Page 2 of Kiss for My Kraken (Fairhaven Falls #8)

A n unusual feeling of panic swept over Sam as the small human female fell into the water.

He’d been floating beneath the surface, observing her ever since she arrived.

The headlights at the old landing had initially aroused his curiosity.

Hardly anyone ever used that ramp anymore, especially not at this time of year.

He’d come closer, watching the human female climb out of the car, looking ridiculously small next to the ancient whale of a vehicle.

There was something about her which caught his attention.

Perhaps it was the tired droop to her slender shoulders, or the indefinable air of loneliness which surrounded her—a loneliness he knew all too well.

Instead of swimming away, he’d remained.

He told himself it was just to make sure she wasn’t going to cause any harm to his river, but it was something more—some pull he didn’t understand.

He watched as she consumed her meager meal, even sharing part of it with the dog.

He knew humans ate less than most Others, but even for a human, the meal seemed inadequate.

He actually considered catching some fish for her, but humans were also notoriously fussy about their food, and he couldn’t imagine she’d be eager to consume raw fish.

I could bring her something from my cabin , he thought before he came to his senses. He had no responsibility to feed this female, and what was he going to do? Throw it up on the riverbank for her to find? Reveal himself and undoubtedly frighten her half to death?

I should leave. But he didn’t. He listened as she talked to the dog in a sweet, melodic voice, frowning when she mentioned moving on. Not that it should matter to him, but where would she go?

His uneasiness grew when he saw her make preparations to spend the night in her car.

This spot was safe enough, and he would keep watch to make sure of it, but it didn’t seem like an appropriate location.

Once more he thought about his cabin, before shaking his head at his own foolishness.

Not only would that mean revealing himself, but no one ever came to his home.

Even his very rare visitors only made it as far as the dock.

As far as he knew, none of them were even aware of the fact that he spent any time out of the water.

Although nothing was ever guaranteed in Fairhaven Falls.

Once again he told himself he should leave, but he was still there, observing, when she suddenly fell into the water. Fuck!

He was almost at her side before he reconsidered.

She would be terrified if she saw him. He waited instead, expecting her to come spluttering to the surface, but the water remained undisturbed.

He swore again, and dove for her. She was on the riverbed, her eyes closed, her body not moving.

He snatched her into his arms and raced back to the surface, but she didn’t react to the night air on her face.

Frantically, he pressed his mouth over hers, breathing into her lungs.

One breath, two, three, and then she choked and spluttered, coughing up the water she’d swallowed.

He held her until her breathing eased. Then she looked up at him, and their eyes met. Even in the uncertain moonlight, he could tell they were grey—a clear, cool grey. He braced himself for fear, expecting her to scream and struggle. Instead, she smiled, a sweet, wondering smile.

“Magic,” she whispered, and then her eyelids fluttered closed again.

He started to panic again, but she was still breathing, her chest rising and falling, and he could feel her heart beating.

Now what? His first instinct was to take her to his cabin, but he knew nothing about human females.

What if she was seriously ill? What if she needed medical attention? How could he get it to her?

The sound of barking distracted him. Her dog was eyeing him from the riverbank, looking as if he were on the verge of jumping in. The last thing he needed was a second rescue.

“Stay there,” he ordered.

Somewhat to his surprise, the dog not only obeyed, but stopped barking, although he kept watching him intently.

The river path gave him an idea, and he swam quickly downstream, the dog following him on land.

He kept the female cradled against his body so that his body heat could offset the coldness of the water, and made sure her face was clear of the water.

The Moonlight Tavern appeared around the bend.

Normally there would be a variety of people out on the back porch overhanging the water, but it was unusually quiet tonight. Fuck.

He raised himself out of the water far enough to deposit her on the porch, still fighting the urge to take her back to his cabin instead. The dog joined them, whining anxiously as it licked her face.

“She’ll be all right,” he found himself saying, and ran a quick hand over the dog’s head before he remembered that most smaller creatures were afraid of him.

But the little dog nuzzled against his hand for a second before whining again.

“Now you should bark,” he said and slipped back into the water.

The dog obeyed, erupting in a series of rapid barks as Sam submerged. He remained there, watching carefully, as the door opened. A big, red-haired werewolf stepped out and frowned at the dog.

“What’s wrong, boy?” he began, and then saw the female. “Oh, fuck.” He knelt down over her and yelled over his shoulder, “Get the doc!”

Sam knew the other male, just as he knew most of the people in town.

Aidan was one of the park rangers, and he was a decent male, unusually good-natured compared to most of the wolf-shifters who hung around the tavern.

But he still found himself fighting the urge to snatch his female away from the other male

She’s not my female , he reminded himself, even though he could still taste her sweetness on his lips.

Several more people spilled out onto the porch, including the town doctor.

And once again, he had to fight his instincts.

Doctor Jackson might appear to be a normal human male, but he was nothing of the kind.

One of Sam’s tentacles actually broke the surface of the water before he pulled it back.

As dangerous as the doctor could be, this wasn’t one of those situations where his darker side was likely to emerge.

“Let’s get her inside,” the doctor ordered.

Sam dug his claws into his palms as he watched Aidan gently pick her up and carry her inside the tavern, the dog hurrying after them before the door swung shut. There was nothing else to see. He should leave.

Instead he remained where he was, staring at the door as though he could see through it.

“Evening, Sam.”

He sighed and lifted his head out of the water. He’d never be able to hide from Flora.

“Nice night for fishing, don’t you think?” The innocent-looking little old lady sitting on the edge of the porch gave him a cheerful smile, but she didn’t fool him. Nothing about Flora was innocent.

He wasn’t surprised to see her, even though he was sure the porch had been empty only seconds before.

She was wearing one of her trademark track suits—this one a vivid neon green which clashed with her pale green skin.

That skin and her unusually sharp teeth were the only signs of her orc heritage.

In every other aspect, Flora took after the fairy somewhere back in her family tree.

“What do you want, Flora?” he asked.

“Just making conversation. Catch anything interesting tonight?”

Fuck. From the way her eyes were sparkling, he had absolutely no doubt she was referring to the female he’d pulled out of the river. The last thing he needed was Flora deciding that she needed to get involved in his non-existent love life.

“No,” he said firmly.

She raised an eyebrow, and he fought the urge to squirm uncomfortably. How could one tiny little female make him feel so uncomfortable?

“Pity,” she said. “A good fisherman always knows what’s worth throwing back and what’s worth keeping. And eating,” she added, waggling her eyebrows.

He had a sudden and completely inappropriate vision of the female spread out in front of him, wet and willing and naked. Flora laughed as if she knew exactly what he was thinking, and rose to her feet, dusting her hands off.

“Her name’s Nina,” she said, and then she was gone.

He swore again and dove back under the water, letting his skin cool to the surrounding temperature, but it did nothing to cool the heat still lingering in his body.

He dove deeper, determined to put all thought of Nina out of his mind.

He’d long ago accepted his solitary state. It was foolish to think otherwise.