Aymee clung to Arkon as he propelled them through the depths. His body glowed, a beacon in the dark, and she couldn’t help but run her hands over him. Her fascination never waned; he was a thing of beauty, a creation that had surpassed its creators.

And she’d come so close to losing him.

It’d been four weeks since their run-in with the Culver Hunters. Arkon had recovered within four days. His skin reverted to its healthy blue-gray, his strength returned, and if not for the three scars on his abdomen, Aymee might have believed she’d dreamed the whole encounter.

Tightening her hold, she rested her head on his shoulder. She couldn’t see anything beyond the soft glow he emitted. The ocean was as dark and endless as the night sky.

Arkon had told her there was something he wanted to show her. He wouldn’t say what it was, only that it was a surprise. The kraken hadn’t seen much of anything apart from the usual fishing boats, which remained near the coast and didn’t venture far from The Watch, so he’d decided it was safe enough. Aymee was also antsy to be back on land after weeks in the Facility. The rooms were comfortable — more spacious and accommodating than anything back home — but she needed open air every now and then.

He angled them upward, and his light went out.

Only the barest hint of illumination touched the surface of the water overhead. This was so far removed from the feel of the sea during the day — all the vibrant colors and sea life gone, leaving infinite black — that she felt like they’d traveled to an unknown, unforgiving world.

There was a faint speck of light ahead. She squinted, wondering if it was a trick of her eyes, but it was joined by more blue flecks.

They broke the surface a few moments later. The sky was partly clouded — patches of black dotted with twinkling stars were visible over the land to Aymee’s right, but it was only bleak, dark gray over the sea apart from two spots where the obscured moons backlit the clouds.

Arkon released his hold on her and guided her to his back. As he swam forward, Aymee’s eyes settled on the reflection of the stars upon the surface of the water. They were a bright blue, thousands or millions of them, moving with the gentle motion of the waves.

But the stars aren’t visible over the ocean now.

Arkon carried them amidst the tiny blue points of light, which flowed in a wide stream toward land. Aymee stared in awe and reached a hand out. Several of the flecks, most no larger than a grain of sand, flared as they flowed between her fingers, returning to their prior brightness once they’d moved away.

“Halorium fields detected,” Sam said. Something resembling a map with spots of blue color, varying in thickness, blinked across the mask. “Interference is currently minimal, but it is suggested that you turn back and avoid further exposure.”

Aymee frowned. “What will the exposure do, Sam?”

“My systems may be compromised by the energy fields emitted by halorium, which could result in failure of life support.”

“Is the halorium dangerous?”

“Only for its potential effects on your PDS.”

An unfamiliar thrum pulsed over her skin; she knew the suit created some sort of invisible buffer between itself and its wearer, but this was the first time she’d felt it.

“It does not have any known adverse effects on living creatures,” Arkon said. The tiny spheres bathed his face in a soft glow, making his smile even gentler.

“Is this what you wanted to show me?” she asked.

“Yes. But we’re not quite where I intended yet.”

“The concentration of the halorium radiation is increasing,” Sam said, a hint of static in his voice. The vibrations in the suit increased.

“Sam, release the mask.”

The seal broke with a hiss and the thrumming ceased. Aymee removed the mask and tugged off her hood. Relaxing against Arkon’s back, she kept her arms around him as he continued forward, smiling when one of his hands brushed her arm.

The blue flecks thickened around them until it looked as though they were swimming through a clear night sky. Waves of blue flared, rippling out around them.

“The color reminds me of your glow,” Aymee said.

“I do not think it is an accident,” he replied. “Many native sea creatures have similar bioluminescence.”

Arkon took them toward a stretch of beach. The sand was pale against the dark, imposing forms of the cliffs backing it, but even from a distance, she could tell it was covered with the little flecks of light. As soon as the water was shallow enough, she released her hold and walked alongside Arkon onto land.

She turned to face the ocean, water skimming past her ankles, and her breath caught at the beauty of it. Waves rolled ashore, and the flecks they disturbed pulsed like lightning crackling in the clouds. Kneeling, she ran her hand over the water’s surface, watching it come to life, and when she lifted her hand, particles sparkled on her suit.

“This is incredible!” she exclaimed, looking up at Arkon.

His eyes were upon her. “It is.”

Warmth flooded her. The combination of his words and intense expression made her heart pound. She looked back down. “Why isn’t it like this everywhere?”

“I do not know,” he replied, moving closer. “But this — this place, at this moment — is just for the two of us.”

Aymee tilted her head back and smiled. She stood up, running a finger from the center of his waist to his chest. “What should the two of us do in such a place?”

“Anything we want.”

Stepping away from him, Aymee moved up the beach until she was a safe distance from the water. She tossed the mask into the sand and turned to face Arkon. Wrapping her hand around the suit’s centerpiece, she twisted her fingers, and the fabric separated at her back.

