“Touch me, and I will tear you limb from limb, asshole.” Cindi bares her blunt little teeth at me and grabs the knife off the ground.

I don’t mind having a violent mate if it’s the only form of touch she offers.

“Asshole?” I echo. I’ve heard the word before but never understood why humans enjoy mentioning their anus in conversation. Perhaps it is a form of offense? Or endearment?

“Yes. You are an ass-hole for fucking kidnapping me, you fucking monster!” She swings the knife, pointing it at me.

Monster.

One of my tentacles develops a mind of its own, slithering along the ground to touch her, desperate to prove that I might be, but not to her.

“Don’t you dare!” Cindi cries, hopping away on one leg to avoid me.

Her bad arm swings back to hold her up against the wall. It buckles the moment she applies pressure to it. More of my limbs shoot outward to catch her before she can fall.

She screams, batting me away. “Let go of me! Put me down!”

I scrunch my nose. Cindi’s acrid fear stench reaches new heights when I pull her against my chest where it’s safe and she cannot hurt herself. My chest rumbles with a purr, and I release the venom from my suckers into her skin to relax her. The effects are almost immediate. Her muscles incrementally unwind as she stares up at me in astonishment.

A tentacle dips beneath the top of her partially fallen dress and wraps around her upper body to keep her steady. The sudden shift in Cindi’s scent slows my movement. It’s warmer, spiced, morning mildew mixed with the sweet tang of fresh kelp.

My suckers contract, latching onto her skin, puckering around the small nub on her breast to taste her more clearly. Her nipples stiffen into perfect peaks, and my breeding organ hardens.

She shivers, breathing hard—the good kind. The type that brings hope to our damned situation. Her lust permeates the air, and my nostrils flare, filling the smell into my lungs. Blotches of red blossom along her golden skin as her rounded eyes stare up at me, lips parted wide.

My mate finds me attractive.

“Cindi,” I groan, sucking her nipple harder.

Her desire seeps from her pores. I wind between her legs to smear the aphrodisiac over my limbs, the scent marking me as hers. I feel drunk on her and the dream that she may say yes to me. Maybe tonight, we’ll bond, and my life will change.

Her breathing hiccups as she squirms. “What are you—don’t⁠—”

A slight prick makes me pause. I frown, looking down at a tentacle. We both stare in silence at the knife sticking out of my limb.

My mate has… She’s marked me.

A mating mark.

Sparks skate across my skin as my sex arm begins to raise, seeking her out. She’s accepting me—albeit, it’s not in the usual place, but I didn’t think this would really happen. Liquid drips from my mating organ as I fight the need to bury myself in her delicious core.

Cindi’s forehead pinches in confusion when I cup her cheek and tuck her hair behind her curved, human ears.

She needs only say the words, and I will mark her in return.

“Thank you,” I rasp, blood soaring with elation. “I would have preferred my chest or throat, so it is more obvious, but I suppose this will suffice. I will still wear it with pride. All will know I belong to you.”

I pull the knife out with my free tentacle and offer it to her. The blade digs into my limb so she does not accidentally hurt herself, but the pain isn’t noticeable beyond the excitement of having her mark me as hers for the rest of eternity.

Her jaw drops. I like this Cindi much better—when she’s not fighting me and her scent is only tainted by her underlying anger. And…she looks rather intrigued by me.

But my mate’s bewildered expression? I can’t place the reason for it.

“You want me to stab you again?”

“Only if you’re offering.” I try to hide my hope. Cindi could engrave her name on my chest if she wanted.

“What the fuck?” She gasps.

“I will not force you to do it, but it would be my greatest honor if you did.” I dip my head.

I try not to notice my blood pouring onto her skin—I’m unsure whether she is the type who dislikes such things. Still, it drives me wild knowing I am marking her in my own way, covering her with my scent so every creature knows this treasure is mine.

My sex travels over her body, leaking and spilling my seed all over her supple flesh.

Cautiously, her soft fingers curl around the handle as she timidly takes the knife from me. She seems to be more settled when she has the weapon. I will find her more if that’s what brings her comfort.

I release her face, lowering my hands to her back and waist. Then, I tip my head to the side to expose my neck and chest. Even if she wishes to mark my cheek, I will be the happiest kraken in existence. My Cindi can do no wrong to me.

Instead, the joy of having my mate in my arms is severed when she slowly says, “Put me down and take me back home.”

Her steady confidence makes my chest swell with pride. Then, her words settle in.

My forehead wrinkles, and my tentacles clutch her tighter, refusing to let go. My sucker puckers hard around her nipple, and she jolts, perfuming the air with her sweet arousal, but her expression is tense and unhappy. Why did she mark me if she wanted me to take her home? Humans make no sense.

“I cannot do both. To return you, I must hold you.”

Cindi makes this thrilling squeaking sound when my tentacle latches onto her other nub. I can still taste her lust on my tongue, but her skin is dampening with fear. It lessons as I release more of my venom, making her body relax further like I wanted to in the water, to treat her injured arm.

“Fine. Then do it.” Her voice is just above a rough whisper through her gritted teeth. “We’ll go back tonight.”

I dip my head once. “No, thank you.”

Manners are a human value, are they not?

See, I do not need Yannig to tell me how to speak to my mate.

Like a gentle kraken, I keep my suckers exactly where they are, even though it is the greatest torture. My suffering means nothing as long as it brings her pleasure.

Cindi tries to wriggle away, but my suckers refuse to let go, inadvertently pulling at her breasts. I relish in the way her lips part on a silent gasp. My sex winds around her leg, rubbing my seed over her skin. It takes all my strength not to inch closer toward her heat.

My tentacles move with her as she lunges forward and presses the blade against my throat. Her fearsomeness almost makes me smile.

I say a silent prayer to the Goddess that she breaks skin and leaves a scar. My mate would never kill me.

I hope.

“I won’t let you take me to your fucking spaceship,” she hisses, her injured hand resting limp yet stiff on one of my limbs.

My brows knit together. I did not see any fresh cuts on it. Is my venom not helping? Is it a bone issue? Maybe healing it will be one of my first acts as her mate.

“My…” What is a spaceship? Oh, I believe I understand. “My boat is small and would leave you exposed to the elements. I mostly leave it by the hut.”

She blinks. “You mean to tell me aliens have no fancy technology?”

I am…confused. An alien? How does finding me unfamiliar impact technology?

“I have magic.” Is that what she’s referring to?

Cindi’s eyes dart around the den. “Like crystals and sage and stuff?”

I point to the wall. “I believe it is pronounced rock and algae.” Maybe I’m getting my English wrong.

“No, that’s not what I—” Cindi tightens her grip on the knife as she returns her glare on me. She wavers, slumping forward lightly, like the energy has suddenly been sucked out of her. Is she sick? What’s wrong? Do I need to find the healer tonight?

“Tell me what is wrong with your arm,” I demand.