Aymee’s heart stopped.

For a moment, everything fell away and time slowed. She stared in horror at the dark blood dripping down Arkon’s abdomen. Her lungs burned; she was suffocating but couldn’t draw breath. The fear of losing him was too much. She lifted her gaze to his.

Arkon’s features were drawn with pain and startlement, his eyes glassy. He swayed but remained upright.

There was a whisper of movement behind, and someone released an agonized gurgle. Cyrus yanked hard on Aymee’s hair as he swung around. Through the curls that fell into her face, she saw two large, dark figures overpowering the pair of rangers who’d been behind Cyrus.

Jax and Dracchus. The blood spurting from the humans’ wounds was lost against the kraken’s crimson skin.

“More of them?” Cyrus tightened his grip on Aymee’s hair. There was an undercurrent of uncertainty in his voice. He raised his gun.

Aymee gritted her teeth against the agony in her scalp and covered a fist with her other hand. She twisted, pushing with all her strength, and slammed her elbow into Cyrus’s groin.

He grunted and doubled over. His hand tugged back on her hair, forcing her gaze up before his fingers slipped away.

Jax hurtled past, landing atop Joel. The kraken wrapped his tentacles around the ranger and squeezed. Bones cracked. Chad, the only other ranger standing, settled the butt of his rifle against his shoulder and aimed at Jax.

A shot rang out. Chad’s body jerked as a bullet hit his arm, and his weapon fell from his hand. Dracchus was there an instant later, wrapping a huge hand around Chad’s neck. There was a wet crunch.

Chad’s limp body sagged to the floor.

Aymee flicked her eyes toward the source of the shot; Randall was propped against the wall, pistol trembling in a bloody hand, a trail of crimson smeared beneath him. His arm fell, gun slipping from his grip. He held his other hand to his gut.

Free of Cyrus’s hold, Aymee kicked the gun from his grip. It skittered across the concrete floor.

“You bitch!” he wheezed. He swung his arm, and Aymee braced for impact.

A roar echoed through the pen.

Before Cyrus’s blow connected, Arkon — his skin a furious red — slammed into him. They hit the floor hard in a tangle of limbs. Arkon reared up over the man, his back turned to Aymee, and struck Cyrus quickly, repeatedly, savagely.

She couldn’t see the damage, but she heard it. Saw the blood dripping from Arkon’s arms.

Aymee backed away from them and searched out Macy. She stood in Jax’s embrace; his skin was still crimson, and his shoulders rose and fell with heavy, ragged breaths. Macy brushed her thumb over his cheek soothingly.

Dracchus stalked toward Randall; the other rangers were dead.

“Stop!” Aymee yelled, inserting herself between Dracchus and Randall. She held her hands out in front of her, backed up until she was standing over the surviving ranger, and glanced at him over her shoulder.

Randall looked up at her. His face was pale, his eyes glazed, his hands covered in blood. “Shouldn’t have let it come to this. Sorry.”

“I tried to tell you,” Aymee said, returning her attention to Dracchus.

“He is one of them,” Dracchus said.

“He helped us. He stopped one of them from shooting Jax.”

Dracchus turned his head, glancing over his shoulder toward Chad’s body. He seemed to consider it for several seconds before finally grunting. “Will he live?”

Aymee stepped over Randall, crouched beside him, and gently pulled his hand away from his wound. It didn’t look as though anything serious had been hit, but she couldn’t be sure without further examination. She removed his sling and folded it, pressing it to the wound. “If we can get the bleeding to stop, yes.” She looked up. “Macy, I need you.”

Macy nodded and spoke softly to Jax. He hesitated before releasing her and followed directly on her heels as she approached Aymee.

“Keep pressure here, Mace.”

Once Macy had pressed her hand over the bloodied cloth on Randall’s stomach, Aymee stood and went to Arkon.

