Page 87 of Taming the Kraken

“No, not this time. Just stay here and wait for my orders.” Ken then turned to look at Brian. “When Levi comes back, tell him I’m bringing back my mate and to leave it to me. I don’t need him coming and making matters worse.” Before Brian could respond, Ken vanished.

Ken moved instantaneously through space, connecting with his own energy. As he got closer, he could feel a new pull. He felt his connection to his mate. And if he could feel it, Alexa would be able to feel it too.

Ken appeared in a familiar forest, one he had visited before when he’d protected Lucie from the shrieks. Through the trees, he could see a magnificent, black structure. It was beautifully made, the shiny ice like a black pearl in the forest. It was exquisite, and so was the person who made it.

It was in that direction that he could feel his heart pulling him. As he approached, his breath caught in his chest. Standing outside of the black ice palace was Mikah, and next to him, Alexa. Her eyes were dark, and they stared at him like he was a foreign existence.

“What exactly do you want?” Alexa snapped at him in a cold tone.

Ken chuckled and leaned back on his heels. “Well, that’s an easy question to answer. You.”

Alexa scoffed. “No thanks. I’m not interested.” She stared at this man, her memory foggy. All she could remember clearly was the pain and sorrow. He never came for her. He was always hiding from her. Her emotions were swarming and intertwining with darkness.

Mikah looked over at Alexa. “How does he look to you? Does he look like Erebus at all?”

Alexa looked at Mikah and rolled her eyes. “No. If he looked like Erebus, I would have killed him already.” She wasn’t sure why, but she had a deep-rooted hatred for Erebus.

“Does he look like—” Mikah started, and Alexa clicked her tongue.

“Just a person, Mikah. A person that I don’t feel anything toward.”

Mikah looked up and met with Ken’s green eyes. Alexa probably no longer feared Erebus, so she didn’t see his face. But the fact that Ken looked normal to her meant he was no longer her heart’s desire. That, or she didn’t have a darkest nightmare anymore.

“Lex, I’m—” Ken started, but Alexa immediately snapped at him.

“Xi. I’m not this ‘Lex’ you speak of. It’s Xi.”

Ken grinned and tilted his head to look her over. His eyes trailed over her body very slowly, her body tensing under his gaze. “No, you’re her alright. You’re mine.”

“I belong to no one. Least of all a god who left Alexa alone her whole life. What? Now you’ve had a change of heart? Well, Alexa is dead. She isn’t here now. You don’t have a mate anymore.”

Ken stared into her dark eyes and watched as a red hue swirled through one of them. She didn’t remember things clearly, and she was obviously trying to warn him off. But he was certain he could reach her. No matter what … he was going to bring her back.

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

“Levi! You’re back.” Brian stood up when Levi teleported into the room. Levi’s blue eyes landed on Terra, and Brian quickly explained. “Ken came back with Terra, and he’s gone after Alexa on his own. He’ll bring her back, and he wants you to leave him to it.” Brian paused for a moment. “He doesn’t want you making the situation worse.”

Levi set his jaw and inhaled a long, deep breath. Alexa was his daughter, and he felt a strong urge to save her. Although he and Reiya were worried sick, Levi knew that if anyone could reach her, it would be her soulmate. He didn’t want to get into a battle with his daughter. Even just deflecting her attack back at her the last time broke his heart.

“I don’t care as long as he’s able to bring her back. That’s the only important thing. So he better succeed.” Levi shrugged his shoulders slightly and looked around. He had come back to gather Reiya’s things. After a lot of deliberation, it was decided that she would stay in Elysia where Erebus couldn’t reach her. At least for now, while things with Alexa were chaotic.

“Reiya, Brody, and Chelsie will all be staying in Elysia for the near future. The barrier around Elysia is now stronger with the new energy from the retired Fairy King and Queen. It can now keep Erebus out. It’s the safest place for them right now, since I can’t constantly be at her side.” Levi looked over at Terra, studying her aura. She looked down nervously under his gaze.

“You don’t need to be afraid. You’re welcome here.” Levi nodded at her politely. She was a very interesting young lady. He could see how having her around would be useful to Ken. He shifted his gaze back to Brian. “I’ll go and speak with your father about everything. I won’t be around as much with everything going on.”

He turned and went to his room to pack the things Reiya wanted. The truth was it was killing him to not go after his daughter. But it wasn’t like he could find her anyway. And even if he could, the best he could do was force her back. He would have to fight her and subdue her. This was something he only wanted to do as a last resort.

For Levi, it was important to return Alexa back to normal … no matter what. He was afraid that Ken would be satisfied as long as he was by her side. Would Ken leave Alexa as she was if she accepted him? If so, Levi would be in for a very tough battle. Because he would need to capture Alexa to seal her in Elysia, and that would mean fighting against Ken … possibly Mikah too. And that would be a fight he wouldn’t be able to win alone.

Ken and Alexa stared at each other, neither one breaking eye contact. Ken took a step toward Alexa, and she created a dark, icy sphere in her hand while taking a small step back, her eyes narrowing on him as she prepared for his next move. Ken halted and tilted his head. “Are you afraid of me?” He smirked and listened to the disgusted scoff.

“No. That doesn’t mean I want you near me.” Alexa watched as his green eyes softened.

“Lex, I missed you. You haven’t forgotten me. I know your body remembers me and the way I held you.” Ken inched a bit closer as he remembered the way he made love to her in his cabin.

“Held me? You haven’t held me. And it’s Xi!” Alexa started to feel uncomfortable under his lingering gaze. Why was he still looking at her like that?

“My love, I’ve done more than hold you.” Ken’s lip curled up in a half-smile as he watched Alexa’s eyes widen. “You were quite the temptress … and I couldn’t resist.”