Page 101 of Taming the Kraken

Aedan laughed as Mikah helped him to his feet. “Like Justice said, two against one isn’t fair.”

“This is war, Aedan. There is no fair in war,” Mikah boasted arrogantly.

Aedan laughed and nodded his head. With a faint smile on his face, he walked back up the hill, Mikah and Grayson gloating behind him.

Aedan grabbed a drink from his grandmother before he sat down. He watched his aunt and cousin battling below for a moment. Still, Deeana stayed on his mind. There’s nothing fair in love either.

Green and blue clashed together, their lethal gazes locked onto each other. The battle had turned into a Levi versus Ken brawl. The barrage of snowballs and lightning-like deflects were neverending. It was as if the two deities were settling a score between them in this moment. There was an intense aura in the air as the fight erupted into a frenzy. Every move made could easily be a game changer. One wrong move could be the difference between one standing and the other one having to bow out in defeat.

Ken had fought many battles, and he knew that Levi would be making his move soon. He knew that the goldfish would try to catch him off guard by coming in hard and fast. Knowing this, he would use his current position to his advantage. He had a wall of snow in front of him where Levi would be leaving his.

A snowball collided with the side of Ken’s head. He looked up at Levi, stunned, only to see the snow dripping from his face as well. Ken turned his head to see Alexa biting her lip as she tried to control her laughter.

“Did you just hit me with a snowball? We’re on the same team!” Ken watched her grin widen as she batted her eyes up at him innocently.

“Oops. I forgot.” Alexa looked over at her mother, who was laughing at her father. Both women had decided they would end this endless chest-bumping battle. Alexa watched as Ken’s predatory eyes landed on her, and she sprinted away laughing. He was right behind her, so she used her powers to glide across the snow.

But Ken followed her with ease. “Got you now!” Ken reached forward, snaking his arm around her waist. “I caught you, my love.” Their momentum sent them tumbling to the ground. The soft snow cushioned their fall as he held her captive beside him.

Alexa giggled as she felt him shift her into the snow. His hot breath pelted against her ear as his nose nested in her hair. “I don’t know if I want a feisty mate like you.” She listened to his deep, teasing voice in her ear that made her shiver. Sparks and tingles erupted from her skin as his lips pressed against her cheek.

“You see, right there is the problem.” Alexa smiled as he helped her to her feet. He rested his hands on her waist and lifted a brow at her.

“Oh?”

“You still talk like you have a choice. You never had one.” Alexa smiled up at him and he chuckled.

“Quite true. I’m powerless against you.” Ken leaned down and gently brushed his lips over hers. He glanced around, seeing the snowy battle was over for everyone, and saw a man stand up and look around.

“Where did Raine go?” Brody asked, a small frown on his face.

Alexa began looking around as well. Raine and Ryker were there just a moment ago and now they were gone. They’d wanted to watch the fight, but Raine didn’t want to participate.

“Ryker had a headache. It seemed to come on suddenly. So Raine walked him back to their room.” Destiny looked off in the distance to where they had disappeared to. He looked to be in a lot of pain. She hoped he was okay.

“Ryker gets headaches like that from time to time. It’s been like that ever since we found him.” This wasn’t anything alarming to Alexa since it had happened before. But usually they didn’t last long.

Alexa glanced over to where Terra and Jasper were last seen. The two were still sitting there and seemed to be talking well. The mate connection wasn’t a sure thing. Just because you were mates didn’t mean you had to be together. But it gave the relationship a head start, drawing two people together faster and holding them there.

“Alright everyone! It’s time to eat. And I know this crew doesn’t like to miss their meals,” Lita shouted, waving everyone over.

“Say no more!” Chasen yelled as his brothers followed behind him.

The family gathered around a long rectangular table made of polished hardwood, its stains and worn spots showing that it had seen a lot of life. The back edges of the table were inlaid with a series of carvings of fairy kin and other magical creatures.

Raine and Ryker joined them for dinner. Ryker was acting normal and was flirting with Raine quietly at the end of the table. That is, until Brody sat across from them. Ryker straightened up and became serious after that.

The whole family laughed and reminisced about the past. Lita told stories of when Reiya, Hunter, Brody, and Chasen were children. Then they told stories of their children. They also talked about the future and the new arrivals that would be coming soon, as well as the anticipated babies from the new mates.

The worries of the day were drowned out by the warmth and love of their family. They’d been through a lot over the years but had always found their way back to each other. They had grown into a fierce, loyal family of couples, tied together by mates, love, and children. And in that family, they all always relied on each other. Through the good … and through the bad.

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

Raine was walking back to her room with Ryker after dinner. It was nice to be able to have the whole family together. It would have been better if she wasn’t distracted. Ryker had been a bit different since his last headache. She could see a distant look in his eyes and the tension he was carrying. When they got to their room, he walked to the other side and rested his arm against the wall, facing away from her.

She knew there was something bothering him. She walked up and wrapped her arms around him. He rested his back against her, taking a deep breath. “Ryker,” she whispered against him. She leaned her forehead between his shoulder blades as she held him gently. He took her hand, pulled her in front of him, and held her close, wedging her between him and the wall. For a brief moment, she caught how his irises flickered with color. The look on his face held a sorrow she had never seen in him.

Ryker leaned his head down and brushed his lips over the top of her head. He held her tightly and squeezed his eyes shut.