Pushing up off Cyrus, Arkon swayed backward unsteadily. Blood and gore dripped from his hands. He turned and met Aymee’s gaze, chest moving rapidly with short, shallow breaths. His skin reverted to its normal color and then paled. She couldn’t tell how much of the blood on his torso was his own.

She ran to him, catching him before he fell. His weight bore down on her, his body slick with blood.

“Dracchus!” she cried, then lowered her voice, fighting tears. “Don’t you dare die on me, Arkon.”

“Not dying. Just...dizzy.”

Within a second, Dracchus was beside Arkon. He took hold of Arkon’s arm and slung it over his shoulders, relieving Aymee of the weight.

“We need to get him to the infirmary. Both of them. Jax, can you take Randall?”

“Yes,” Jax replied.

“Macy, keep pressure on his wound,” Aymee said, then moved ahead of Dracchus, leading him into the hall. Hurriedly, she entered the code. The door groaned open.

Knowing Dracchus was right behind her, she raced through the hallway, turning right at the intersection, and slapped the button to open the infirmary doors.

“Lay them on the tables.” She ran to the cabinets, thankful she’d taken time to familiarize herself with the supplies on hand.

Her hands shook as she opened the cabinets. She paused and drew in several deep breaths.

Calm.

Panicking or crying wouldn’t help Arkon. She needed to distance herself from her emotions, from the pain in her heart, and focus on her knowledge. These weren’t the first bullet wounds she’d dealt with.

Releasing the seal on her suit, she tugged her arms out — she’d need her hands unrestricted to work properly — and tied the sleeves behind her back to keep her chest covered. She brushed the tears from her eyes, scrubbed her hands at the small sink, and gathered the tools and supplies she’d need to remove the bullets and seal the wounds, placing them on a cart.

When she turned back toward the room, Arkon and Randall were already stretched out on the tables. Macy kept her hands over Randall’s wound, and Dracchus and Jax stood beside Arkon, Jax’s hands on his friend’s abdomen to staunch the bleeding.

Wheeling the tray to Arkon, Aymee grabbed the scanner hanging overhead and directed it over his abdomen. “Lift your hands, Jax.” She pressed the button on the side of the device.

It hummed to life. Beams of light bathed Arkon, illuminating the blood vessels beneath his skin with a soft red glow. This was far more sophisticated than the scanners they had in The Watch — those displayed through a screen, rather than directly on the patient. Her fingers fumbled over the touch panel on the scanner until she found the depth adjustment and used it to view deeper inside his body.

The differences and similarities in their anatomy were apparent. His three hearts beat weakly, pumping blood through large arteries. The scanner picked out the bullets and highlighted them as non-organic objects; she ran her eyes over his abdomen, studying it closely, and finally breathed a small sigh of relief.

No major arteries had been hit, and the damage to his internal organs appeared minimal.

Aymee wiped away the blood and bits of carnage from his stomach with a towel and cleaned around the wounds with antiseptic. She picked up the anesthetic injector and dialed up the dosage slightly; there was an entire science behind determining the proper dosage, but such anesthetics weren’t common in The Watch, and she didn’t have time.

“If this does its job, you’re going to be nice and numb, okay?” she said as she pressed the gun to his neck and injected him.

“I will heal,” Arkon slurred.

Aymee glanced up; his eyes were closed, his features drawn in discomfort, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips. Despite his attempt to comfort her, he was far too pale for Aymee’s liking.

“You will,” she replied, “but you don’t have a choice this time. I’m helping you along.”

She bit her lip and watched his face as she pressed a finger into one of his wounds; he made no reaction.

“Jax, be ready to clear blood away for me.” Aymee took up her tools and, using the scanner to guide her, removed the bullets one by one. Jax mopped up the blood as she worked, and she couldn’t help but notice the strangely washed-out cast of his skin; he was worried for his friend.

“How are you doing, Randall?” she called as she worked.

“Tired. Of getting shot.” His voice was strained and weak.

A pang of guilt rose in her chest. She swept it aside; no room for emotion, now.

