As soon as I park, Kaleb is racing toward me. I unbuckle my seat belt, but before I can open my door, Kaleb’s words scream down the bond.‘No! Please don’t get out of the car. I need to save him. I need to save him.’Kaleb waves his arms wildly.
His pleading voice rips me up inside. Fuck. He still thinks I’m going to die. The pure panic radiating from him is intense. Not wanting to stress him out even more, I stay put. He rushes to my passenger door before throwing it open. Raindrops splatter everywhere. His breaths are labored as he stares at me, wide-eyed.
Kaleb seemed so determined to get to me, but now that he’s here, he doesn’t seem to know what to do with himself. He slides into my car with a wet sloshing sound before he closes the door, stillstaring at me with his pretty, large eyes. “You’re really here,” he murmurs, more to himself.
His hands nervously swipe down the front of his pants. My kraken slams against my chest, encouraging me to reach out and hold his hand. “Are you okay?” I whisper.
Kaleb’s lips part with shock. “Am I okay?” He laughs hysterically. “AmIokay? Aren’t you worried that the crazy person who hurt you at the club is stalking you?”
I chuckle. “Why would I be worried? I’m the one who pulled over and found you here.”
He doesn’t smile back, still rattled with nerves. Kaleb sighs. “Darius. I need to tell you something.”
“Okay,” I reply softly. “I’m all ears.”
When he opens his mouth to speak, nothing comes out. Instead, he snaps it closed. He’s shivering, and I need to find the best way to tell him to get out of his wet clothes. We sit there in silence for a moment. I turn up the heater, hoping it helps dry him sooner, when I remember the blanket I keep in my trunk.
I reach for my door, but right as I push it open, he shrieks, “No! You can’t leave, please, please, please, don’t get out of the car.” Tears fill his eyes, and I realize he’s still so new to all of this. I saw how shocked he was that I even showed up. He’s confusedand terrified. A pulse travels down the bond again, and I can tell he’s not scared for himself; he’s scared for me.
Warmth fills my chest. How long has it been since someone cared for me like this? Even my own parents didn’t care. I might have my old team from the Elite Guard, like Zero, or even my new friend, Rook, but the way Kaleb is staring at me with pleading eyes…fuck.
I slam the door shut and lean over the console, pulling Kaleb into a fierce hug, not even caring that my car is getting soaked, or that the gear is jamming into my leg awkwardly. My sole focus is on comforting my mate.
Mate. Mate.My Kraken agrees.
As soon as my arms wrap around Kaleb, I feel him tremble apart. Sobs rip from his throat. I pull him against me tighter.
“I saw you die,” he whispers. “I saw you—” Another sob tears from his throat.
“Shhh. Shhh. It’s fine. I’m fine. Hush now.”
“No,” he snaps. “You don’t understand. No one does. I saw you die this morning.”
Just then, a car whooshes past us on the highway. I glance up. “Look. Kaleb. There’s the car. That’s the jackass who hits me. He just passed us. I’m fine.” I rub soothing circles on his back.
Kaleb’s head snaps up, and he stares at the red car zooming away. “Wait,” he gasps. “You knew? You knew which car was going to—”
“Which car was going to hit me?” I nod. “I did.”
“But how?”
“You sent me your vision. In our dreams. I saw it.”
“I-I—You?”
Still holding him, I chuckle softly, hoping the sound soothes him. I lean forward, unable to help myself, and kiss his temple. Inside me, my kraken swirls around with joy. Kaleb doesn’t pull away; instead, he melts against me. We reach out with our magic, my kraken and I, intertwining with his, the way my tentacles crave to wrap him in our embrace.
With my knuckles caressing his face, I tip his head up so his pretty ocean-blue eyes meet mine. “You saved me, Kaleb. I saw your vision. It was a shared dream. You saved me.”
He shakes his head, eyes blinking fast. His anxiety is still high, and it isn’t good for his untamed magic. “I thought I was the one who hurt you,” he says.
Never.I shake my head, denying his claim.
My kraken rubs and thumps against Kaleb’s magic. It’s still chaotic, swirling around inside of him and building. Building. Not quite as bad as the other day at the club, but still enough to be concerning. “Can I kiss you again?” I ask. “It will help you feel better.”
His eyes drop to my lips. “What if I hurt you? Again.”
“You won’t.”
