Page 5 of Taken By the Alien Kraken King

Now that each breath felt normal and not like a burning fire in my chest, I stood, turning in place slowly, drinking it all in. The cavern with a few dozen tide pools was massive. As I turned, I felt a presence. I wasn’t alone.

“Who’s there?” I called.

From a pool at the far end of the chamber, something emerged from the water. First, a crown; the crystalline crown I’d seen on the man. His face was severe, regal, inhuman, with intelligent eyes glowing like sapphires with a mixture of caution and curiosity. Coral-like markings and scales peppered his neck and sharp cheekbones. Then his broad shoulders and his torso, powerful and alien, covered in a surface that looked like armor breached the water.

I gasped. My feet froze to the ground. I couldn’t run, so I stood, heart pounding.

He stalked closer to me, and the water parted, exposing a writhing mass of thick tentacles. He rose on his appendages. They shone in the bioluminescent flora growing on the walls, sleek, fluid, shimmering with bands of pale light. He raised a hand, extending his palm up to me.

He was enormous, easily over seven feet tall. His muscles had muscles. And I wanted him.

“Kraken,” I squeaked. So much for making a good first impression. Did kraken eat humans? I didn’t know.

He gestured with his hand again. The motion wasn’t threatening, more of an invitation. Although webbed and clawed, his hand exuded grace.

My instincts warred. He scared me, though he had done nothing other than stand in front of me. Yet something inside pulled deep in my chest, as if a part of me recognized him.

“Where am I?” I rasped, voice hoarse.

The kraken cocked his head, and then, to my astonishment, answered in perfect, but accented English.

“You are in Nonmore Chasm,” he rumbled. “You are far beneath the tides of Sanos. I am Bourne, ruler of the Chasm. You fell. I caught you.” His tone was calm, but his eyes never left mine, as if willing me to believe him.

“Why?” I asked.

“The ocean chooses what it keeps,” he replied. “As do I.”

Before I could respond, the chamber shimmered with shifting light. I turned and saw a pool beginning to boil.

Bourne’s expression darkened. “It is an alarm of sorts,” he explained. “Danger lurks. You disrupt the balance.”

“What?” I asked. “I don’t understand.”

“Of course not. You are not from my world, yet you fulfill the prophecy.”

“What prophecy?”

“You made my second heart beat for the first time in my life.” Bourne reached out for my hand again. This time, I placed my hand in his. He raised our joined hands to his chest. With his free hand, he unclasped a lock on the shell armor, exposing a broad swath of his chest. He pressed my hand against his skin. “Feel that?” he asked, his voice a low rumble.

Against my palm, I felt two distinct pulses, heartbeats. “Yes.”

“Only my mate can awaken my second heart.”

“What? Where’s your mate?” I yanked my hand back, balling it into a fist at my side.

“You misunderstand, little one. You are my mate. As I surfaced, my body sensed your presence. I do not know how to explain it. Mates are sacred, and though I do not yet know your name, you awakened my heart.”

“Me?” I squeaked. “I’m not a kraken.”

“Little one, you are.” Bourne took both my hands in his. He tugged me close, pressing my chest against his. Together, we disappeared underneath the water’s surface. I fought to free myself. “Breathe.” He spoke underwater, and I understood.

“What? How is this possible?” I asked. I gasped as I realized I wasn’t struggling to breathe.

He shrugged. “You are my mate. Mine. What is your name, little one?”

“Kendall.”

“Kendall. A beautiful name for a beautiful female.”

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