Page 10 of Taken by the Alien Kraken King (Abducted by the Ruthless Royal: Planet Sanos #12)

T he Trench bastards did not know the depths of my wrath.

They’d taken Kendall.

My mate.

I would raze the oceans until I had her back.

The seas would turn red, as I bathed in the blood of my enemies, and relished every second.

I would spare no one.

There were no innocent Trench creatures.

Guilty.

Every last one of them.

They didn’t know it yet, but I was their judge, jury, and executioner.

A special fate awaited the one who dared take my mate.

My palm slapped the alarm, bathing the palace in red.

If I didn’t rest, no one would.

“Bourne?” Ahtu entered my rooms, his hair tousled from sleep.

“Why did you sound the alarm?

“Security cameras.

Kendall.

They took her!

” I buckled my armor around my chest, biceps, and forearms.

“Where is the face shield? Fuck. I let my guard down, and now she’s gone.”

“Bourne, slow down. You’re not making sense.”

“No time. Join me. Or don’t. They kidnapped Kendall.”

“Who are they?”

“The Trench creatures.”

Ahtu’s face paled.

“Impossible.”

I thrust the portable security screen into his hands.

“Watch for yourself. It’s etched in my mind. I have to go to her. Follow me or don’t.”

“Of course I’m coming.”

“Kendall is missing.”

My announcement shook the war room.

Ahtu projected her abduction footage on the projection screen.

My war commissioners watched in horror as a creature scaled the palace wall, broke into our private quarters and left with my mate slung over its shoulder.

Kendall’s still-too human legs kicked at the shelled chest armor, while her balled fists pounded against its back.

She writhed and squirmed, trying to escape.

Her only semi-success was when her mouth opened and she screamed into its ear.

Seconds.

The abductor took her in under two minutes.

A lifetime.

Ahtu spoke.

“Bourne, I don’t believe they’ll harm her. They’re using her to get to you.”

Fear and anger simmered among the gathered members, their voices rising in overlapping dialogue.

“This is an act of war,” Ahtu declared.

“We must fortify the palace and city.”

“No,” I said.

“We can’t waste our resources there. They have Kendall, and that’s what they’ll be expecting, a more fortified palace. I’m taking the fight to them. I’m going to get my mate back.” I unlocked a floor-to-ceiling cabinet and retrieved my father’s trident and his war helmet.

“Bourne, you can’t leave the palace unguarded.”

“I won’t be.” I turned to the General, an old friend my father grew up with.

“General Livreu, arm two dozen soldiers, the newest recruits. They remain here under your command. From the rest, spread two units throughout the city, and the others will enter the Trench with me.”

Gasps echoed in the war chamber.

The Trench was dangerous.

No one entered lightly.

It was a suicide mission.

“We’ll enter at the spot past the ancient blooms, override whatever technology they’ve contaminated for their purposes, and destroy them.”

“Bourne, what about their mind reading abilities?” General Livreu asked.

“Fuck.” I paced the chamber.

“We don’t have enough of the devices for everyone.” I palmed the lone dampener remaining in the drawer.

“Ahtu, I’m trusting you with my mate’s life, and mine.”

Ahtu bowed.

“It is my greatest honor.” Our forearms clasped in agreement.

“You’ve always been a brother to me. My life is yours.”

A scout burst in.

“Energy pulses are coming from the blooms. The trench people added something to the blooms. Our engineers say if we damage the graft, we could destabilize the entire trench. They think it’s connected to the city.”

“Let’s go.” I swam out of the room, Ahtu following hot in my wake.

“Bourne. The pods are faster, and Kendall,” he stopped.

“What if she’s hurt? Or too exhausted to swim back? Wouldn’t the pod be your best option to return?”

I clapped his back.

“Always the voice of reason.”

My anxiety spiked the closer we got to the Trench.

“Turn here,” I ordered Ahtu.

“Bourne, the fighting is in the other direction.”

“I can’t explain it. Kendall’s over here somewhere. I know it.”

Ahtu nodded.

“I know better than to argue with a mate bonded male.”

The communication system on the pod squawked to life.

“Signal lost. Protocol Alpha initiated. Send in the secondary team.”

My hearts sank.

I couldn’t lose her now.

She was close.

I could feel it.

I felt her presence.

Out of the pod, I pressed my back against the coral wall and concentrated.

Our mate bond had solidified since the first time I’d tried telepathic communication with Kendall.

We’d joined our bodies, consummating our mating.

“Ahtu, I’m going to try communicating with Kendall through our bond. Guard me while I concentrate.”

Ahtu nodded.

“Reinforcements are coming.”

“I’ve got something. She’s there. Pray she senses me and responds,” I said to Ahtu.

“Bourne, it’s not a scouting mission,” she murmured in my mind.

“They’re searching for me. The big, ugly one ordered a retrieval team.”

“They’re coming for you?” I asked her via our telepathic communication, my expression impassive.

She hesitated.

“I think so. I’m much smaller than they are. Good luck finding me. They want what we have. Freedom, and what they can exploit.” She went quiet before sharing her thoughts through the bond.

“I’m in one of their abandoned escape tunnels. Tell me how to sabotage them from the inside while you and the warriors are on the outside.”

“It’s dangerous.”

“I have to help. As your mate, it’s my duty to prove myself worthy. I’m here. I’m in the belly of the beast. They won’t expect it.”

“You don’t have to prove yourself.”

I felt her smile through our bond.

“It’s not about proving anything. I used the wrong word. It’s about protecting what matters. You, your people. Us.”

“Then return to me.” I sent her an image of the Trench creature’s communication system.

“If you can, disable it.”

“I will.” She severed our connection.

“Ahtu, I did it. She heard me.” Pride filled my voice.

“Kendall is going to destroy their communications while we take the breach.”

Ahtu handed me my father’s helmet.

I slid it over my head and joined the battle below.

He and I worked in tandem, darting between the invading creatures, our tridents slashing at their legs.

We fought like men possessed.

“Bourne!” Ahtu screamed as an enormous creature chopped at his body with a partially severed claw.

I funneled inner electricity into my tentacles and shot over to him, wrapping my tentacles around the creature.

I pulled with all my might, releasing the pent up shock down the creature’s spine.

Its body seized as the electricity passed through its nervous system.

I wrapped my humanoid legs around its neck and twisted.

The creature’s neck snapped.

As its body slackened, Ahtu pierced one of its eyes with his trident.

We joined the rest of the soldiers, fighting shoulder to shoulder.

Waves of creatures emerged from the Trench, and we held them back.

As I predicted, the water ran red.

A loud crack clapped over the commotions, and the creatures slowed, staggering.

They wobbled, waving their weapons wildly, thrusting into empty space.

Our warriors looked on in confusion, and I ordered them to continue the battle.

Cheers erupted from soldiers on the front lines as swaths of creatures crumbled and collapsed on the ground.

Kendall had crippled their defenses.

I left the front line, swimming above the fray.

I scanned for my mate from my position above the chaos, listening with my hearts instead of my eyes.

An invisible thread connected us, and I rushed to her, knocking anyone who blocked my way to the side.

She knelt on the seafloor, hands on her thighs.

Her chest heaved from exertion.

“Kendall? Are you injured?” I asked, pulling her close.

“You kept your promise,” I whispered.

Clear blue eyes met mine.

“I’m fine,” she grinned.

“That’s something else you’ve learned about me. I always keep my promises.”

“My queen,” I said, kissing her for all to see.