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7

Ordus

This human made three mistakes.

The first was looking at my mate.

The second was approaching her.

The third, and most unforgivable, act was thinking he could touch my beloved Cindi.

The disgusting, pungent male struggles uselessly, if at all.

He’s too intoxicated to realize the danger he’s in.

The crowd parts for me, casting curious looks at the human hanging over my shoulder.

No one attempts to stop me.

A few pat my back and cheer.

The guards step aside to let me pass.

Humans are confusing.

A purr rumbles to life at the memory of Cindi in the teal dress draped across her from one shoulder, hanging loose around her other.

It hugged every delicious curve of her body before splitting midway up one thigh to expose her smooth leg.

And her face?

Dark charcoal lined her eyes, garnet swept across her lips, her cheeks a pretty pink.

I did not think it was possible for my mate to be more beautiful.

I was barely able to contain myself from grabbing her the moment I saw her.

I had no choice but to stay back to figure out what had her on edge.

The residue of Cindi’s fear lingers in the air, following her like a trail that can be seen to the naked eye.

I do not understand why she is always in distress every time I see her, or why her scent soured a second after it sweetened when she looked at me.

She’s a mystery to me.

That will change soon enough.

I barrel through the crowd, stalking in the same direction she went, growing increasingly restless with each passing second she isn’t in my line of sight.

Anyone could approach her, and I would be too far away to know.

The streets are packed with humans laughing and singing along to the music pouring from the open doors of the many buildings.

Cars and motorbikes zoom by, blaring their horns, carrying passengers whom I’m sure will congregate with the masses.

Unnatural lights flash in an array of colors, making my skin itch with the need to morph, so I blend in with my surroundings.

I avoid the mainland at this time of night for this reason.

Humans give me a headache during the day.

At night, I want to tear my brain out.

A woman offers me a saccharine smile I return by baring my teeth in a snarl.

I am loyal to Cindi and only Cindi.

I will my short human legs to move faster.

I don’t slow until I turn down the first empty alleyway I find and drop the human onto his feet—at least, that was my intention.

The male crumples, slating sideways like a newborn cub without muscles.

He touched my treasure.

For that, he must pay.

I cannot allow a precedent to be set on account of his insobriety.

Cindi’s nearby scent isn’t strong enough to combat the putrid smell of trash and urine in the space.

No one spares a glance our way.

It is human nature to avoid looking into the darkness, blissfully unaware of what lurks in the shadows.

The male points a crooked finger at me and slurs a string of words I can’t make out in any of the languages I know.

He stares at me through half-parted lids, using a nearby broom to help him to his feet.

It wobbles against his weight, and it takes him four pitiful tries to get off the ground.

I step forward, watching his unseeing eyes.

“Do you know why you are here?”

He answers.

I’m not sure what precisely he answers with.

I can’t make out a single word from his tangent.

Unfortunately, avenging my mate will not be as satisfying as it was yesterday.

Magic crackles as I shift, transforming two legs into eight tentacles.

I can taste the rancid alley with my suckers, along with the faintest, almost discernable scent of my frightened mate.

A flicker of sobriety flashes through the male’s widening eyes, and the air turns acrid.

“What the fuck?”

Ah, finally, he’s making sense.

There’s no need to further delay the inevitable.

Cindi has spent too long out of my reach, and this pathetic human will be no fun to play with.

The human shrinks beneath me as my muscles contract, lifting me higher until I’m nearly double his height.

The lower half of my body expands twice the width of my shoulders, spilling onto the ground and crawling up the walls.

I open the beak hidden in the middle of my tentacles as wide as possible, then lunge for him before he can scream or run.

Two of my limbs wrap around his lithe frame and shove him beneath me to force him into my maw.

The first bite makes me gag.

This human tastes positively foul.

Too much sugar, high cholesterol, and a dash of plastic.

It isn’t a good combination.

Never mind. My message has been sent.

There’s no need to finish the whole human.

A third of his body is more than sufficient.

I will never understand why humans were considered a delicacy centuries ago.

He should be thanking Cindi he is being granted a quick death.

