Page 19 of The Kraken Bride

I didn’t mean to, but I looked at Sebastian again. He still watched me, locked on as though no one else existed. He’d flipped his switch, the full weight of his focus bearing down on me.

I gulped. The woman next to him reached for his arm. To recruit him? But he started forward, heading straight for me.

I flattened a palm over my stomach.

People didn’t just move aside; they yielded, as if instinct screamed a warning. All eyes remained on him, curiosity tinging the air.

Sebastian stopped directly in front of me, a faint pull at my center intensifying.

“Good morning, princess.” He took my hand and lifted my knuckles to his mouth. The moment warm black leather touched my skin, the world shifted, coming into sharper focus. “I’m told women prefer compliments to their intellect over their appearance, but your brain is not the one wearing that dress.”

I tried not to react, I really did, but my lips lifted in a smile. When he looked at me like that… “You may feel free to remark on my appearance.”

“Beauty such as yours should be a crime, Brona. As king, I might declare it so.”

His words shouldn’t register as warm honey pouring straight into my ears. Nein, they shouldn’t. He merely flirted for the benefit of his endgame; and I knew that… logically. But with those sea-glass eyes fixed on me, his intoxicating scent saturating my being and his heat eroding my composure bit by bit, I struggled to form a reply, much less an intelligent thought.

“What is the punishment for the dastardly crime of being lovely, hmm?” I asked, slightly breathless, and a glimmer of mirth lit his irises. “I’m curious.”

And now I was flirting right back? Only playing my part.

“To start…” Bending down with fluid grace, sending my heart into overdrive, he set his mouth at my ear and whispered, “I will imprison you in my suite. You’ll be mine and mine alone.”

His voice was gentle, but the promise beneath it wasn’t.

Just pretend. Just pretend. But he never released my hand. In fact, he lifted his head and traced his thumb along my fingers. Even through the soft leather of the glove, I felt his warmth. My pulse galloped, but I didn’t extricate myself from his hold. Not because I couldn’t. Because I didn’t want to.

“Is that a punishment?” I asked with a sultrier voice than intended. “Or a promise?”

A slow, languid smile spread, lighting his entire face. “We’ve only just started, but I like how you play this game already,” he said, and I knew he wasn’t referencing Tideweave.

A flush spilled over my cheeks. A common occurrence in his presence. “Ja, well. I only ever play to win,” I muttered.

His smile sharpened just the slightest bit. “Good. I’m counting on it.”

Chapter

Six

The calm is the warning.

–An Incomplete Guide to Kraken Survival

Leaving my bodyguard behind, I let Sebastian escort me forward.

I couldn’t work out why my teasing brag had sharpened his smile. He expected me to win. Ja? He’d seemed so sure yesterday. Now, I wondered if I’d misread him before.

“Those calm waters are stirring,” he said for my ears alone. “Are you worrying about the rune again?”

“Ja. Nein. I don’t know.”

“I’ll teach you after the game, and you’ll see how easy it is.”

Okay. Ja. “I would like that. Thank you.”

A second later, we were climbing up the dais, and the tide was changing. Literally. The luminous channels etched into the coral floor brightened, their glow sharpening from a soft pulse to something more intent.

We stood at the edge of a series of rings, six other couples taking places around us. Kraken citizens linked shoulder to shoulder, eager to begin.