Chapter 10 #3
Macy didn’t have a bulge. He’d expected, after seeing the protruding shaft of a male human, that female humans would be similar — always out, always open — but Macy’s suit gave no hint of the unfurled petals of a female kraken.
“Jax?”
Jarred from his thoughts, he met her eyes. “Yes?”
Macy was silent for a moment. “Um…nothing.”
She turned back to the hologram. Jax couldn’t keep his gaze from dipping. The suit hugged the curves of her backside; the anatomy of her lower body was strange, but tantalizing.
“Sam, I am ready to proceed,” Macy said.
“Great! It’s time to get your mask on. Please place your hands on the sides of the mask and lift it toward your face.
Remember, the bottom of the mask is the part with the small vents — that’s how you’ll receive your air!
Make sure your fingers are away from the edges and move the mask into place around your face. Your PDS will do the rest!”
Macy picked up one of the masks and held it between her hands, uncertainty creeping into her expression. “Okay. Here’s hoping it works…”
She lifted the mask near her face, aligned it, and pulled it close.
Jax clenched his teeth; the suit seemed to move — the fabric around her head shimmer, and the seam between the mask and hood vanished. Macy’s face was pale, her eyes wide.
The hologram flickered and disappeared.
Muscles tense, Jax moved closer, ready to tear the mask off Macy’s face, to rip the suit from her body.
“Okay,” she repeated. Her voice was different, somehow. She sounded more like the ghosts.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
Macy’s eyes shifted to Jax. A soft light inside the mask illuminated her face.
“I’m fine.” She offered him a large smile. “Just…surprised. It’s strange, but I think it’ll work.”
She lifted her left arm and touched the white piece on her wrist. A small hologram appeared in the air over it, filled with shapes and symbols. The symbols moved when she touched them with her fingers; after a few swipes, the mask released with a quiet hiss of air. She took it in both hands.
“Yeah, it’ll work. Just wanted to make sure it came off.” She brought the mask up to her face, and it resealed. Then she paused, eyes drifting upward, and nodded. “Okay, Sam. Thank you.”
“What?” Jax asked.
“You can’t hear him?”
“Hear who? The ghost?”
“Yes. Sam. He’s talking to me in the suit.” She tilted her head. “You can hear me, but not him?”
“I have not heard him since he disappeared, Macy.” The ghost was speaking to her in her head? It made Jax uneasy, but if she trusted it, so would he…though he’d remain wary.
“I guess his voice doesn’t project like mine does.”
She walked to the edge of the island and lowered herself into the water; with the receding tide, it only reached to her middle. Her hands skimmed over the surface.
“It’s so different. Like I’m not even in the water at all,” she said, looking over her shoulder at Jax. “It’s not even cold.”
Jax moved into the water as well. Macy bent down, submerged her arms, and swung them slowly back and forth. He eased himself as deep as his shoulders and swam backward, toward the underwater tunnel.
“This way, Macy.”
The water rose as she followed. She didn’t stop until it reached her neck, head tilted back to keep her chin above the waterline. Her rounded eyes were locked on the dark water before her.
“Macy?”
“I’m…I’m scared.”
He swam to her side and placed a hand on her arm; the suit felt different, now that she had it on, and seemed to vibrate faintly beneath his palm. “What is there to fear?”
She laughed. “Everything. Humans aren’t meant for the sea.”
“And kraken are not meant to exist,” he replied gently, “but that hasn’t stopped either of our people.”
She stared at him, her gaze unwavering. “Will you…will you keep hold of me?”
“Yes.” He moved to her front, facing her, and put an arm around her waist. She hugged his neck and didn’t struggle when he raised two tentacles to support her legs and lift her feet off the bottom.
Slowly, Jax swam backward. Her body tensed. The suit’s low thrum pulsed through him.
“I will protect you, Macy. I will keep you safe. Trust me in this.”
Macy encircled his hips with her legs, holding herself that much closer, and searched his face. She nodded. “I do.”
“Good.” His chest swelled with pride and, something more.
Their position was very near the tangle of limbs that was two kraken mating. His shaft, still hidden, was pressed between her legs. It ached to be released.
Their relationship had changed so much in so short a time; a few days ago, she would’ve slapped him if he laid a finger upon her. Now, she clung to him like he was her rock during a storm. But his physical attraction to her was only a small part of his desire for Macy.
He longed for her companionship. To hear her voice, and listen to everything she had to say, to share his meals with her, to share a den with her.
Jax wanted Macy to claim him as her own.
He wanted to be the one she chose. The one she joined with.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
She inhaled deeply and slowly released the breath. “I’m ready.”
Though her features were drawn, displaying her fear, her eyes remained steady.
She has the heart of a hunter.
Jax smiled and dipped underwater.