Page 30 of The Kraken's Queen

“You’re welcome,” he murmurs as he pulls away. I’m instantly filled with disappointment, but for what? More gentle kisses? More…something else?

Oblivious to—or overlooking—my despondency, Allarick gestures to the washroom door. “There shouldbe sleeping attire in there for you. I’ll wait out here while you get ready for bed.”

Reluctantly, I pull away from his grasp and disappear into the washroom. A small vanity and a glass tub make up the room. There’s a toilet in an alcove and an opening I gather is the closet. Clean pajamas await me on the vanity, a silky lavender set with shorts and a camisole. A mixture of soaps, lotions, combs, and other hygiene products clutter the vanity, and I take my time preparing myself for bed.

By the time I’m finished in the bathroom, I smell of eucalyptus and rosemary. My legs and arms are soft to the touch, and I may have doused my neck and arms in perfume. Totally for me and not for the kraken awaiting me in the bedroom. When I walk out, I’m sad to see Allarick in long pants instead of the skintight shorts he had on earlier. He’s lounging on the couch, a pillow propping his head up and a blanket draped half over him and half over the back of the couch.

Allarick hears me exit the bathroom and turns to look at me, smiling, eyes scanning over my body. “Those look nice on you. Do you like them?” he asks, genuinely curious.

“I do. They are so soft. Did you pick them out?”

Allarick laughs. “I wish I could take credit, sweet girl, but no. I sought help from the Dragon King and his wife.”

“Did you just say Dragon King?” As if my reality wasn’t just flipped on its axis. There’s so much more to Mescos than I thought, and I have so much more to learn.

Allarick nods. “I did. There are wolves, demons,pixies, and fae too. I’ll tell you all about them another day.”

“I’ll keep you to that,” I say before climbing into bed.

“Please do.” Allarick adjusts himself on the couch. It’s not particularly big, and his large frame is constricted. His feet hang off one end of the couch. That can’t be comfortable.

Meanwhile, I have a bed that could easily accommodate four people plus myself. “You should have taken the bed, Allarick. I fit on the couch better than you can.”

“I’m not letting the future queen of Tetria sleep on the couch the first night she’s here—or any night. No, Erin, I’ll take the couch. I’m fine.” He pulls the blanket up around him for emphasis.

“Yeah, see, that would be way more convincing if half your body wasn’t dangling off the couch. Why don’t you just lie in bed with me?” My cheeks redden, but that’s only because the thought of Allarick in bed with me is…well, appealing.

“I wanted to give you your space. You don’t need to feel obligated to share a bed with me,” he says, but his voice has gone all gruff again. I realize he does that when he gets flustered.

“I don’t feel obligated. It’s a big bed, Allarick. And, honestly, you bring me comfort. I think I’ll sleep better knowing you're close and not trying to stuff yourself into a couch you clearly don’t fit on. No offense.”

Allarick chuckles. “None taken.” He sits up but doesn’t stand right away, almost as if he’s waiting on me to change my mind. For all my faults, and I have many, I don’t fear sharing a bed with another person. It’s alwaysbeen natural to me to have someone else in bed. I don’t like being alone, and I’ve felt that way for so long. James's presence in bed wasn’t comforting, but I also hated being alone. It made little sense, but my body craved the warmth of another person.

When Allarick realizes I’m not backing down, he finally gets up and approaches the opposite side of the bed. The whole time, his attention is on me, even as he gets under the covers and lies down, body angled toward me. There’s still a good amount of space between us, but I feel better knowing he’s here. I’ve slept alone far too much here. This feels right.

“Thank you,” I whisper, sliding my arm under the pillow to get comfortable. My body realizes how tired I am, and I yawn, even though it’s not that late. Maybe the drink I had earlier really took it out of me.

“Sleep, sweet girl. There’s so much more I wish to show you in the morning,” Allarick whispers as my eyelids droop closed.

“You’ll be here when I wake up?”

“Of course,” he assures.

That’s all I need to let my body relax and give in to sleep willingly.

Chapter 18

Erin

Iwake to the sound of whistles and clicks. My eyes flutter open just in time to see a group of dolphins swim over our bedroom. Never did I think I would have a view like this when waking up in the morning. A small, curious dolphin comes to the glass and inspects it before returning to the rest of the group.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” a groggy voice next to me says.

Allarick, always the gentleman, stayed on his side of the bed all night. It was only mildly disappointing that I didn’t wake up with my kraken’s arms around me, but I appreciated his presence regardless.

“You get to wake up to this every day.”

It wasn’t a question, but he nods anyway. “And now so do you.”

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