Though his muscles burned with exertion, Arkon could not still his tentacles as the water drained from the Facility’s entry chamber. His nervous energy had been of benefit during the journey, but now it fluttered inside him with no outlet, shifting into a sense of dread that churned his gut. He didn’t intend to spend a single moment longer than necessary here. Aymee was alone, and the weight of her trauma from the prior day was but one of the problems she faced.

“Pressurization complete,” the Computer finally announced.

Arkon hurried through the interior door, and his mind raced down several of the corridors at once, seeking out a disorganized list of supplies from a confused set of locations. He hesitated, dripping water onto the hallway floor.

What did humans need to survive?

Food and water. Seawater was no good, and there was no permanent supply of fresh water at the Broken Cavern, as far as he knew. And here at the Facility, Macy was the only one who had food fit for a human.

Using every handhold within reach to pull himself along, he hurried toward the cabins.

He halted abruptly after turning a corner.

“Can’t transport anything without a container.”

Shaking his head at himself, he turned around and wound through the corridors to the Pool Room, which held the largest airtight containers he knew of in the Facility.

The door slid open, and Arkon entered. He was mentally mapping what he could fit into the various container shapes and sizes when he looked up and stopped again.

Dracchus was beside the pool, powerful arms folded across his broad chest. He glanced at Arkon, creased his brow, and looked back down at the water.

“I do not understand this, Arkon. What is it meant to be?”

Jaw agape, Arkon could do nothing but stare for several seconds. Dracchus was the last person he might have expected to find here, studying the patterns Arkon had created on the bottom of the pool.

“It is...well... I think that... It is meant to be whatever you feel it is, Dracchus.”

“But what is it to you?”

Arkon moved beside Dracchus and turned his attention to the design. Its creation seemed so long ago, now, it may as well have been the work of a stranger.

“To me, it is...motion.”

Dracchus grunted.

After many seconds of increasingly awkward silence, Arkon backed away and went to the empty containers stacked along the wall.

“There is a strange scent upon you, Arkon.”

Arkon paused in the middle of reaching for one of the large chests. “I...have been to a few new locations recently.”

“Overnight?”

“I was caught up. Searching. For stones. I’ve only come for a container to bring some back here.”

When Arkon glanced over his shoulder, Dracchus was facing him fully. The confusion that had been on the big kraken’s face a moment before was gone, replaced by open suspicion.

“You are distracted,” Dracchus said, moving closer, “but not as you normally are. What are you hiding, Arkon?”

Arkon looked back at the chest, grasped the handles on its sides, and lifted it from the stack. “Nothing.”

He turned and carried the container toward the door.

Dracchus imposed himself in Arkon’s path, tipped his chin down, and flared his nostrils. “That is the scent of a human.”

“I visited Macy when—”

“You are still wet, Arkon. You just entered the Facility. And that is not Macy’s scent.”

Arkon envisioned one of the clocks that were in all the cabins — seconds ticking by, tumbling into the past one after another, each representing a bit longer that Aymee spent alone with her guilt in an unfamiliar place.

“And I am just leaving. If you would—”

“Arkon.”

The potential paths the situation could take flowed through Arkon’s mind in rapid succession over the course of an instant. He was faster and more agile than Dracchus, but he wasn’t likely to outmaneuver the larger kraken in such close quarters. Even if he did, what would it accomplish? There was always the possibility of a challenge, but that would attract the attention of more kraken, and Arkon wanted only to obtain what he needed and leave. Besides, Dracchus had given up challenging Arkon long ago. Would he even be interested now?

Yes, of course he would be. When Dracchus had suspected Jax of treachery, he’d questioned Arkon tirelessly and had even followed him into unfamiliar waters to determine whether his suspicions were justified.

“I am gathering supplies for Aymee. I am sheltering her in the place Jax calls the Broken Cavern — the place you followed me to when you attacked Macy.”

“Aymee? The woman you spoke to on the beach?”

“Yes.”

Dracchus’s brows fell, and his frown — which seemed to be his default expression — deepened. “You have her in your keeping?”

“Do you really require me to repeat everything I just told you?”

“Have you learned nothing from Jax?” Dracchus demanded. “This is foolish, Arkon. You told us the humans have hunters seeking our kind, and now you have taken one of their females?”

“I didn’t take her, Dracchus,” Arkon said, squeezing the container’s handles. “The situation with the hunters has...escalated, and she was no longer safe there.”

Dracchus straightened, lips parting and eyes widening. “They saw you.”

Arkon clenched his jaw. Perhaps later, he’d find amusement in how he’d not cared for Dracchus’s opinions, one way or another, a few months ago.

The air around Dracchus crackled; his frustration was palpable. “You put our people at risk, Arkon, over a human.”

The guilt that had been building within Arkon flared and twisted into anger in a flash.

“Have you learned nothing from Jax?” Arkon growled. “My connection to that human is stronger than I have to any of our people, and I have done no wrong in spending time with her.”

“She is your mate, then?”