“And what do you want, Arkon?” she asked, peeling the sleeves off her arms.

He approached slowly, the glowing surf sweeping around his tentacles, gaze fixed upon her. “I want you. Only you. Forever, you.”

Aymee’s heart raced. His voice, deep and filled with desire, enveloped her. She slipped the suit down her body until she was able to kick it aside. Her breasts ached, and her nipples tightened, begging for his touch, and a throb of arousal slickened her inner thighs. She held her arms out to him.

“You have me.”

He slipped an arm around her waist, and she looped hers around his neck. He eased her onto the sand and held himself over her. Tiny glowing orbs clung to his skin, granting him an ethereal visage.

Arkon leaned down and slanted his mouth over hers. His kiss was equal amounts love and lust, tenderness and passion, possessiveness and surrender. Her hands roamed over his chest and shoulders to cup his face as she returned the kiss with everything she had to give.

He tore his mouth from hers with a growl and ran his lips down her neck, grazing his teeth along her skin. His hands framed her ribs, thumbs brushing the undersides of her breasts. Aymee tilted her head back with a moan that turned into a gasp when the heat of his mouth covered her nipple, and he sucked, sending jolts of sensation straight to her core. She spread her thighs to welcome his weight between them.

Arkon moved further down her body, sliding his palms to her hips. His shoulders forced her thighs wider. Cool air struck her heated sex. She shivered. Opening her eyes, she gazed down the length of her body. It was the most erotic thing she’d ever seen — Arkon there, between her legs, his gaze locked with hers.

He lowered his mouth without looking away from her and kissed her clit. Aymee’s hips bucked, but he held her down. She panted, unable to look away as his tongue slipped out to lick at her folds and flick against her sensitive bud. Liquid heat flooded her, and he drank greedily.

She watched him with hooded eyes, biting her lip to muffle her cries until she was unable to withstand the powerful sensations. Her head fell back, hips undulating against his mouth.

Pleasure built within her like the gathering clouds of a storm, and her skin tingled, every nerve lighting up.

“Arkon!” she screamed as the storm broke. She writhed, but he didn’t relent.

He growled, the vibrations prolonging her release. His grip on her tightened, and he lifted her hips, lapping at her until she was spent.

His hands slid back up her sides as he moved over her. She felt the slick hardness of his shaft against her thigh, felt his tentacles coil around her legs and lift them until they wrapped around his hips, felt the soft caress of his suction cups as they tasted her skin. Such strength, yet he was always so gentle with her.

Arkon pressed his mouth to hers, and she opened to him, tasting herself upon his lips. Her hands gripped his arms. It didn’t matter that she’d already reached her peak. She craved more of him, all of him.

“Now,” she breathed against his mouth, tilting her hips. His tip pressed against her opening, and then he thrust in, sinking deep. Her body clenched.

His forehead pressed against hers. “Each moment I am with you is more breathtaking than the moment before.”

Aymee slid her hands to his back. The feelers at the base of his shaft tickled and stroked her sex and clit. She was beyond words. Arkon withdrew, and she moaned at the loss of fullness until he pumped forward again. He didn’t stop, setting a rhythm that was both satisfying and maddening. He filled her, stretched her, stroked her, pushed deeper and deeper.

His lips and tentacles caressed her skin, and she clawed at him, needing more.

Growling, Arkon settled his hands on her hips and quickened his pace. The tips of his claws pressed against her skin, producing pricks of pain that added to the sensations building within her.

Her body shuddered, tightening around him, and her panting gasps turned into keens of pleasure as she came apart.

Arkon reared back, muscles tensing, and yanked her onto him, pinning her sex to his, grinding as his fire filled her. He turned his face skyward and roared.

As they descended from their climaxes, their connection was no less powerful. Aymee stared up at Arkon, nearly bursting with happiness. She pressed a hand to his chest, feeling the strong, steady beats of his hearts, and smiled.

He gazed down at her, eyes dark and half-lidded with lingering desire and adoration, shoulders rising and falling with heavy breaths.

“Glow for me,” she said.

His skin lit up, casting its glow on her. She trailed her palm down his abdomen, pausing to touch the round scars.

He covered her hand with his. “It is in the past, Aymee. We must look ahead.”

She took his wrist and guided his hand to her stomach. “To our future.”

He tilted his head to the side, brow furrowing as his gaze dipped. His eyes suddenly rounded, and his lips parted in wonder. “You mean…?”

“You’re going to be a father.”

The smile that spread across his face was slow, but when it formed fully it was more beautiful than the starlit sky and held all the joy in the world. Arkon leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her stomach. Aymee closed her eyes and rested her hands on his head.

“Our future,” he whispered.