Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 71403 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71403 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
His words shouldn’t register as warm honey pouring straight into my ears. Nein, they shouldn’t. He merely flirted for the benefit of his endgame; and I knew that… logically. But with those sea-glass eyes fixed on me, his intoxicating scent saturating my being and his heat eroding my composure bit by bit, I struggled to form a reply, much less an intelligent thought.
“What is the punishment for the dastardly crime of being lovely, hmm?” I asked, slightly breathless, and a glimmer of mirth lit his irises. “I’m curious.”
And now I was flirting right back? Only playing my part.
“To start…” Bending down with fluid grace, sending my heart into overdrive, he set his mouth at my ear and whispered, “I will imprison you in my suite. You’ll be mine and mine alone.”
His voice was gentle, but the promise beneath it wasn’t.
Just pretend. Just pretend. But he never released my hand. In fact, he lifted his head and traced his thumb along my fingers. Even through the soft leather of the glove, I felt his warmth. My pulse galloped, but I didn’t extricate myself from his hold. Not because I couldn’t. Because I didn’t want to.
“Is that a punishment?” I asked with a sultrier voice than intended. “Or a promise?”
A slow, languid smile spread, lighting his entire face. “We’ve only just started, but I like how you play this game already,” he said, and I knew he wasn’t referencing Tideweave.
A flush spilled over my cheeks. A common occurrence in his presence. “Ja, well. I only ever play to win,” I muttered.
His smile sharpened just the slightest bit. “Good. I’m counting on it.”
Chapter
Six
The calm is the warning.
–An Incomplete Guide to Kraken Survival
Leaving my bodyguard behind, I let Sebastian escort me forward.
I couldn’t work out why my teasing brag had sharpened his smile. He expected me to win. Ja? He’d seemed so sure yesterday. Now, I wondered if I’d misread him before.
“Those calm waters are stirring,” he said for my ears alone. “Are you worrying about the rune again?”
“Ja. Nein. I don’t know.”
“I’ll teach you after the game, and you’ll see how easy it is.”
Okay. Ja. “I would like that. Thank you.”
A second later, we were climbing up the dais, and the tide was changing. Literally. The luminous channels etched into the coral floor brightened, their glow sharpening from a soft pulse to something more intent.
We stood at the edge of a series of rings, six other couples taking places around us. Kraken citizens linked shoulder to shoulder, eager to begin.
A murmur moved through the spectators, subtle but immediate as Sebastian’s hand settled at the small of my back.
I didn’t mean to, but I gasped at the moment of contact. His touch was an unexpected brand that seared my skin. A light but unmistakable caress, and a reminder as much as a signal. Like it or not, we were now a team. But my dragon stretched and calculated, wanting… more.
Bending closer, Sebastian whispered, “You are used to keeping others at a distance, Ice Queen, even your partners on stage, but today you must pull me in close.”
Excitement sparked, and there was no snuffing it out.
Worse, he wasn’t done dropping truth bombs. “Everyone is watching you. Can you feel their gazes?” His warm breath fanned the side of my neck, firing up nerve endings I hadn’t known I possessed. “They’re wondering if you’re the reason I’m participating in the game for the first time in decades. Speculating how long before I have you in my bed.”
“Or I take you to mine,” I teased before I could think better of it. Then his words hit me, and I groaned. “Why would you tell me this? Do you want me too nervous to play?”
“Nei, Brona.” His fingers flexed on me. “I want you to win despite it. And do not think anyone will hand us the victory because I am king. I taught my people better than that. We must earn it.”
Laughter floated up behind us, along with a few competitive jabs among competitors. No one dared trash-talk the king and his chosen partner.
“I hope you’re ready,” Bjarki called, striking the coral rod again. “Tideweave begins on the third pulse.”
The floor answered him, flashing a bright light. Once. Twice.
I inhaled. Trust the training.
With the third pulse, the light surged outward in concentric rings, mimicking waves, flowing beneath our feet. I kept my attention half on it, half on the people around me. The rhythm started slow. Deceptively so. An attempt to lull the unwary, but the vibrations running through my bones told a different story.
A tempest brewed.
I let my body take over, years of rehearsals flooding to the surface, allowing me to keep count with muscle rather than a musical beat. When the floor altered, one ring rising above the rest, I was right there, Sebastian with me.