, everything felt still, there was no danger and no shouting and no worry. It was just them. Spencer looked toward Edith and she looked back at the exact same moment, then they both spoke simultaneously.
“I—”
“You—”
They stopped instantly as Edith laughed first, and Spencer felt his chest tighten painfully.
“You go,” Edith said.
Spencer rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Why was this harder than any job he had done before?
“I know it’s fast,” he admitted quietly. “Probably too fast. But…” He looked at her fully then, at the purple hair blowing softly in the sea breeze, at the freckles across her nose, at the female who had somehow become essential to him in what felt like moments. “I have feelings for you, Edith.”
There it was, honest and raw as well as terrifying. Edith’s expression softened immediately, then she smiled at him. Small to start with, and yet real. It reached her eyes and he watched them sparkle.
“I know,” she said softly.
Relief hit him so hard he nearly staggered as Edith stepped a little closer. “And honestly?” she admitted, “I have feelings for you too.”
Spencer stared at her. This was his Mate, definitely mate. Edith’s smile turned gentler then.
“And thank you,” she said quietly. “For coming for me.”
The words landed deep, because there had never really been another option. Spencer moved before he could overthink it. Slowly and carefully, giving her every chance to step away, only she didn’t. His hand lifted to her cheek gently, thumb brushing softly against warm skin as he stepped closer.
Edith tilted into the touch immediately. Gods, that action very nearly ruined him.
“I’ve wanted to do this,” Spencer admitted quietly, “since you almost fell off that path.”
Edith snorted softly. “Good to know my near death experiences are romantic.”
Spencer laughed quietly, then finally he kissed her.
It was gentle at first, tentative only for the first heartbeat, then Edith made a soft sound against his mouth and suddenly restraint became significantly harder.
The kiss deepened naturally, warm and aching and filled with every moment they hadn’t gotten until now.
Spencer cupped the back of her head carefully with one hand, while the other wrapped firmly around her waist, pulling her closer against him.
Edith’s fingers tangled instantly into his damp hair and the world narrowed down until only she existed in this world for him.
She kissed him back fiercely enough to steal every coherent thought directly from his brain.
And when she sighed softly against his mouth, Spencer was fairly certain the sea itself purred around them.