Chapter six
KRAK’ZOL
Imoogeen’s presence at my side feels both right and maddening.
Her scent fills the water around us—a tantalizing mix of human and something increasingly Leviathan.
The changes in her fascinate me.
Each new scale that emerges, each subtle shift in her movements as she adapts to life beneath the waves, draws my attention like a predator tracking prey.
But she is not prey.
She is mine.
My mate.
My equal.
“Where are you taking me?” she asks, her voice carrying easily through the water.
Another change—she’s learning to modulate her speech to travel through the currents.
“I would show you my kingdom,” I rumble, unable to keep the pride from my voice.
“The true Abyss, not just these palace corridors.”
She arches an eyebrow, a gesture I’m coming to associate with her particular brand of defiance.
“And Rynor’s spies? Won’t they be watching?”
“Let them watch,” I growl, my tail lashing with barely contained aggression.
“Let them see what happens to those who threaten what is mine.”
“I’m not yours,” she snaps, but there’s less bite in her tone than before.
We both know it’s not entirely true anymore.
I lead her through a series of increasingly complex passages, watching as she catalogs each turn, each potential escape route.
Always the soldier, my little warrior.
The thought pleases me more than it should.
We emerge into the vast expanse of the Luminous Gardens, and I hear her sharp intake of breath.
The sight never fails to inspire awe, even in those born to the Abyss.
Massive coral formations rise like twisted towers, their surfaces alive with bioluminescent creatures that pulse in synchronized patterns.
Schools of crystal fish dart between the structures, their scales refracting light in rainbow cascades.
“This is . . .” Imoogeen trails off, those fierce green eyes wide with wonder.
“Beautiful?” I suggest, moving closer to her.
“Magnificent?”
“Dangerous,” she finishes, and my chest swells with pride at her perception.
Of course, my mate would see beyond the surface beauty to the lethal reality beneath.
“Yes,” I agree, gesturing to a particularly stunning formation of purple coral.
“Those tendrils? Their touch brings paralysis. The crystal fish? Their scales secrete a toxin that can stop a warrior’s heart.”
Imoogeen nods, studying the hazards with professional interest as a group of Leviathan guards swim past, their armor gleaming in the bioluminescent light.
Two young acolytes hurry by with arms full of scrolls, their whispered conversation cutting off at the sight of us.
“Everything beautiful here has teeth.”
“As do you, little warrior,” I rumble, unable to resist reaching out to trace the emerging scales along her neck.
She shivers but doesn’t pull away.
“Is that why you chose me?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper.
The question stirs something primal in me.
I move closer, using my bulk to guide her back against one of the safer coral formations.
A school of tiny, jewel-toned fish dart away from our movement, scattering like starlight.
“I chose you because you are fierce,” I growl, letting my claws trail patterns across her skin.
“Because you fight even when surrounded, even when outmatched. Because your spirit burns as bright as the Heart of the Deep itself.”
Her pulse quickens, but she holds my gaze.
“Pretty words for a kidnapping.”
I can’t help the rumble of amusement that escapes me.
Even now, pinned between my body and the coral, she maintains her defiance.
A palace guard discreetly redirects traffic away from our alcove, though I catch the knowing glint in his eye.
“Would you prefer I simply claimed you? Took what is mine without explanation?”
“I’d prefer you stopped talking about me like I’m property,” she retorts, but her body betrays her.
She leans into my touch, even as she argues.
“Not property,” I correct, letting my fangs graze the sensitive spot where her neck meets her shoulder—where my mark lies.
“Partner. Equal. Mate.”
A shudder runs through her, and I catch her wrist as she moves to push me away.
It takes only two fingers—a reminder of the strength I could use but choose not to.
Not with her.
Never with her.
“We should keep moving,” she says, her voice rough.
“You mentioned something about Rynor’s traps?”
I allow her to change the subject, though every instinct screams to press my advantage, to claim her fully here and now.
But she’s right.
We have more urgent matters to attend to.
“This way,” I say, releasing her wrist but staying close as we navigate through the garden.
“The currents here are treacherous. Follow my lead.”
I guide her through complex patterns of water flow, teaching her how to read the subtle shifts that could mean the difference between life and death.
She learns quickly, her movements becoming more fluid, more natural with each passing moment.
