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“Really, really. But no one finds out about this.”

“Not a word will slip past our lips, and we’ll stay in the harbor to make sure no one knows the boat is gone.” Shelby zipped her lips and hurried back down the cliffs to return to her sister at the harbor.

Aerin found the tour boat, but there was no blood and no Gideon on board. Diving, she found her way to the entrance of Kennie’s den. If he was going to try to poison the Kraken, the easiest way would be to do it while he was asleep. Swimming through the reeds and trees, she felt vibrations that told her a distressed fish was close. Kicking her tail faster, Aerin found Gideon clutching the reeds wrapped around his neck, legs, and arms, trying to drown him. The flora must have sensed he was trying to harm Kennie and was protecting the sea monster slumbering within. Using her talons, she cut through the reeds, but the more Gideon struggled, the tighter they strangled him. His eyes widened as she tried to free him; his muted words escaped only as bubbles. Their only saving grace was that he hadn’t woken Kennie’s guardian, and she had to get him out of there before they did. The reeds recoiled as she ripped at their roots to protect themselves.

Once free, Gideon pushed her away, unwilling to be dragged to the surface. Not wanting to fight him, she spotted the blood bags shining where he had tucked them into his belt. If she couldn’t stop him, she could put an end to his foolish plan. She slashed at the blood bags, and her blood poured out around them. He grasped at the bags, trying to save what he could, but they were torn apart. Letting the bags sink into the depths, she watched the anger fade from his eyes as he gave up fighting. She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the surface before her blood entered his system. With the volume of blood clouding around them, it would be a miracle if he didn’t end up killing himself instead of the Kraken.

“Have you lost your mind?” Aerin snarled once they were both back in the boat and had gathered their senses. “What the hell were you planning to do?”

“I was going to kill that damn monster you all love so much,” Gideon snapped, recoiling from her grasp.

“You didn’t even make it past the entrance. Those reeds would’ve kept squeezing until your bones broke and there was nothing left but soft tissue for the fish to gnaw on. A slow and miserable death.”

“Why is the cove filled with so many creatures that want to kill?” Gideon said, coughing up the water he’d swallowed. “Why did you come after me? You knew exactly what I was planning. I betrayed you. Why would you save me?”

“Because this was a damn suicide mission, and I can’t lose another person I care about. I never thought you’d be so out of your mind to think you could actually succeed in killing a Kraken with only a stolen boat and some of my blood.” She ranted, begging for him to explain his sudden desire to kill.

“For the first time since I awoke in this damn place, my mind is perfectly clear. That beast killed my crew, and you all treat it like it’s a pet. You need to kill it, or how many more will die?” Gideon said, trying to get up, but the boat rocked in the heavy swells beneath them, knocking him off balance.

“Yes, people will die. That’s the circle of life. Kennie is a force of nature. He’s only following his instincts. Should I kill you because you feed on humans? I’m sorry about your crew, but more death isn’t the answer, and you’ll upset the entire ocean’s ecosystem. Did you even think about what that would mean for the rest of the world?” she explained, begging him to see the bigger picture.

Gideon sat on his knees, his head in his hands, and all she could do was wait for his grief to settle.

“What happened at the house?” She inched closer to him, wanting to help ease his pain, to understand what drove him here.

“My First Mate, Marissa, she came to the Haunted House with her sons. The relief of seeing a member of my crew, a friend, recognizing her, lifted a weight from me that I didn’t know I was carrying.”

“That’s incredible, you recognized her! That’s a positive sign. She can help fill in the blanks⁠—”

“Exactly,” Gideon interrupted, taking his hands from his face. “She showed me what happened to our ship, the crew. I can still hear them screaming. I should have trusted my instincts. I knew the Kraken did this, but I didn’t want to believe it because I knew what it would do to you, to us.”

“I’m sorry, but things were different back then. There was no one to protect the humans, the sailors, but now there is.” Aerin rested her hands on his thighs as she sat face to face with him.

“You can’t control him.” Gideon refused to meet her gaze.

“You can’t kill him either.” She grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her. “There are so many more powerful forces protecting him than me, and if you try again, I might not make it in time to save you.” Aerin cupped his face, despite being afraid that he would push her away. Instead, he clung to her so tight she feared her spine would snap.

“Hearing them cry out for help, seeing the fear in their eyes. I felt myself falling into the sea, and being crushed by the pressure inside that damn coffin,” Gideon said into her shoulder.

“You’re safe with me, and as much as I feel your desperation for revenge, killing the Kraken won’t bring back your crew or time you lost. Revenge will drive you mad if you let it. Even if, by some miracle, you succeed and kill the Kraken, you won’t feel any better; it won’t quiet their voices in your head. They are at peace now, I want the same for you,” she pleaded, holding his face in her hands so he was forced to look at her. “I wanted you to get your memories back so you could move forward, not throw your future away.”

“I’m sorry that I broke my promise to you.” Gideon rested his forehead against hers and kissed her tenderly.

“Don’t be, you’re grieving,” she said between kisses. “Love and loss make us do things we never thought we were capable of, but I need you to promise me that you won’t come here again,” she asked, holding him close. “I don’t want to lose you when I’ve only just found you.”

“You’re not going to lose me. I’m sorry for scaring you.” His lips trailed along her ear and neck, teasing her sensitive skin. “You’re the last person I want to hurt. I got lost in the memories and thought I had lost everything, but I couldn’t see what I had right in front of me.”

“Promise me?” Aerin brought her lips to his, taking control, but he slipped his hands over her scales, and she shuddered. Her kisses grew more passionate.

“All I want right now is you.” His words barely registered before his lips claimed hers in a fierce and unrelenting kiss. All her anger and confusion melted away into an aching need for him.

“I promise.” Gideon broke the kiss, his chest heaving, his breath coming in heavy gasps.

“Don’t ever scare me like that again. I can’t lose another person I love.” Aerin clung to him. Her hands caressed his muscles.

“Say that again,” he rasped, his hand gripping her hair, forcing her to look at him. His smile made her roll her eyes. “Say. That. Again.” He tugged as she dug her talons into his back. He pressed his lips to hers, giving her a taste of what was to come before pulling away again, teasing her relentlessly.

“Don’t stop. Ever,” she pleaded, but he held her at length, waiting for her to give in. He didn’t know that in her true form, her senses were heightened. Every touch, every kiss, even his breath against her skin was amplified, overwhelming, making her downright delirious.