Page 2 of Away in a Tentacle Lair
“Stop following me,” he yells back.
“My name is Leo.” I must convince him I'm not a threat stalking him through the sea. “I work at the research centre...” Technically. “And I was wondering if I could ask you a quick question?”
“I don't have anything to do with the research centre,” he replies, reaching for a dark bag abandoned on the sand.
“Please, just one question.” I turn away as he starts towelling himself off. Speed is more important to him than modesty, and the shorts come off. “It's about the creatures living in the reef. I wonder if you know what lived down there.”
“Sorry, I can't help you.” He's half-dressed now. The naked peeks of skin in the evening light are over, and part of me is a little sad. The part of me that should be shrivelled from the cold but has found enough blood to stand to attention.
It gets harder still as the diver boy puts on his outer layer of leather pants and biker jacket—not the biker gang leathers, but the kind that hold your body together when you crash at 200 miles an hour. I don't bother following him up the beach; myattention is clearly not wanted, but I listen out for the purr of his bike at the top.
God, what a purr.
Obviously, I'm not looking for an arrogant free-diving biker boy, but if I was…
You'll get nothing good out of that boy.” A voice to my left gets my attention.
“How so? I don't even know his name.” I turn to the short lady strolling along the beach.
“Kai Briareus. His family owns the land over there.” She points a frail finger towards the curve of the bay where the land shrinks into darkness. “They have bad roots in this area.”
“I'll ask someone else about the reef then.” I turn to the woman, assuming she might be up for a stroll and a chat.
Chapter two
Kai
My bike screams up to the dark house. Despite housing over fifty family members and staff, there is not a single light on. It doesn't do anything to shed the creepy, haunted look we use to keep strangers from our door. As soon as I left the water, I saw how dark it was. I'm an idiot for not noticing before. I had to run and left that poor guy standing on the beach, thinking I was terrified of him.
I park beside one of the many garages, but my bike lives under the overhang. I'm not important enough to have my own parking space. Nicholas rules the family, and as I'm just the youngest nephew, I get the leftovers.
“Kai,” Jonus calls as I pull my helmet off my damp hair. “You're back late.”
“Marine biologists,” I grumble.
“Fucking convention,” he agrees. It's the same every year. The Marine Centre of Aquatic Research and Conservation brings too many people to the area every year. It would be great for the economy if they bought anything local and supported the other businesses around them, but they don't. And this recruitmentnonsense. I get that it is a long way to bring all the candidates for an interview, so dragging it out makes the ticket cost seem worthwhile. I'm not into the seasonal festive shit, but why they pick Christmas is beyond me.
“Gotta earn your keep another way, little cus.”
I huff at him and head to my room to shower. I earn my keep doing what I love, and I'm not changing that because of a marine research centre.
Uncle Nicholas is the eldest of four brothers; he replaced Grampy as head of the family three years ago, just as I was old enough to be considered a man. My easy life as the youngest grandchild ended that day. Managing the reef around the family estate is the best job I could have hoped for. Apparently, we have no legal claim over the water as we do with the land, but we protect it just as fiercely.
After I'm dressed in a fresh pair of jeans and a tight black T-shirt, I head to the kitchen, where my aunties are cooking.
“Can I help with anything?” I grin at my three aunts. They practically raised me after my mum died when I was a kid.
“Cutlery,” Auntie Sophie calls. It's good of them not to ask why I'm back early. It's embarrassing to tell everyone that a scientist scared me off. I'll head out early tomorrow before the crowds gather and do my job. I'm not going to be accused of slacking off.
As I set the cutlery at the table, Uncle Nicholas enters with a beer, laughing with Uncle Frank. I'm the youngest son of the youngest son. As far as curses go, there is nothing worse than a lifelong size disadvantage unless you count the sudden death of my mother.
Gradually, the whole family arrives, and the chatter becomes too much. It would be different in a smaller family, but everyone here has my back.
Other than my dad, the other three brothers have their wives, and nearly half their sons and daughters have partners eatingwith us. Meal times make me think about getting a plus one of my own. I've never done anything about it because I usually forget these feelings when I fall into bed, but tonight, my mind is playing tricks on me. Mr‘I just want to ask you a question’is playing on my mind. Covered from head to toe in neoprene, all I could see was his eyes and mouth, but gah, do I want to see them again?
‘I'm Leo; I'd like to ask you one question.’
I could think of hundreds of questions he could have asked at the time as I ran away from him, ranging fromIs that your biketoWhat's it like beyond the private property sign?It was probably about my family curse, but now? Well, now my mind is playing tricks on me and telling me he was asking me for a drink or dinner or maybe to be his diving buddy.