Once the last bullet was out, she used another tool to seal the internal damage and close his wounds. Despite the room’s climate control, sweat trickled down her face and back. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and set the tool down.

She cupped Arkon’s cheek. He didn’t respond to her touch.

“Rest,” she said, pressing a kiss to his lips. “And remember, you’re not allowed to go.”

One more patient to treat.

* * *

An hour had passed in relative silence since Aymee finished tending Randall’s wound. She sat beside Arkon as he slept, and Macy remained nearby, her presence providing a bit of comfort. Jax and Dracchus had left to search for more boats once they’d been told they could do nothing more for Arkon.

Aymee held Arkon’s hand, brushing her thumb over his. She hated this. Hated not knowing.

He’d lost so much blood. Kraken were tougher than humans, but to what extent? How much damage was too much, when did their bodies reach their limits? She’d done everything in her power. Now, idleness had invited her fears back in.

The door slid open; Dracchus and Jax entered.

“How is he?” Jax asked.

“Stable. Sleeping,” Aymee replied.

“Were there any more boats?” Macy asked.

“Nothing nearby.”

“We need to leave this place,” Dracchus said.

“Arkon needs to rest,” Aymee said, looking at Dracchus, “and I’m not leaving Randall behind again.”

“We will bring the other human. It is too great a risk to allow him to return to your people.”

“Will you hurt him?” she asked carefully.

“He acted in defense of Jax,” Dracchus replied. “I have no reason to do him harm.”

“We only have two suits,” Macy said.

“There are more in a room near the barracks.” Aymee settled her hand on Arkon’s chest. His heartbeats were steady, but still distressingly weak. “Arkon and I found them when we explored this place.”

Dracchus moved toward Randall and stared down at him. “Then we need to go. We will carry them if we must.”

With no other choice, Aymee left the infirmary to retrieve a suit, bringing two extra masks — one for her and one for Macy. Randall woke as she was tugging off his pants.

“I knew I’d win you over eventually,” he mumbled. Though his eyes were closed, he smirked.

Aymee chuckled. “You’d be surprised how many men I’ve undressed. It doesn’t make you special.”

“Could’ve let me pretend for a little while longer.” He was quiet for a time as she finished removing his clothing. “Did I ever stand a chance?”

Aymee glanced up, but Randall’s eyes were still closed. “Had I not already met Arkon, you might have.”

“Not sure if that makes me feel better or worse.” He swallowed thickly.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Randall finally opened his eyes and lifted his head, glancing from Aymee to Jax, who stood on the opposite side of the bed. “What’s going on?”

“We’re leaving. We need to get you in a PDS.”

“A what?”

“A diving suit.”

Randall’s brow creased. “Why would I need a diving suit?”

“Because you would die otherwise,” Jax said.

When Randall swung his gaze from Jax to Aymee, his expression was troubled and his eyes questioning.

“They’re taking us with them,” she said.

He inhaled deeply and reverted to a calm, neutral expression. “What does that mean for me?”

“You will be under our protection,” Jax replied.

“A prisoner?”

“You saved a kraken from harm,” Dracchus said, “but we cannot allow you to return to your people. You know too much about us, now.”

“One of the rangers is already on his way back to Fort Culver,” Randall said.

“There was another?” Dracchus demanded.

How hadn’t Aymee realized it yet? Seven of them had been on the stage in the town hall. Only six had come to the submarine pen.

Randall let his head fall back and sighed. “Cyrus sent Jon Mason to Fort Culver after we were brought back into town. Did it while Aymee’s father was patching me up, so I couldn’t stop him. Wanted to make sure my father knew the kraken were real.”

Skin flashing crimson, Dracchus darted toward Randall, lashing out with an arm; Jax intervened, blocking him. Randall lifted his head, eyes gleaming — but not with fear.

“What does that mean for my people?” Dracchus growled.

