“It has been five days,” Dracchus growled.

Arkon exhaled through his siphons and dropped his forehead to the rock he was leaning against. “I am aware.”

“How long do you intend to wait?”

“I will not leave them behind, Dracchus.”

Grunting, Dracchus moved forward along the stone, shifting his gaze to the human settlement. “That is not what I was implying. It is past time for us to go and get them.”

The idea was appealing; the two kraken had waited in the water since Jax returned Macy to her people, lurking along the cliffs as the tide rose and fell. Dracchus had very nearly charged in when the humans took up weapons and led Jax away, but Arkon had managed to stop him. Jax had been calm, and that was a good sign.

Or a very, very bad one.

“What do you propose?” Arkon asked. “Do you know where either of them are? Do you know what structures they have up on the cliffs, their layouts, their defenses? We don’t even know how many humans are up there.”

“Perhaps if you spent as much time thinking about what we can do, rather than why we shouldn’t do anything, you would have come up with a plan of your own.” Dracchus’s scowl was deep; even after everything that had transpired, Arkon couldn’t deny his satisfaction at seeing it.

“I would love nothing more than to go in there and see my friends again.” Arkon lifted his head and looked at the dock.

Most of the ships that had departed with the dawn had already returned, just ahead of the sunset. Humans moved in and out of the vessels, hauling barrels and netfuls of fish. Arkon couldn’t help his fascination as he watched them.

The kraken hunted together, survived together, but their society — if it could be called that — was comprised of staunch individuals. They congregated and worked together when necessary, but rarely displayed the warmth and familiarity the humans showed to one another.

The humans touched frequently — slapping each other on the back, clasping hands, even embracing. When they were near each other, they seemed to speak incessantly. They worked hard, males and females together, utilizing many devices — deceptively simple devices — as aids. They weren’t without their clashes, but those seemed few and far between.

“There is a female on the dock I have not seen before,” Dracchus said.

“Hmm?” Arkon shifted his gaze toward the land.

The female looked over her shoulder before stepping off the side of the dock; with the tide low, the narrow stretch of beach wrapping around the inside cure of the cliffs was exposed, ending near the rocks where Arkon and Dracchus waited. She moved along the sand, toward the kraken. As she walked, she did something that gave Arkon pause.

“Do you see that?” he asked.

“Perhaps it is a mistake. There is no way she would know that sign.”

But the female, after glancing behind her once more, repeated the arm motions exactly. She swept her gaze across the water.

“She would know it if Jax showed her. I will move closer. Speak to her,” Arkon said.

“If the men on the dock are alerted to our presence, they will be more watchful from now on. We will lose any opportunity we might have had to rescue Jax.”

“She’s repeating the sign deliberately. Jax must have taught her and sent her to look for us.”

Dracchus looked back at the woman, his frown, somehow, deepening. “Fine. Keep low and keep hidden.”

Arkon pushed off the rock and dipped below the surface, swimming toward the woman. As the water grew shallower, he altered his skin to match the bottom and slowed, digging his claws and the tips of his tentacles into the soft sand to anchor himself from the tide. He lifted his head above the surface, and his breath caught in his throat.

The wind had swept the female’s long, brown hair — its spiraling strands so unlike Macy’s — into her face. She slipped her fingers into her hair and tugged it back, revealing a delicate face with dark eyes and pink lips. Her features were similar to Macy’s only in that she was also human. Her skin was darker, and she was taller, with long, graceful limbs.

She was beautiful.

The female made the sign again.

“Where are they?” she asked.

“Here.”

The female leapt backward. When her feet hit the sand, she fell, landing on her rear. She searched the nearby water with rounded eyes, moving them directly over Arkon twice.

“Where are you?”

“I am here.” Arkon allowed a flash of his normal color to pass across his face.

Her lips parted as she met his gaze. “Macy said you changed color, but I guess I just didn’t expect this.” She moved onto her hands and knees and crawled toward him.

“You know Macy? Is she all right?”