Arkon hesitated; his instinct was to reply yes, but that wasn’t true no matter how much he yearned for it. “It’s…complicated. And what difference does it make? She helped Jax escape, so has she not proven herself a friend of our kind?”

A hint of crimson pulsed over Dracchus’s skin. “The risk to our people was great enough during the situation with Macy. The danger has only increased, and you pushed on even though you were directly aware of the greater danger. We do not know the capabilities of these human hunters. What if they are able to reach our home?”

“They are but a single, small group of humans! They do not represent the entirety of their race.”

“That Macy, Jax, and Sarina are here, safe and content, should tell you I know that, Arkon.” Dracchus spoke through clenched teeth, his jaw muscles bulging. “Whether there is one of them or one hundred, they are an open threat to us. Yours is not the only blood that might cloud the water.”

Arkon snapped his mouth shut. He’d been the one who endangered their people this time. The kraken had avoided detection by humans for hundreds of years; a few more months should have been simple. All Arkon had to do was stay away until the hunters decided The Watch was a waste of their time.

But he couldn’t stay away from Aymee. Arkon refused to abandon her; even if she’d not chosen him yet, he’d chosen her.

“This needs to stop, Arkon.”

“So...you will help me transport the necessary supplies to Aymee?”

Dracchus furrowed his brow and leaned back. “What?”

“I’ll have many things to carry. The journey would be quicker with your help.”

“Did you listen to anything I said?”

Arkon held out the container to Dracchus. “Yes. And you’re correct. But that doesn’t change my decision.”

“Arkon, you—”

“I have chosen. You have a choice, as well. You can forget you saw me, and I will return to the Broken Cavern, laden with supplies for Aymee. You can tell the others that I am keeping a human and give Kronus another supposed betrayal to rail against. Or you can help me, and know that I would be immensely grateful, as little as my gratitude must be worth. However you choose, I am returning to her.

“What’s done is done. She did not want to leave her people behind, but for now, she has. I do not wish to leave my people behind, but I will if I am forced to make a choice.”

Dracchus was silent for a long while as he scrutinized Arkon, his expression surprisingly difficult to read.

“If you consider it a matter of honor or duty, Dracchus, I will accept your challenge.”

Those words seemed to strike Dracchus deeper than anything else Arkon had said. The big kraken’s eyes flared for a moment in surprise, and he shook his head. “You have declined my challenges for years.”

“I am aware.”

“Abyss take you, Arkon,” Dracchus grumbled. He accepted the container.

Arkon turned away and released a shaky breath. He’d taken a gamble in pushing Dracchus; their exchange had been more likely to end with the two of them out in the water, facing one another down in front of a crowd. There was no time for such displays.

He collected another container from the wall. Before he moved away, the lockers caught his attention.

Encountering Dracchus in here had disrupted what little clarity of purpose Arkon possessed when he’d entered — he might’ve left without taking a diving suit for Aymee.

Placing the container on a nearby bench, he retrieved a PDS and the accompanying mask from one of the lockers. The system’s outward simplicity belied its sophistication; the relatively small piece of black material stretched to fit the wearer’s body almost perfectly, and, when paired with the mask — itself looking like a plain, curved piece of glass or plastic — protected the user from variations in pressure and temperature, in addition to filtering oxygen out of the surrounding water.

He placed the items in the container, closed it, and carried the chest to Dracchus.

“What else?” the big kraken asked.

“Fresh water. I believe there are suitable containers for that in the room attached to the Mess. And food. We’ll need to see if Macy has any she can spare for the time being.”

“Is there truly going to be this much food?” Dracchus dipped his chin toward the chest he was holding.

“Not likely,” Arkon replied, moving through the doorway and into the hall, with Dracchus just behind, “but I am certain there are other things I will need to bring.”

“She has shelter, and you are bringing food. What more could she require?”

“I don’t know. Human things.”

Dracchus grunted.

They stopped in the Mess. In the connected room — Macy called it a kitchen and used it to cook her meals — Arkon located two large plastic jugs. He rinsed them out, filled them with water from the sink, fastened their lids, and placed them in Dracchus’s container. Dracchus frowned but said nothing.

Arkon led the way to the Cabins at a rapid pace, his sense of urgency restored now that he’d obtained assistance.

Jax and Macy’s door was open when Arkon reached it. He peered around the doorframe to see Jax — the mighty hunter and explorer — near the bed, making strange, exaggerated expressions to entertain the youngling in his arms.

Arkon tapped the edge of the chest on the doorframe.

Jax looked up and smiled. “We expected to see you yesterday. Come inside, Arkon.”

Despite the invitation and the countless hours he’d spent in this room with Jax, Macy, and Sarina, Arkon always felt as though he were intruding upon a private space when he entered. He supposed it was a simple matter of his people’s ways having been ingrained in him since childhood — kraken kept to their own dens. Entering another kraken’s den was enough to spark a fight.

Arkon crossed the threshold.

Jax furrowed his brow when he looked at the chest in Arkon’s hand, and his eyes widened when Dracchus entered behind Arkon.