“It means more hunters will come,” Randall said. It was shame in his voice, in his eyes. “I should have stopped this sooner. I should have done more. But I failed my rangers; I failed The Watch. I failed Aymee and your people.”

“All of us have made mistakes.” Jax locked eyes with Dracchus’s. “He is trying to make it right. Should we not allow him that opportunity?”

Dracchus bared his teeth, swung his gaze to Macy and Aymee, and backed away. “You will have our protection, human. That will not extend to any of your hunters, should they come for us.”

“I understand.” Randall squeezed his eyes shut.

“I’m sorry, Randall,” Aymee said.

“You’re protecting the people you care about. Never feel shame for that. It’s what I was supposed to have been doing all along.”

“You did what you thought was right. You had no reason to believe me.”

“Don’t need to make excuses for me.” He sat up, features strained and face paling with the exertion. Aymee hurried to help him. “I can dress myself,” he said, but his voice was weak.

“Don’t be difficult. The skin is still tender over the wound, and we don’t want to reopen it.”

Aymee and Jax helped Randall get into his suit; he insisted upon taking over once the sleeves were high enough for his arms, but when he moved his shoulder, he groaned in pain and finally gave in to their assistance.

Macy and Aymee supported Randall on his slow walk out.

Jax and Dracchus lifted Arkon and followed.

He stirred as they moved him. The color hadn’t yet returned to his skin, and for a moment he appeared disoriented. His pupils shrank to slits against the overhead lights. “We are leaving?” he asked softly.

“We are going home, Arkon,” Jax said.

“Aymee? She is safe?”

“I’m here,” Aymee said.

“She is just ahead of us,” Jax said. “Rest. You’ll be there soon, with Aymee by your side.”

They entered the submarine pen. The blood splattered, smeared, and pooled on the concrete was still wet, but the kraken had removed the bodies. Aymee should have felt something about that — lingering anger, satisfaction, relief, horror at the memory of the slaughter. All she had now was her love and concern for Arkon. She’d think about the rest after he healed.

Descending to the lower platform, Aymee helped Randall secure his mask, put on her own, and leapt off the edge. She and Macy helped Randall ease down the ladder while Jax and Dracchus lowered Arkon into the water.

Jax came and took hold of Randall. “I will swim with him.”

“We need to take it easy on them, or their wounds may reopen,” Aymee said.

“Stay close,” Jax said to Macy, brushing a hand over her shoulder.

“I will,” she replied with a smile.

To Aymee, the swim was an eternity. She had no idea how far they traveled; once the coastline was no longer visible behind them, she lost all sense of direction. Sam might have been able to tell her, but it wasn’t important, and she was too preoccupied with monitoring Arkon and Randall to ask.

Aymee had discovered she could speak to Macy and Randall through the masks soon after submerging, but they remained quiet as they swam, especially when the surrounding ocean became nothing but impenetrable blue in all directions.

A faint light in the gloom was the first sign of the place Captain Wright had called Pontus Alpha and the kraken called the Facility.

“We’re here,” Macy said.

Aymee’s gaze swept over the Facility. It had been here for hundreds of years, and no one on land had known.

“What the hell is this place?” Randall asked with wonder in his voice.

“Their home,” Macy replied, turning her head to look at him. “Our home. It was built by humans before the first colonist ship arrived. It’s where they made the kraken.”

“They? You mean humans... We made them?”

“As slaves.”

“They revolted against the humans,” Aymee said, swimming alongside Dracchus to watch Arkon. His eyes remained closed, and he was limp in the larger male’s hold. “Humans were the villains of kraken history. It’s why they’ve kept to themselves all this time.”

Macy led them past a pair of freestanding lights and to a door on the front of the large central building. There was a red light over the doorframe.

“Do you require entry?” Sam asked.

“Yes, Sam,” Macy replied.

The light over the door turned green, and it slid open.

“How many of them live here?” Randall asked.

“I don’t know,” Macy said, swimming into the open chamber. “A lot.”

