Page 148 of Taming the Kraken

“It’s beautiful here,” Alexa whispered as she looked at him from the corner of her eye. “Very peaceful.”

Erebus didn’t respond, just continued looking out into the horizon. His eyes were filled with so many emotions, yet none of them seemed to change his expression.

“What does the mate pull feel like?” Erebus suddenly asked, and Alexa coughed, caught off guard. She turned to look at him completely. His eyes were still watching the ocean in front of him, but there was an almost pained expression on his face.

“Oh … well.” Alexa reached up and grabbed her chest. A small smile played on her lips as she put her feelings into words. “It’s like finding another piece of yourself, something that was missing from your life before. And suddenly you realize you were never whole to begin with. There is an overwhelming pull, like gravity, that holds you to this person. You need to be with them. You need to feel their touch. A touch that both excites and calms you. You need to hear their voice and be close to them. You don’t care about anything else. It’s so intense and wonderful at the same time. You want to protect them. To be everything you can for them.” She shook her head slightly. “It’s so much more than all of that. It’s a connection like no other. It’s like your souls are bound together. And without their existence, you don’t even want to live anymore.”

Erebus was silent for a long moment, and Alexa turned to look at him. His face was stern, almost like he was in pain.

“Are you okay?” Alexa whispered. She didn’t know why she felt the need to ask how he was, but he looked like he was stuck in an emotional storm.

“I … I don’t …” He suddenly shook his head and looked at her. There was so much pain in his eyes that it made Alexa’s heart hurt. “I don’t know what to do …”

He locked eyes with her, his expression that of a man who had given up. She could see the battle going on inside him. He exhaled loudly as he leaned against the railing in front of him. “I wonder if the universe has a mate planned for me,” he whispered, as the edges of his mouth pulled downward. “Or maybe I don’t deserve one.”

He turned toward Alexa and gave her a small smile. “You know, I wasn’t always this way. I used to be different. I used to …” He suddenly got quiet and closed his eyes tightly. With a long, slow breath, he cleared his throat. “It’s time we turned in for the night.”

Alexa followed him back inside, staying just a few steps behind him as he led her to her room. She heard him seal her door and stared into the darkness. The pain coming from Erebus was on another level. In his rage, he’d killed Ivory. Something like that would have made someone dark. No wonder he was so bitter and angry. He’d lost his temper and killed the woman he loved. A woman who also betrayed him.

It was probably easier for him to push all of that onto Ken, which was why he hated him so much. It was the only way he could cope. She walked over to her bed and pulled up the covers. Erebus was close to opening up to her. Just a bit more and maybe she could get the answers she needed.

“Ken, let’s rest here for tonight. We’re both so exhausted that even if we find her, we won’t last against Erebus.” Mikah listened as Ken swore under his breath.

“Why hasn’t she summoned me yet? She should have broken the necklace immediately.” Ken growled through his teeth as he sat down on the grass.

“You know Alexa. She must have a plan in mind.” Mikah sighed in agitation.

“You don’t think he took the necklace from her, do you? And now she can’t summon me?”

“Don’t think about that. In either case, we’re going to find her soon. We’re getting closer.” Mikah looked over as Ken looked up at the sky, his face taut and his expression weary. He didn’t look like his usual, confident self anymore. Instead, he looked shattered.

Mikah rolled over and closed his eyes. He understood his look, because he felt it too. If something happened to Alexa … he couldn’t even allow himself to think it. That was a darkness he wasn’t prepared to fight. Instead, his mind drifted to someone else. Brandy. A small smile reached his lips as he thought about his fiery druid. He couldn’t wait to see her again. To wrap her in his embrace. He wanted to claim her again and again.

Mikah felt his beast stir in agreement. There was something about Brandy that even captivated him on a primal level. He didn’t know why. But all he knew was the desire to see her was suddenly becoming stronger. He didn’t know when, but he’d stopped seeing Brandy as just a fling. Maybe he’d always felt this way but was denying it? The more he thought of Brandy … the more she felt like she was his.

His mind drifted as exhaustion overtook him. But he swore he heard a whisper in his mind, one that said, MINE.

Harley sat alone in the corner of a dimly lit room. Soft music played as a few people quietly chatted over drinks. Everyone was well dressed in the established bar. At the far end of the room was a long black marble counter with ebony leather bar stools. A man with a gray mustache and matching curly hair slowly poured an amber liquid over ice. The man put two drinks on a tray and brought them over to where Harley was sitting. He placed one glass in front of Harley and the other across from him at an empty seat, then left.

Harley spun the glass slowly, letting the ice clink at the sides before he lifted it to take a sip.

“I see you already ordered me a drink.” A voice broke the silence as someone took the empty seat across from Harley.

Harley raised his gaze and nodded his head. “I’m glad you could make it.”

“It’s been a while. How has life been, now that you’ve taken a mate?” the man across from him asked as he removed his black jacket.

“Having a mate is everything. More than I could ever deserve. We’re expecting our first child soon, and I couldn’t be happier.” Harley smiled as he thought about his sweet Destiny. He had to protect her and their unborn child. Above everything, they were his number-one priority.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“It’s one of the reasons I asked to meet with you.” Harley suddenly became serious as he watched the man across from him sip his drink. “I want them safe. I want my child and mate safe.”

“Understandable,” the man said, quietly staring at the melting ice in his cup. “Your mate … she is close with the fairy royals, isn’t she?”

Harley nodded, sighing heavily. “I don’t like that look.”

“It might be for the best if you disappear from their world. Cut ties with the fairies. Cut ties with everything. And distance yourself.”