He’d be suffering far more if she hadn’t hit him with her cute little arm.

I wish I had been closer to see it more clearly, but the simple act of recalling it fills me with delight.

I release him and shift back onto two legs.

Copper and sulfur mixes with urine and garbage.

My stomach turns, and I feel slightly queasy.

I blow out a breath and almost reach for the wall to stop myself from falling.

It feels like I’m letting the sea carry me, floating freely on the water’s surface.

I think the human is making me…

Oh, alcohol, old friend.

Back when the prospect of Yannig and I wearing a crown was just a funny joke, Yannig would drag me with him to go hunting for the squid that would give krakens a high from its venom.

When we got older, he’d force me to try the human liquor.

A heavy weight eases onto my chest. It has been many years since I’ve consumed such toxins.

The only person I’ve ever been around in this state is Yannig.

It’s been…what? Two decades since I’ve had a positive experience with another kraken—longer since I had any type of fun , because he was occupied, attempting to end the Curse.

My life of solitude—with Vasz—is over.

I have Cindi now, and I will keep her safe, protect her from her own nightmares.

My nostrils flare as I break into a run on shaky legs, tearing through the streets to follow her scent.

Too much time and people have passed for there to be a clear trail.

Did she use her own vehicle to get here?

Where would she have parked?—

My hearts stop beating when a cry rips through the air.

Cindi.

I force my human legs to move as fast as they can, and I frown at the sound of a very male cry.

I cover the distance within a matter of seconds, rounding a corner before skidding to a stop.

There’s a male groaning and rolling around the ground, cupping his sex.

My attention snaps up toward the sound of shuffling, and red explodes across my vision.

One man has his hand in Cindi’s hair while the other tries yanking her backward by her arms as she kicks.

Rage bursts through my chest. A vicious snarl renders the night still.

Four pairs of eyes swing my way, but all I see is red.

My hold on this form vanishes.

A rare burst of magic explodes from me, crashing into my surroundings as I roar.

A cacophony of blaring car horns sends my anger to new heights.

Three of my arms shoot out, sending the men holding my Cindi crashing against the wall.

I grab the one who had his hand in her hair and crush both arms in my tentacles.

White splinters stick out of his thin skin.

I do his legs next before moving to the other male to rip his limbs from his shoulders.

Crimson squirts from the gaping sockets, spraying the dirty walls with his filth.

Cindi stands there frozen, fear scent strong, staring at me with her deep brown eyes like I truly am the monster she’s been made to fear.

Her mortification breaks through my bloodlust, and I hold my breath, waiting for her to start screaming at my appearance.

My grandmother procreated with a land dweller, but I am the only one in my family who held markings that proved our tainted bloodline.

I was deemed an abomination the moment I was born without webbing between my arms and chest, with five fingers instead of four.

The whispers worsened as I grew older.

The upper half of my body began to resemble the two-legged kind: claws, some straight teeth, hair .

My own mother’s eyes would crinkle with guilt when her sights landed on me, like she regretted birthing me and subjecting me to this life.

Cindi is looking at me like the other krakens do: as if I am a plague.

The smell of her horror permeates the air.

It…it must be because she’s never seen my kind before, not that she believes there is something inherently wrong with me—that can’t be the reason.

A warning growl rips from me when she looks away to the two unconscious bodies.

I don’t want her to stop looking at me.

I want to see her. I want her to see me .

My head snaps toward the spare human, who lets out a shrill scream, jumping to his feet to run for it.

I snarl and grab him by the ankle to slam him against the ground, cracking his skull in two.

When I look up, my mate is nowhere to be seen; there’s only the harsh echo of her shoes slapping the ground.

She’s running from me.

I need to catch her before she escapes my grasp, before I can no longer protect her.

Every instinct in my body thrums with raw, primal energy.

My muscles prime and contract, ready to give chase.

Each of my senses sharpen until all I can hear and smell is my fleeing treasure.

The excitement of the hunt is quickly washed away by the bitter scent of her terror—like ash and acid.

I curl my hands into fists, staring in the direction she ran.

Maybe I was wrong.

Not even the Goddess could create someone who could want me.