“My instinct says I should not ask,” Jax said.

“Is Macy in?” Arkon knew Jax wouldn’t allow her to wander far without one of the three kraken present alongside her and at least two weapons on her person, but he couldn’t stand there in silence.

“She just stepped out of the shower.” Frowning, Jax’s eyes shifted from Arkon to Dracchus and back again. Sarina wrapped her tentacles around his forearm and made little cooing sounds. She turned her large eyes to Arkon.

“Oh. Well, I suppose we will wait until she is all done.” Arkon turned and placed the container on the floor. When he rose, he moved to Jax and held the tip of a tentacle to Sarina. She latched onto it with her little fist and shook it before bringing it to her mouth “She’s getting strong.”

“Arkon…” Jax said.

There was a thump as Dracchus put down his chest, and he came up immediately behind Arkon, looking over his shoulder. Sarina turned her attention to the big kraken and smiled. She released her hold on both Arkon and her father and stretched her chubby arms toward Dracchus.

Arching a brow, Arkon moved aside. His surprise and confusion were mirrored in Jax’s face as Dracchus gently lifted Sarina and brought her close. Her tentacles wrapped around his wrists and her hands cupped his cheeks. She made more of her baby sounds and blew out of her siphons.

Dracchus mimicked her, and she smiled so broadly that she nearly tipped backward.

Jax and Arkon exchanged a perplexed look.

The bathroom door opened and Arkon’s gaze shifted to Macy as she stepped out. She paused, one foot over the threshold, before a smile brightened on her face. “Arkon!”

She approached them, casting a warm look at Dracchus and Sarina as though it wasn’t a strange sight. “It never stops surprising me how fast she’s advancing compared to a human newborn.” Her smile faded slightly. “She’s only four weeks old but she’s so alert, and she’s more responsive and mobile than a six-month-old. I feel like she’s growing too fast.”

“As I told you, Macy, kraken younglings develop quickly after birth,” Jax said gently, putting an arm around her shoulder and drawing her against his side. “Her growth will slow when she gets older.”

“But she won’t be a baby for long.” Macy sighed wistfully. She pecked a kiss on Jax’s cheek, turned her gaze to Arkon, and stepped out of her mate’s embrace, eagerness gleaming in her eyes. “Did Aymee have more letters for me?”

“Yes, she did,” Arkon said. “But...I do not have them.”

Macy glanced at the container and frowned. “What do you mean?”

“There is a situation,” Dracchus said. He had Sarina up high, moving her around as though she were flying. She waved her arms and tentacles in a pantomime of swimming.

“What situation?” Macy demanded.

“Aymee is safe. Her injury was only a minor one,” Arkon replied.

“What?”

“A bruise! She’s only bruised. She was struck in the face by one of the hunters yesterday, but it should heal normally.”

Macy stared at him, jaw agape, eyes wide, but there was a moment’s delay before true anger tinted her expression. Fury etched itself into every line of her features. “Tell me what happened.”

Arkon nodded. He spoke rapidly, telling them about the exchange from beginning and end, leaving out his regrets — even if different choices might’ve resulted in a different outcome, it was no longer important. The past was done.

“Bring her here,” Macy said as soon as he finished. It wasn’t a request.

“I do not believe that to be a wise choice, currently,” Arkon replied.

“What do you mean? She’s out there alone and hurt. I know how that feels. She should be here, where we can keep her safe.”

Jax winced at her words but shook his head. “Macy, this place is not even fully safe for you, and you nearly died to protect a kraken. It would be an even greater risk for her.”

“She could have died protecting Arkon! How is that any different? She’s been trying to turn the hunters away from kraken, surely she’s proven herself enough.”

“No one outside this room has witnessed any of the things she’s done. For some, our word will not be enough,” Jax said. “Another human brought here without the approval of our people as a whole might well be enough for Kronus to throw everything into chaos.”

“He does not need everyone’s support,” Dracchus said. “He only needs them to doubt, and it will further his goals.”

Macy visibly deflated. “Then what can we do? I hate that she’s out there by herself.”

Seeing her so suddenly resigned hurt Arkon; his spirits sank. In all his life, Macy had been only the second person he’d considered a friend, and he did not enjoy feeling as though he were the cause of her distress.

“She won’t be,” he said. “Help me gather whatever will be useful to her. We have fresh water, and if you have food to spare, it would be of benefit. I do not know what else, though I am certain there is more.”

“I’ll gather things for her.” She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Arkon returned her embrace. “Thank you. If it were anyone else, I’d probably still be arguing to have her brought here…but I trust you.”

Once she released Arkon, Jax hooked a tentacle around Macy’s waist and drew her back against his chest, enfolding her in his arms. Arkon exchanged a look with him; there was no threat from Jax, but he wasn’t likely to ever be comfortable with another male touching her, with another male’s scent on her.

And wouldn’t Arkon himself feel the same regarding Aymee?

“I will keep her safe, Macy.”