Page 108 of Taming the Kraken

“So shouldn’t we get you to the water or something?” Jasper quirked his brow at Ken, who laughed loudly.

“You’re blurring fantasy movies with me. I’m not a squid. I’m not even a deity of the water. That would be Leviathan, which is why his summon ability is water. My element is the earth.” Ken rubbed his hand over Alexa’s side. He looked into her blue eyes and gave her a faint smile. “It’s okay if you’re afraid after, or if you think differently.” He watched as she went to interject, and he placed his fingers on her lips. “Don’t say anything now. I just wanted to let you know.”

Alexa kissed his fingers and placed her hand on his, holding it softly. “You’re making a much bigger deal out of this. I’m sorry others were cruel to you. But I’m your mate. I won’t be afraid of you.” She could see the sadness in his eyes as he nodded his head.

Ken squeezed Alexa’s hand before releasing it and walking away. Mikah came and stood beside Alexa. He bumped her shoulder and winked at her. They were all curious to see what Ken’s form looked like. She watched Ken finally stop walking at the far end of the room.

Alexa could see his green eyes staring at her. Tremors began in the ground beneath her as her mate began to grow, changing to a muddy brown color, and his skin looked more like a tough hide. His body was taking shape all at once as he grew to a gigantic size, similar in stature to a centaur. Well, just the general shape, but not the features. He now stood on all fours, with enormous feet that were round and wide and sharp claws that dug into the ground below.

The upper body had two monstrous arms on each side of his torso and muscles bulging from his arms and chest. His fingers had sharp talons that protruded slightly. And then there was his head. His eyes were a rich, dark gold. He had sharp, jagged teeth and a mouth that could easily swallow a human whole. Saliva oozed from his sharp fangs in large drips.

An ear-piercing bellow ripped from his throat as he shifted his entire body to look over at Alexa. He stood there watching her curiously, wondering what she was going to do.

Mikah looked at the Kraken in amazement. Sure, if it wasn’t Ken, he would be apprehensive right now. The beast in front of him was something you could only imagine in your nightmares. Nothing about it was warm and friendly. The grotesque beast in front of him was nothing like the godly form of the man.

Mikah whistled as he craned his neck to look up at Ken. “You’re like Godzilla … wait a minute. Have you visited Tokyo like that?” Mikah smirked up at Ken. The monster made an unrecognizable sound from its throat. “You can’t speak in that form?”

No, only mentally, Ken answered through a mindlink.

“Jasper, look!” Mikah said, pointing over at Ken. “Look at his monstrous—” Mikah trailed off as Ken roared over his voice. Mikah shrugged his shoulders as Jasper laughed.

“Put away the measuring tape, Mikah. You clearly lost this one,” Jasper teased.

Alexa looked over Ken in awe. She caught his gaze and smiled at him reassuringly. Slowly, she began to walk toward him, feeling so tiny as she approached the colossal monster. There was no fear inside her. He was beautiful … he was her mate.

He took a small step toward her, and the ground rippled in response. Even his soft step sounded loud as his foot touched the ground. She imagined it would sound like thunder to hear him run. He bent his head down a bit and she was able to see his face better.

His mouth hung slightly open, and behind the fangs, rows of teeth went on and on into the dark of his throat, a cavern with no visible end. This close, she could finally study his skin. It wasn’t skin at all, not really. It was hide like living rock, plates of it stacked and seamed, with deep valleys and ridges running through it the way cracks run through dry stone. Every breath he took made the seams shift and grind faintly, like the earth easing itself apart and settling again. He was his element made flesh. The earth itself had taken the shape of her mate.

Ken’s eyes were hypnotic. They were molten gold with vertical slit pupils, reminding her of a cat’s eyes. Alexa kept looking into them, trying to find the monster in him but seeing only the man, only her mate. She saw the love he felt for her. It was the same love she felt for him. She wanted to give him more than just her love, though. She wanted to give him her soul.

Alexa swallowed down the lump in her throat. She felt emotional looking at her mate. He was hers. It was hard to believe he was actually hers. She smiled up at him, and he saw the tears in her eyes.

I’m sorry … this is my form.

Alexa listened as Ken’s sad voice rang out in her mind. She shook her head and realized he’d misunderstood. She continued walking toward him, holding out her hand to touch him. “Ken …” You’re mine. All of you belongs to me. Even this. I can’t believe you’re my mate. And now there’s nothing stopping you from marking me.

A deep, low noise sounded from his chest as the beast shifted closer to her. He eased himself to his knees, making the ground tremble beneath her, then slowly lowered his head so she could touch him.

Alexa reached out and touched the side of his face. His skin was rough and hard, but the sweet shocks and tingles still erupted from her fingers. She smiled at him as she stared into his eyes.

I mean it, Ken. I want you to mark me before the day is over.

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

Ken stayed completely still, controlling his breathing. Her touch landed on his hide like warmth soaking into stone, and it burned sweeter than anything he had a name for. No one had ever laid a hand on him in his Kraken form before. He expected to see disgust in her eyes, or even fear. But there was neither. In fact, she looked at him lovingly, as if she were proud of him. He couldn’t quite explain the way this made him feel.

But it wasn’t just Alexa. Even the others looked at him without fear in their eyes. Mikah and Jasper were even “Kraken” jokes. They were lame, but it was also nice. They weren’t looking at him in disgust either.

Alexa said she was ready for him to mark her. He knew she was never against it, but he wasn’t sure how much time she would need after everything. He was so full right now, he could almost die of contentment.

“Alright, I’m bored. If you’ve seen one monstrous beast, you’ve seen them all.” Mikah shrugged as he walked toward the stairs with Jasper and Terra. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me, Lex.”

“Don’t eat all the food,” Alexa teased, and he chuckled.

“That’s right. I need to harass our delivery druid more when she arrives with the next load of food.” Mikah flashed her a wide grin, winking before he left the training room.

Alexa turned back and ran her fingers over Ken’s face again. She watched as his body began to change, and a moment later, he was back in his human form. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up in the air. Her feet were dangling above the ground as he slowly swayed her from side to side.