Page 30 of Salt and Knot

“There’s a hot tub upstairs, in the sunshine.” I force the words out.

Isla looks up from where she’d been mesmerised by our reflection in the still surface of the pool.

I wonder what she saw there.

I can’t risk her discovering too soon that I’m the kraken who took advantage of her. I am better than that, and I’ll prove it to her.

“Come on. We’ll swim down here when it’s dark. And there are a few things I want to sort in my office, if you wouldn’t mind coming with me?” And it’s safer. I think I can control my kraken when the open ocean is less tantalisingly nearby.

She blinks, smiles, and nods. “Okay.”

And I lead her upstairs, into the light, and away from danger. And the truth.

Chapter 14

Isla

He takes me to his office, sits me on his lap, and we spend much of the day like that. He orders everything he thinks of, or I mention. It’s not long before pigeons are delivering parcels by their hundreds, flitting past the windows and dropping them at the front door, or knocking at the glass with their wings until we let them in and they’ve got Dylan’s signature as proof of receipt.

There’s an itch of something he isn’t telling me, and him trying to distract me by making my every dream come true, makes me even more certain he’s hiding. He puts his fingers between my legs and holds me tight in place with his arm, making me come, while he orders a television, since he doesn’t have one, and dozens of other things as I acknowledge what I like to do.

Dylan is gleeful. We have pizza—ordered in—for lunch. His with anchovies, which I admit when I try it is better than I expected. Salty and satisfying. I have plain margherita, and a salad. We end up having sex on the floor when the break in touching causes my heat to make me swoon again.

He drags me onto his lap after that and insists I send messages to everyone who might be worried—my boss, my few friends—and let them know that I’m safe, but not to expect me back for a while.

We don’t specify how long.

“I can’t have you passing out from your heat,” he tells me sternly when I try to protest.

What he doesn’t allow is for me to ask more about him, or get more than a glance at his books and trinkets around us.

But I see enough.

Dylan adores the sea. It’s clear from the art on the wall, the books in the library, and his previous job as a pirate.

And more to the point, there are books on octopuses. Squid. And sea monsters.

Kraken. It fits. The tentacle monster I encountered could have been a kraken.

And as the day turns into late evening, a theory forms in my mind. I think Dylan is trying to ensure I’m not thinking too much. Most likely, it’s something to do with the sea creature that I encountered yesterday.

The kraken? Could it be his pet? Or his slave? Something more? Maybe even… His lover?

Whatever that monster is, I have the stronger claim on Dylan. He doesn’t want to be bonded with me, but my omega instincts are clear on this. He’s my mate. I’m not letting some obsession with a sea creature get in the way. Whatever is going on here, I have to lure Dylan into claiming and fully bonding with me.

I’m going to seduce him.

Chapter 15

Isla

I insisted on eating outside for dinner, and Dylan agreed warily, on the condition that I sat right next to him so I wouldn’t go suddenly into heat again. And so when we’ve finished—mussels with a creamy sauce and crispy French fries—I have the perfect excuse to remember the jacuzzi.

“Hmm.” He sounds reluctant.

“Come on, it’ll be fun!” I stand and pull out of his grasp, forcing him to follow me.

He opens his mouth, and I can tell he’s trying to think of something.