“Your brother,” she says as we pause in a relatively calm section.
“How did he become such a threat? What drove him to this?”
The question cuts deep, forcing me to confront painful memories.
“Rynor was always . . . ambitious. But it was the Heart that changed him. Its power called to him, corrupted him. He believes he can control it, use it to reshape the Abyss in his image.”
“And you?” Imoogeen asks, studying my face with those penetrating eyes.
“Are you immune to its corruption?”
“No one is immune,” I admit, moving closer to her again.
“But I have something he lacks. Something that anchors me, keeps me from losing myself to the Heart’s song.”
“What’s that?”
Instead of answering, I let my form shift, revealing more of my true nature.
My scales darken, patterns of bioluminescence emerging across my skin.
My tail lengthens, becomes more serpentine.
Spines unfurl along my back, and my fangs lengthen until they’re fully visible even with my mouth closed.
Imoogeen’s eyes widen, but she doesn’t retreat.
Her heart rate spikes, but not entirely from fear.
I can smell the sharp tang of attraction mixing with her apprehension.
“This is what you really are,” she breathes, reaching out to trace one of the glowing patterns on my chest.
The touch sends electricity through my veins.
“This is part of what I am,” I correct, catching her hand and pressing it flat against my scales.
“The other part is what you see when I walk among your kind in my more . . . civilized form. Both are real. Both are me.”
“And Rynor? Does he have this ability too?”
I nod.
“All Leviathan rulers do. But Rynor . . . he’s lost himself to the monster. He no longer remembers how to be anything else.”
“The Heart doesn’t create monsters, little warrior. It reveals truth—amplifies what lies beneath the surface,” I rumble, watching her process this.
“In Rynor’s case, it would feed the darkness that already consumes him, until nothing of my brother remains.”
My claws flex unconsciously, remembering the wild hunger in Rynor’s eyes when he spoke of the Heart’s power.
“But for those with honor, with purpose beyond mere power . . .” I reach for her, unable to resist tracing the emerging scales along her arm, “the Heart strengthens what makes us worthy of our crown. Our ability to protect, to lead. To cherish what is ours.”
Recognition flashes in those fierce green eyes of hers.
“The bond,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper.
The current carries her scent to me—salt and defiance—that makes my fangs ache.
“That’s what this is really about. Why you needed a mate.”
“Needed you,” I correct her, my tail curling possessively around her waist.
The feel of her against my scales sends heat coursing through my blood.
Even in my partially transformed state, she seems smaller, more delicate—her frame dwarfed by my expanded musculature and thickened hide.
The contrast awakens something primal in me, a fierce desire to enfold her completely within my protection.
“The darkness that consumes Rynor . . . it lurks in all of us. But you—” I inhale deeply, drinking in her scent “—you burn too bright for shadows.”
She doesn’t pull away, though I feel the delicious tension in her frame.
My little warrior, always ready for battle.
Her hand presses against my chest, five fragile fingers splayed across scales that could withstand the crushing pressure of the deepest trenches.
The sight of her—so small yet so fearless against my monstrous form—fills me with a tenderness that borders on pain.
“So I’m what, your personal lighthouse?” Her words are sharp, but there’s uncertainty beneath the bite.
A rumbling laugh escapes me, the sound deeper, more resonant in this form.
Even facing down ancient powers and royal succession, she maintains that fire.
“You are my equal,” I growl, letting my claws—now longer, more deadly—trace delicate patterns along her spine with impossible gentleness.
“My balance. My queen.”
The last word makes her shiver, and satisfaction purrs through me.
I could crush her with a careless movement, yet here I am, handling her with more care than the rarest treasure of the Abyss.
Soon, she’ll understand just how perfectly we fit together.
How the very currents of the Abyss sing when we touch.
She shivers, whether from my words or my touch, I’m not sure.
“And if I fail?”
“You won’t,” I say with absolute certainty, my form shifting back to its more usual appearance, scales settling into place as my massive tentacles recede.
The transformation ripples through me like a wave, but my eyes never leave hers.
“We won’t. Together, we are unstoppable.”
A distant rumble interrupts the moment, and I feel Imoogeen tense against me.
“What was that?”
I scan the waters around us, my senses on high alert.
