Filed To Story: The Saltwater Curse Book PDF Free
Ordus’ face tightens. “My territory will be completely uninhabitable, and krakens will be forced to leave or die.”
That’s what he said last time, but it still doesn’t add up. “Why don’t they just—I know I sound like a dick—but why don’t they just leave, then? If there’s no food here, then why stay?”
Why aren’t you pressuring me to marry you?
My stomach swoops when we loop around a protruding rock. Ordus mutters the word to open the entrance to the cave, and the sigils glow blue, groaning as the rock rolls aside.
His voice rumbles in the small space as we become engulfed by darkness. The lack of echo and reverberation plays tricks on my mind. “Because this land belongs to our kind. To leave it is to risk death from trespassing into another creature’s region, or from natural causes from incompatible climate. Many have already left.”
A shiver slides down my back from the plummeting temperature. “Shit, it’s cold.” I curl around Ordus to steal his body heat, hoping and praying he doesn’t feel my nipples poking through my bikini.
One arm curves beneath my shoulder and engulfs my waist and half my back to cradle my head against his chest, covering as much of my exposed skin as he can.
The other hand travels up my thigh, catching on my bottoms. My breath labors. Liquid heat curls through my core. He settles at the base of my spine, right above my ass, fingers dangerously close to dipping beneath the fabric.
Ordus presses the lower half of my body to his hard stomach. Sparks detonate behind my eyes from the sudden pressure against my sensitive flesh. The complete lack of orgasms I’ve had since coming to this island is catching up with me and rewiring my brain chemistry.
I don’t think he’s aware of what he’s doing. There’s nothing that suggests any ulterior motive other than to warm me up. He’s doing what he set out to achieve, because my internal temperature has soared to an uncomfortable boil filling my veins with fire.
I clear my throat. “Did they survive?” I rasp.
“I do not know. The odds are not in their favor.” His voice is far too hoarse for this topic of conversation. I wish I could see his expression in the dark.
“So unless you marry, krakens will be extinct?” I confirm.
Ordus’ hand slips lower, practically cupping my backside. Only this time, I choke. His fingers brush the hem that leads down to my heat that’s rubbing against Ordus every time he moves, scrambling my brain.
He needs to move his hand. Right now. I need to move it for him. It’s not appropriate. Wrong.
It’s too hot in this tunnel. Cuddling is fine.
This? This is not fine. But I can’t bring myself to move.
What are we talking about?
Right. The Curse. Marriage. Our collective existential crisis.
He grunts. It’s strained. I hear him take a deep breath. “They will be endangered, forever skating the line of extinction, yes.”
Is he wound up because of the topic, or because of—his finger dips beneath my bikini as he drags me up his chest, adding friction to the neediest part of me. I clamp my mouth shut to stop any sounds from coming out.
His hand returns to the base of my spine. It was an innocent gesture to readjust his hold on me. Gentlemanly. I’m the pervert here for getting all hot and bothered by it.
Get it together. Focus. Ignore it. Ignore him. This is a serious, important conversation. And
—I take a deep breath.
Okay.
Concentrate.
“Will you leave, then?”
“Where you go, I follow.” His deep tenor wraps around my aching body. I shudder against him. He means it. To the deepest recesses of my soul, I know he means it.
He says it with intent, like he’s trying to tell me something I’m not getting.
“The area surrounding the mainland belongs to the humans and is the safest place for us to hunt to avoid encountering scavengers or creatures far deadlier,” he explains. Ordus shakes his head just as the first batch of glowing algae illuminates his face before plunging us back into darkness. “But hunting near the mainland comes at the risk of discovery, which is a sure death as well. We are quickly running out of krakens strong enough to make the journey, and they are needing to swim further and further out.”
That sobers me enough to push my libido to the background.
“Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.” I sigh, frowning from the painful tingles going down my arm.
Fuck, not again.
I hang my arm limp at my side, letting Ordus take the brunt of the effort to keep me against him. I maneuver my sore arm beneath his to rest my hand under the scar along his ribs.
Ordus makes a sound of agreement. “All soldiers have been assigned to bring game back from the mainland to feed the people, but even then, the water alone has become unsafe. Only the strongest kraken will survive.”
“Is there no other way to end the Curse?” I ask hopefully.
I feel his head shake. “The Witch is dead. The elders suspect there may be an anchor of some kind that enables the Curse to continue without its caster, likely two because of the severity of the Curse.”
I rake my teeth against my bottom lip as another wave of light hits us. My only knowledge about magic comes from TV and fiction books. I have no authority or experience to be throwing out ideas, but I might as well try. “You have sigils on your doors. That’s a witchy thing, isn’t it? Don’t you use magic to shift as well? Shouldn’t your people have more of an idea?”
To his credit, he pauses to think about it. “My mother was once friends with a witch. Her strength was incomparable to the one who cursed us. Beyond basic healing pastes and protection spells, we knew very little. The krakens of the royal line’s ability to shift is inherent because we are the only ones with any power. Our magic is different. It is not an outward manifestation.”
If an entire population of krakens can’t come up with a loophole around the Curse, where do I get off thinking I, a human woman who didn’t know mythical creatures existed until about a month ago, will think of something?
Which means there really is only one solution.
“And…” I swallow, pulse hammering. The algae is becoming more frequent, so I can’t hide in the dark. “You mentioned marrying to end the Curse. You’ve also spoken about bonding. Is there…a difference?”
“The term is used interchangeably.” His eyes drop down to me, rendering me frozen in his arms as another flash of light catches the longing etched into every crease in his face. “I will not force you to marry me, Cindi. We move at your pace, even if there is no pace at all.”
I frown up at him. “Aren’t you tired of me?” I say, breath catching when his hand glides back down to my ass to keep me stable as we take a sharp bend. Like everything else, it’s an innocent gesture that skyrockets my heart rate. His fingers are mere inches from my core, and I’m frightened to think how wet he’d find me if we weren’t in the water.
One bump, one turn, a single swoop, and he’d be sliding over my slit like his thick appendages have done before. Images flash in my mind of all the times his tentacles have come dangerously close to sliding over my heat.
I shiver. Ordus squeezes my flesh to push me up his vibrating chest, rubbing my sensitive nipples and sex over his hard abs. It’s pure sin. My nails dig into his shoulders. I want to arch my back so fucking bad to add more pressure somewhere. Anywhere. I just…
I want him to make me feel good.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.