She stopped as the surf rolled in, running over her wrists and dampening her clothes. “She’s got a long recovery ahead, but she’s doing well. My name is Aymee. Are you…Arkon?”

His eyes widened. This was Aymee, the friend Macy had spoken of? His wildest imaginings hadn’t done her justice.

“I…yes. Yes, I am. Arkon.”

“Do you not speak English as well as Jax does?”

Surprise skittered over Aymee’s face as Arkon’s camouflage faltered; he was suddenly quite nervous, more than ever in his life, and his tongue felt somehow dry. Less than a body’s length of distance lay between them, just a bit of sand and water. “I, uh…yes. I mean…no. I speak well enough, thank you. I’m just a bit weary?”

Arkon squeezed his eyes shut and gave himself a mental shake. She’d sought him for a reason; Jax and Macy had sent her, and that was more important right now.

“If you’ve been waiting out here all this time, I’m sure you are.” Her eyes moved over him slowly. “You are fascinating.”

He smiled as warmth spread over his skin. “Why have you come to find us, Aymee? What is happening?”

“Is Dracchus here, too?”

Arkon’s gaze flicked toward the rocks for a moment. “He is close by…but he’s not very good company.” He was suddenly glad Dracchus had stayed behind; he didn’t want anyone else to see this female, for fear they’d desire her. Arkon wanted Aymee to be his alone.

She grinned. “So Macy told me.” A wave crashed over Arkon, forcing Aymee to turn her face away as she was sprayed. “They’re leaving tonight, but Jax needs your help.”

His smile faded. “They are okay, are they not?”

“They’re fine.” Aymee turned toward the dock, watching silently, then looked back to Arkon. “That building up there with the crane, do you see it?” she asked, pointing over her shoulder.

He followed her gesture with his eyes; he felt it safe to assume that the large device hanging over the edge of the cliff was the crane. One end of a large building was visible nearby it. “I do.”

“He’s in there, but he’s locked in a tank. No one has hurt him, though. It’s just a precaution.”

“How do we get inside to get him out?”

“The warehouse doors themselves aren’t locked. It’s just a place where the fishermen store catches and their supplies. Someone’s going to lead the guards away for a little while, so you have a chance to slip inside to get him out.” She frowned. “We don’t want anyone hurt, including you.”

Arkon glanced toward the rocks again; Dracchus’s body was mostly hidden by his camouflage, but Arkon could just make out orange, staring eyes. “That should not be an issue.”

“Macy’s father is going to carry her to the docks to wait, so you and Dracchus need to be ready and waiting tonight for our friend to lead the guards away.” Her gaze moved over him again. “With that camouflage, you should be able to get up there once it’s dark and wait nearby. Right?”

“We will manage, Aymee. Are your people armed?”

“The guards are, which is why we’re going to get them as far from the warehouse as we can.”

“We’ll be especially careful, then.”

She turned her head toward the dock for a moment before looking back at Arkon. “Can you show me your normal color, one more time?”

Almost without thinking, he shifted his face to its natural coloring; he was unable to look away from her.

Aymee smiled. “You really are beautiful.”

Her words were unexpected, but they were not what left him speechless for a moment; that was the result of her smile and the light dancing in her eyes.

“I need to go. I’m glad to have met you, Arkon.”

“And I will never forget you, Aymee.”

He remained in place as she pushed to her feet — not because he didn’t try to move, but because his body didn’t respond to the command. She attempted to brush the sand off her clothing; it clung to the wet patches on her arms and legs stubbornly. Her torso was wet, also, and the fabric clung to her, accentuating the shapely form hidden beneath. His knowledge of human anatomy didn’t stop him from wondering exactly how she looked under her coverings.

Finally, he regained his senses enough to pry his attention from Aymee. He turned and swam back to his companion.

“And?” Dracchus grumbled.

“Jax and Macy are leaving this place. They will need us to go in and help.”

“Good,” he replied. “I am tired of waiting.”

“That’s unfortunate. None of this is happening until after nightfall.”

Dracchus bared his teeth in a sneer, and the two settled in to await the cover of darkness.