Aymee hurried in after, turning as Dracchus carefully entered with Arkon.

Macy pressed a button once everyone was inside, and the door closed.

“Re-pressurization sequence initiated,” Sam said.

The room seemed to hum around them. The water level steadily dropped, and Aymee’s feet settled on the floor. Her awareness of her own weight returned slowly. It was an odd sensation. When the water was gone, the light over the interior door turned green.

“Pressurization complete,” said a feminine voice from somewhere overhead. “Welcome back, divers two-zero-five, five-nine-one, and eight-six-six.”

Macy, Aymee, and Randall removed their masks. The air was surprisingly clean, with only a faint seawater smell.

Together, Aymee and Macy moved into position to support Randall while Jax helped Dracchus lift Arkon, whose head lolled gently from side to side. Aymee looked at him with worry; he’d been unconscious for most of the journey.

Macy reached forward and activated the door switch, opening the way into a long, metal corridor.

“Melaina!” a female voice called.

A small kraken turned the corner and hurried toward them. “Macy! I saw you coming through a window!” she called, face bright. She held an even smaller kraken in her arms.

Aymee’s eyes shifted to the baby. “Is that…?”

“Sarina,” Macy said.

Melaina stopped suddenly, eyes widening as she looked from Aymee to Randall. She clutched Sarina closer. “Who… Are you...Aymee?” she asked, then her gaze shifted to Arkon, and her eyes rounded further. “Arkon’s hurt!”

“Melaina!” A larger kraken turned into the hall. Bare breasts, delicate features, and lighter build marked her as a female. Several more kraken followed behind, all with similarly feminine traits.

“Holy shit,” Randall said breathlessly.

“We cannot stand here forever,” Dracchus grumbled.

“You brought humans,” one of the females said, frowning.

“They are friends,” Jax called. The humans stepped through the door and stood aside to allow the kraken males through.

“Rhea, this is Aymee,” Macy said, nodding toward Aymee.

Rhea — the female in front of the group — looked at Aymee and smiled. “I have heard much.” Her smile faded when she glanced at Arkon. “Come.”

“Melaina,” Macy said, “I need you to watch Sarina for me, okay?”

The little girl nodded.

Randall looked from Macy to Sarina and back again. “That’s... She’s your…”

Macy met Randall’s gaze, and her eyes hardened as though awaiting either an insult or a threat. He staggered slightly, leaning more heavily upon the women, and shook his head. He said nothing.

“We need to go. Now.” Aymee moved down the corridor behind the males, who themselves followed the kraken females.

They turned into another long hallway, passing open doorways. She didn’t look into any of the rooms, didn’t stare at the walls in wonder; only Arkon mattered. She needed him stabilized, needed him in a place he could rest for as long as it took to heal, needed access to the right tools to care for him.

The group stopped suddenly, and Aymee peered around Dracchus. The females ahead growled as they were forced apart by another group of male kraken. Aymee nearly growled herself; the corridor was too small for so many bodies, and they needed to get to the infirmary!

“We have been looking for y—” The kraken in the lead came to an abrupt stop. “What is this?”

“Stand aside, Kronus,” Jax demanded.

“What happened to him?”

“Aside, now!”

Kronus pressed his lips together and shifted, as did the males behind him, allowing Dracchus and Jax to pass with Arkon. When his eyes fell on Aymee and Randall, they widened before narrowing. His skin turned crimson.

“Humans!” he snarled, raising his claws.

“Don’t you dare!” Macy shouted.

If Aymee had stopped to think, she might have acted differently; Kronus wasn’t as large as Dracchus, but all the adult kraken were taller and more powerfully built than most humans. She followed her instinct. Stepping forward, she rammed her fist into Kronus’s jaw, twisting her hip to put as much force into it as she could.

“Get back!” she yelled, glaring at him. “Arkon needs help!”

