Page 80 of Taming the Kraken

“I’ll be back before you know it. Stay with Mikah and be good for him.” Ken listened to Mikah’s airy laugh and looked at him. Their eyes met and Mikah smiled at him, nodding his head.

“I’ve been keeping her safe all this time. Go do what you need to.”

“Ken,” Alexa whispered as she felt his chest move slightly. She couldn’t see him but could still feel his gaze on her. “Be safe.”

“You aren’t worried about me now, are you?” Ken’s low voice vibrated through his chest as he brought strands of her hair up to his lips. “Don’t worry, my love.” He felt Alexa’s fingers tug at his shirt, her hands clenching the fabric. “Nothing can keep me from you.”

“The same goes for me. Nothing will keep me from you. If you don’t return, I will come for you. I don’t care if I have to freeze hell in order to find you.” Alexa heard a low growl from Ken’s chest.

“Lex, no matter what happens, I want you to wait here for me. I don’t ever want you going into the demon realm. Someone like you should never step foot in that place. Just trust in me. I will come back to you. If I’m late, don’t worry. It just means I still haven’t found Terra. She’s a smart girl and would move around if she needed to.” Ken turned and glared at Mikah. “Don’t you dare let her come looking for me either.”

“As if I would.” Mikah scoffed.

“You see … you saying things like that makes me think you anticipate problems,” Alexa whispered. She wished she could go with him.

“I don’t. But at the same time, I don’t want you worrying. If I’m not back tonight, it doesn’t mean anything, okay my love?” Ken sighed and gave her one more longing embrace. “I love you. I’ll see you soon.”

“I love you too.” Alexa felt him disappear from around her. The moment his presence vanished, she flipped the sleep mask off her eyes. She looked around and her eyes landed on Mikah’s.

“Don’t worry. He’ll be fine.” Mikah stood up and stretched. “I’m starving. Let’s go and rustle up some grub.”

Alexa nodded her head and stood up. She needed to try to keep herself busy so the day would go by faster.

“I wonder how things went with Brian and Bella.” Alexa suddenly felt energized thinking about it. She grabbed some clothes and beat Mikah to the door. “Get dressed and hurry up,” she teased.

Yes, it would be best for her to think about everything and anything and keep her mind occupied. She raced to the bathroom and quickly got ready. Soon, both she and Mikah were down the stairs and heading into the dining area.

Nicolai and Anna were sitting at the table, and across from them were Ryker and Raine. They all seemed to be busy eating the food that was spread out on the table. Alexa and Mikah walked up and took a seat, greedily eyeing the food.

“Where is everyone else?” Alexa asked as she reached for some food, placing it on her plate. Breakfast and lunch were a casual affair, and since everyone had different schedules, it was constantly ready throughout the day.

“Let’s see … Troy and Nia are with Misty and Cole. They were supposed to be chaperoning a children’s event. And we haven’t seen Brian yet,” Raine said thoughtfully.

A wry smile spread over Alexa’s face after hearing that. “So, we haven’t gotten to talk much, Raine. I know you were filled in about everything, but you haven’t talked to me about your news.” Alexa leaned her head down to look at Ryker.

Raine smiled and shrugged. “I marked him last night,” she stated boldly, and the silverware clanked onto plates around the table.

“You marked him? How?” Nick asked as he glanced up at Ryker. “I don’t see a mark.”

Ryker chuckled and pulled his shirt down. Right above his pec was a long red mark that resembled a sword. “It was a very nice night last night.” He winked at them.

“Yeah, Destiny was right. The urge just sort of takes over. I didn’t have to know what to do because my body already did. It was like instinct. It seems like my mark is similar to how dragons mark. It branded him.” Raine looked over at Alexa. “But did you see the shape it made? Destiny said her mark on Harley is also in the shape of a sword.”

“Anna, you want to put a mark on me?” Nick wiggled his brows at her playfully.

Anna shoved his shoulder hard enough to rock him sideways, which only made his grin wider.

“So how are things with you two? Usually you two are always fighting. But now that you’re mates …” Mikah looked between the two as Anna’s cheeks flushed pink.

“I always liked Nick. His flirting with others infuriated me, though. Whenever I saw him, I felt aggravated thinking about how he was with other women …” Anna admitted quietly.

“I wanted Anna so much, so I tried to make her jealous by flirting with other women. I guess it backfired. In our case, we’re lucky we’re mates. We were able to be with the person we really wanted and move past the misunderstandings.” Nick smiled over at Anna and snaked an arm around her waist. “There is no one out there that’s a better fit for me than her.”

“I’m, uh, finished eating …” Anna stood up and Nick immediately followed suit. There was fire in their eyes as they quickly left the room.

“They must have an upset stomach.” Mikah chuckled. Everyone knew exactly where they were going. The pull between mates was strong at the best of times, and for the newly mated, it was nearly impossible to resist. Suddenly, Ryker stood up, and Mikah arched his brow at him. “What, you too?”

“Brian needs to speak to Alexa.” Ryker turned toward her. “Alexa, will you meet Brian in his room?”