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She put her fingertips to her temples and rubbed them. “Okay, then—Ceph. Fine. You win. And I hope you’re writing this down in a calendar somewhere, because Elle Kepzler doesn’t ever let anyone else tell her what to do. But I’ll let you put me to sleep like a three-year-old, as long as you promise not to read my mind during my dreams.”
I was aghast at the thought. “Oh, no, I would never. Human minds are chaotic enough during the day.”
That made her laugh again. “Then it’s a deal. Just let me pretend to have some privacy, would you?” she asked, fluttering her hand at the window like I should depart.
“Of course,” I said, drifting back a little. “I will not pay attention unless you call me.”
I saw her nod, and watched her crawl into bed. She wound herself in her bedding, and I was wishing it were all of my arms wrapped around her instead as I felt a quiet tap from her mind.
“Goodnight, Ceph of the Sea.”
“Goodnight, Elle,” I said, and I felt her slowly drift off to sleep.
I was a kraken of my word; I did not pay attention to her dreams, but I could not help but think of all my own.
I wanted to keep her. I just didn’t know how.
I’d only barely believed the stories of similarly widowed krakens finding second mates, having never met one who had managed it before.
And I knew I’d never heard of a kraken with a human mate—that was the kind of history that would reverberate on the ’qa for several generations.
I felt my stomach sink as I considered what lay ahead for me.
At least the structure was massive. She could be down here for months studying it, with me at her side. And I was so glad that it was just the two of us, and not teams, though I wondered how long it would stay that way.
I also wanted to know how come the humans were so worried about information from it getting out, and what that meant for Elle’s future safety. I didn’t know anything about the other two humans inside her habitat, but I had had enough dealings with the two-leggeds to understand their ways. While the majority of them were good, the ones that weren’t more than made up for it.
Mostly I just felt helpless.
Helpless to change my fate, knowing that once again I was hurtling towards the sharpest pain imaginable.
The only useful thing I could think of to do, was to go and take my frustrations out on the rock that could hurt Elle’s all-important cable. I flexed my arms and jetted off at once.
chapter 18
ELLE
Does a bodyguard count as a stalker?
I snorted at myself, still thinking after I closed my eyes.
I believed Ceph that he’d gone away. I couldn’t “feel” him around. I was also sure that was the wrong word for it, but I couldn’t think of anything better—I was just worried I could accidentally summon him, like he was Beetlejuice or something.
Which was really hard, because I did want to think about him.
Hanging out with him today was probably the most I’d hung out with anyone in months. Even Grant, and I lived with him.
Had lived with him. Past tense.
Like everything else in my life.
I ran my hands over my body. This was the new and improved Elle now. Streamlined to be more aerodynamic, I thought as I reached the place where my breasts used to be. I hadn’t experienced any phantom breast syndrome—which was good, because how ironic would it be to be haunted by my old tits instead of my beloved sister—but I still wasn’t used to being me.
Which meant I probably wasn’t in a great place to start a new relationship.
Although, really, how much difference was there between Ceph and Donna’s Doctor McDreamy? Neither one of us could touch them—except, well, I had. I winced, flashing back to when I’d accidentally groped the bulging muscles of Ceph’s arm—and how he’d pushed my hand away right after.
In hindsight, it was humiliating. I rocked my head back and looked at my room’s ceiling.
