Page 17 of Taken By the Alien Kraken King

Seconds. The abductor took her in under two minutes. A lifetime.

Ahtu spoke. “Bourne, I don’t believe they’ll harm her. They’re using her to get to you.”

Fear and anger simmered among the gathered members, their voices rising in overlapping dialogue. “This is an act of war,” Ahtu declared. “We must fortify the palace and city.”

“No,” I said. “We can’t waste our resources there. They have Kendall, and that’s what they’ll be expecting, a more fortifiedpalace. I’m taking the fight to them. I’m going to get my mate back.” I unlocked a floor-to-ceiling cabinet and retrieved my father’s trident and his war helmet.

“Bourne, you can’t leave the palace unguarded.”

“I won’t be.” I turned to the General, an old friend my father grew up with. “General Livreu, arm two dozen soldiers, the newest recruits. They remain here under your command. From the rest, spread two units throughout the city, and the others will enter the Trench with me.”

Gasps echoed in the war chamber. The Trench was dangerous. No one entered lightly. It was a suicide mission. “We’ll enter at the spot past the ancient blooms, override whatever technology they’ve contaminated for their purposes, and destroy them.”

“Bourne, what about their mind reading abilities?” General Livreu asked.

“Fuck.” I paced the chamber. “We don’t have enough of the devices for everyone.” I palmed the lone dampener remaining in the drawer. “Ahtu, I’m trusting you with my mate’s life, and mine.”

Ahtu bowed. “It is my greatest honor.” Our forearms clasped in agreement. “You’ve always been a brother to me. My life is yours.”

A scout burst in. “Energy pulses are coming from the blooms. The trench people added something to the blooms. Our engineers say if we damage the graft, we could destabilize the entire trench. They think it’s connected to the city.”

“Let’s go.” I swam out of the room, Ahtu following hot in my wake.

“Bourne. The pods are faster, and Kendall,” he stopped. “What if she’s hurt? Or too exhausted to swim back? Wouldn’t the pod be your best option to return?”

I clapped his back. “Always the voice of reason.”

My anxiety spiked the closer we got to the Trench. “Turn here,” I ordered Ahtu.

“Bourne, the fighting is in the other direction.”

“I can’t explain it. Kendall’s over here somewhere. I know it.”

Ahtu nodded. “I know better than to argue with a mate bonded male.”

The communication system on the pod squawked to life. “Signal lost. Protocol Alpha initiated. Send in the secondary team.”

My hearts sank. I couldn’t lose her now. She was close. I could feel it. I felt her presence.

Out of the pod, I pressed my back against the coral wall and concentrated. Our mate bond had solidified since the first time I’d tried telepathic communication with Kendall. We’d joined our bodies, consummating our mating.

“Ahtu, I’m going to try communicating with Kendall through our bond. Guard me while I concentrate.”

Ahtu nodded. “Reinforcements are coming.”

“I’ve got something. She’s there. Pray she senses me and responds,” I said to Ahtu.

“Bourne, it’s not a scouting mission,” she murmured in my mind. “They’re searching for me. The big, ugly one ordered a retrieval team.”

“They’re coming for you?” I asked her via our telepathic communication, my expression impassive.

She hesitated. “I think so. I’m much smaller than they are. Good luck finding me. They want what we have. Freedom, and what they can exploit.” She went quiet before sharing her thoughts through the bond. “I’m in one of their abandoned escape tunnels. Tell me how to sabotage them from the inside while you and the warriors are on the outside.”

“It’s dangerous.”

“I have to help. As your mate, it’s my duty to prove myself worthy. I’m here. I’m in the belly of the beast. They won’t expect it.”

“You don’t have to prove yourself.”

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