“Rynor,” I growl.
“He’s testing the barriers again. We must return to the palace.”
As if to emphasize my point, another tremor shakes the coral formations around us.
Several crystal fish scatter in alarm, their scales releasing clouds of toxin into the water.
“This way,” I say, taking Imoogeen’s hand.
“Stay close to me.”
We move through the gardens with renewed urgency, my form shifting back towards its primal state as we encounter more signs of Rynor’s interference.
The scales along my spine flare and thicken, my claws extending to their full, deadly length.
I sense Imogen’s eyes on me, tracking each transformation with wary fascination.
“There,” I growl, pointing to a seemingly innocent cluster of azure coral.
“That wasn’t there yesterday.”
Imogen narrows her eyes, studying the formation.
Her tactical mind works visibly behind those fierce green eyes.
“A trap? It looks harmless enough.”
As if responding to her doubt, a small fish darts too close to the coral.
In an instant, the formation erupts with deadly precision—barbed tendrils lashing out and impaling the creature before retracting with their prize.
“Venomous,” I explain, watching her expression shift from skepticism to grim understanding.
“One touch would paralyze you within seconds.”
She steps closer to me, instinctively seeking protection though she’d never admit it.
The gesture sends a surge of possessive satisfaction through my veins.
“How is Rynor doing this?” she asks, her voice low and controlled despite the danger surrounding us.
“Setting traps in your territory without detection?”
The question gives me pause.
It’s something I’ve wondered myself but hadn’t fully examined.
My brother is cunning, but this level of infiltration suggests something more troubling.
“He must have allies among my people,” I admit, the realization burning like acid.
“Someone with access to the royal gardens, someone trusted enough to move freely without question.”
Imogen’s gaze sharpens.
“A traitor in your inner circle?”
I nod grimly, scanning the altered currents that now flow in deadly patterns through what was once a peaceful sanctuary.
The water itself has become weaponized—subtle undercurrents that would drag an unwary swimmer into the waiting arms of the venomous coral.
“We need to identify them,” she continues, her military mind already mapping strategies.
“Set a trap of our own.”
My chest rumbles with approval.
My clever, fierce mate, already thinking like a true queen of the Abyss.
“Yes,” I agree, carefully guiding her around a particularly treacherous current.
“But first, we must ensure your safety. The changes in you are still developing. Until they’re complete, you remain vulnerable.”
Her jaw tightens at that, but she doesn’t argue.
Instead, she reaches for my arm, her fingers brushing against my scales in a touch that sends electricity racing through my blood.
“Then teach me,” she challenges, eyes blazing with determination.
“Show me how to survive your world, how to fight in it. If we’re going to face Rynor together, I can’t be a liability.”
I catch her hand, deliberately encircling her wrist with just two fingers to demonstrate how easily I could restrain her—and how carefully I choose not to.
“Very well, little warrior,” I purr.
“Your lessons begin now.”
She looks down at my fingers around her wrist, then back up at me with that defiant spark that makes my blood sing.
“Two fingers? Really? That’s the intimidation tactic you’re going with? I’ve been threatened by entire alien armies, fish-face. You’ll need to do better than that.”
I can’t help the rumble of laughter that escapes me.
Such fire, even when she’s clearly out of her depth.
My little warrior never disappoints.
“You needed to see it. To understand what we’re fighting for. What we’re fighting against.”
She’s quiet for a moment, her hand resting over my heart.
I feel her pulse through her fingertips—steady and strong, like everything else about her.
“I’m in,” she says finally, her voice taking on that commander’s edge I’ve come to recognize.
“Not just for the bond, or for my team.” Her eyes sweep across the luminous expanse of my kingdom, a fierce protectiveness hardening her features.
“This place—your world—it’s extraordinary. And I’ll be damned if I let your brother destroy it because he’s too power-hungry to see what he’s breaking.” She pauses, something raw and vulnerable flickering across her face.
“I’ve already watched one home burn. Earth is barely habitable now, everything I knew . . . gone. I won’t stand by while another world gets destroyed by someone who should be protecting it instead.”
Pride and possession surge through me in equal measure.
I catch her chin with one claw, tilting her face up to mine.
“My fierce little warrior,” I purr.
“Together, we will make Rynor regret ever challenging us.”