Page 48 of Keeper of All

Alexi came to Victor and stood next to him, eyeing Ekon like a student would a specimen in a petri dish. Ekon scratched his head. “What?”

“Will you let us touch you with our tentacles?” Alexi asked, getting a nod from Victor.

“He’s not some freak show,” Mao snapped, getting up and stepping in front of Ekon, nearly treading on his toes to keep the krakens back.

“We need their help, Mao.” Ekon peeked around Mao’s backside. “I don’t mind.”

Mao made a growling noise at the back of his throat but acquiesced by stepping aside. Just not far. “No frisky business, just his hand.”

Ekon folded his lips together to stop the laughter, his mate was cute being all possessive. Ekon held up his free hand. Todd sat forward, interest shining in his eyes as he watched.

In fact, everyone was watching, even the children lost interest in the sweets they were eating. Ekon found himself holding his breath as Alexi and Victor’s arms turned to tentacles, and they both used a tentacle to wrap around Ekon’s, hand, wrist and forearm.

His body became a conduit of electricity firing the cells in his body. “Holy fuck!” Ekon gasped, shaking from head to toe with the energy pouring from him. He was damn sure his eyes were glowing when the fae inside him came alive.

“You can say that again,” Victor replied, wearing a wary look, turning to Alexi. “Can you feel that?”

“Feel what?” Mao demanded, his eyes darting between the two men who continued to have hold of Ekon’s hand.

“The connection,” Todd answered, staring at his brothers, his fingers clasping Ekon’s tightly. “It’s an ancient bond, right?”

Alexi’s skin lost its color as he stood transfixed, looking at Ekon. “It can’t be.”

They all knew the fae was ancient. What the hell is this about?

It’s clearly something to get Alexi looking like he’s seeing a ghost, Mao answered him, doing his best to mask his own growing concerns.

“I’m not wrong, Alexi. I know you feel it!” Victor growled in frustration.

Danik was up and trying to squeeze by Mao who wasn’t having anyone else getting close to his mate.

“What is it? Why are you blocking me, Alexi?” Danik’s demand seemed to wake Alexi from a trance.

Alexi shook his head as if trying to shake something off himself. “Let’s leave it until we have everyone together.”

“Markov’s kraken is going to fucking freak,” Victor muttered, unfurling the tentacle, and seconds later they disappeared.

Alexi did the same, his color remaining deathly white when he tugged his shirt sleeve down, not looking at his brothers. Danik returned to his seat a wariness about him that made Ekon wander what the fuck he was missing beside the huge energy boost they’d given him.

“Don’t worry, Ekon, I know we can help,” Todd reassured, the smile reaching his eyes. “I’m positive of it now.”

At least someone was.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Mao

The noise on the plane was giving him and his cat the desire to go and hide in the cabin. Kelvin and Magnus had joined them, and there was more weirdness. It was very clear now the brothers were able to communicate which each other as they looked to be having a heated discussion with deep frowns and pointing fingers despite the silence while the four of them huddled at the back of the jet. They occasionally threw concerned looks at Ekon, but none of them voiced aloud what the hell they were worried about which was pissing Mao off.

Ekon, without Todd by his side, slept, and Mao’s desperation grew with each passing hour, despite how Todd had given his reassurance that they all could help.

Mao was on the fast spin cycle of a washing machine, and was rung out. He kept his gaze alternating from the brothers to the window, looking at the changing scenery below them. They had been crossing water now for quite some time, and Mao suspected it wouldn’t be much longer to their destination.

He wasn’t wrong, when barely a minute later, off in the distance he could see a body of land and it was bigger than he thought, then he really shouldn’t have expected anything less. The kraken’s all needed space and lots of it with their size.

If he squinted, he could make out a runway—he supposed it could be called that, as it was a cleared, long strip of land—sitting at the base of a forest. He couldn’t see a house. He suspected it would be on the other side of the forest out of sight.

“How long has Markov and his family lived here?” he asked, glancing at Azim, who for the most part had played with the children. They were all asleep in the cabin bedroom now.