Kronus’s head snapped aside, but his expression was one of shock rather than pain. Rage quickly overcame that shock. His muscles tensed as though to strike.

A huge black arm wrapped around Kronus’s neck from behind. Dracchus swung the other kraken around and slammed him face-first into the wall. The structure itself seemed to shake.

“These humans are under my protection,” Dracchus growled, glaring at Kronus’s companions. “They are our people now. Do you understand?”

Kronus spat something that sounded like a muffled yes, and his companions nodded.

Dracchus held Kronus in place as the women hurried past with Randall, who leaned on them a bit more with each step. They passed Jax; Rhea was helping him support Arkon.

They reached the infirmary after one more turn, and Aymee’s hand was throbbing by the time they entered. With Macy’s help, Aymee guided Randall into a bed, removed his suit, and inspected his stomach and shoulder to ensure the wounds hadn’t torn open. Macy retrieved a blanket and laid it over him.

As Dracchus and Jax carried Arkon into the infirmary, Aymee pulled her arms free of the suit and tied it off as she had earlier.

She moved to Arkon’s side after they lifted him onto a bed and checked his wounds. They’d remained sealed during the journey, but his skin was pale and cold.

“We need to cover him up, too. He lost a lot of blood, and his body’s going to need all the help it can get to recover,” she said.

Macy settled a blanket over Arkon, and Aymee reached beneath to take hold of his hand. Several kraken lingered in her peripheral vision. They watched in silence, male and female alike, until Dracchus made them leave; only he, Jax, and Rhea lingered.

“He’ll be okay,” Macy said, wrapping her arms around Aymee’s shoulders. The worry in her voice was overpowered by a practical optimism. Aymee drew strength from it.

“This is a human male?” Rhea asked.

“Last I checked,” Randall replied, slurring slightly.

“Hmm.” She tilted her head as she studied him, then lifted the blanket to look beneath. Her eyes widened. “He is extruding.”

Macy laughed, pulling her arms away from Aymee as she straightened.

“Two women in one day,” Randall said.

“What does he mean?” Rhea asked Macy.

“People seem awfully interested in getting a glimpse of me, lately,” he replied.

Rhea’s attention returned to Randall. “He is not unattractive, for a human.”

“I’ll take that as a victory.” Randall’s voice trailed off as he succumbed to his weariness.

Macy brought a chair closer to Arkon’s bed. Aymee thanked her and sat down.

“Jax and I are going to check on Sarina. We’ll be right back, and I’ll bring you a change of clothes. Do you need anything else?”

Aymee shook her head. “No. Thanks, Mace.”

Dracchus and Rhea followed Jax and Macy out.

Sitting on the edge of the chair, Aymee slipped an arm around Arkon, laid her head on his chest, and closed her eyes. His hearts thumped beneath her ear, steady but weak. She squeezed him tight.

Exhaustion settled over her. Her body felt leaden, her eyelids heavy, but she kept her gaze on Arkon’s sleeping face. As much as he needed his rest, she wished he’d wake so she could see the vibrant violet of his irises.

I nearly lost him.

Tears rolled down her cheek to wet the blanket beneath her.

The emotions she’d pushed aside rushed back, and all she could do was hold onto him as she cried.

“Don’t leave me,” she whispered, clutching the blanket against the pain in her heart.

Macy returned with Rhea shortly after, carrying clothing and food. Aymee stripped out of the diving suit and pulled on a shirt and a pair of loose pants. She didn’t touch the food, and Macy’ didn’t push it on her. They sat in silence, watching over the males, Rhea helping Randall sip water whenever possible.

The same wouldn’t work for Arkon — the kraken hydrated naturally by being in water. After some searching, Dracchus and Jax brought in a large basin filled with seawater. They set Arkon into it as gently as possible, positioning him so his head was underwater, and he breathed through his siphons.

When there was nothing left to do but wait, Aymee sank to the floor, keeping a palm on his chest. Each beat of his hearts was a pulse of reassurance.