to avoid him. “I’m naked.”
Silence stretched before he rumbled. “Not nice to tease.”
Tease? My cheeks flamed. “Go away.”
“We need to talk.”
“No, we don’t.”
“About last night—”
“It was a mistake.” A huge mistake. Massive.
“I agree. Which is why I came to tell you that I won’t make things difficult. I know you had no interest in getting married. Especially not to me.”
For some reason, those words…they struck me as wrong. I flung open the door. “It’s not you. It’s me. The marriage is my fault. I panicked and used you and your situation to escape mine.”
He eyed me, looking more handsome than I recalled. His skin hinted of brine as if he’d gone for a swim. His blond hair was damp and tousled. “You don’t know.” His lips turned down.
“Know what?”
“Who’s Bianca?”
I frowned. “Me. That’s my real name.”
“And Sasha?”
“It’s my stage one.” Because when in the forecasting business, you had to be careful. “How do you know my name?”
Rather than reply, he thrust something at me.
It was a marriage license with my name on the left under partner number one and for the number two... “No, this can’t be.” I read it. Over and over. Then over again. “You’re Killian Kraken?”
“Ian for short.”
Bloody fucking hell. In trying to escape the bargain my family had made, I’d accidentally married the sea monster.
“Oh, hell no.” I shook my head. “No. I won’t be married to you. You tricked me.” I shook the trap at him.
His jaw tightened. “I assure you, I was as surprised as you are.”
“Bullshit. You manipulated me with that story of you dying. You used me to break your curse.”
“Don’t blame me,” he retorted. “I’ll have you recall, I said no. It was never my intention to marry anyone.”
“Liar. I got the letter. I know you need me.”
His expression turned to stone. “So you admit you ignored my plight.”
Shame filled me, putting me on the defensive. “What did you expect? I wasn’t about to marry a stranger.”
“Yet you did so last night,” was his cruel reply.
“Only to avoid marrying a monster.” I winced even as I said it.
“You don’t need to worry about that lasting long.” He turned to leave.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
But he didn’t reply.
My inner voice did.
Because if you don’t love the beast, then he’ll be a monster forever.
7
Killian Kraken: That could have gone better.
As I stalked away, anger filled me. As did resignation. While I’d accidentally married the one woman who could save me, I still had no hope. She hated me.
Which I could understand. I wasn’t all that crazy about her at the moment either. She blatantly sought to get married to screw me. She wanted me to be a monster.
Yet I couldn’t despise her for it. I didn’t want to force someone to be my wife. I wanted love. A true mating.
A foolish dream.
“Wait.”
Her voice surprised me. I didn’t halt, though. There was nothing left to say.
“Would you stop?” Sasha snapped, brushing past me to plant herself in front, blocking my path.
“I’m sorry. Did you forget to add a few more insults?”
“That was you in the water this morning?”
“Yes.”
“You tried to drown that woman.”
“No, I didn’t. Not exactly. I was trying to return a locket, only the spell on it controlled me for a moment.”
“That’s because it’s got a love spell on it. I’m surprised you could resist it.”
I snorted. “Of course, I did. I’m a married man, remember?”
“Or you weren’t the right guy for the spell.”
“Story of my life,” I muttered. “If we’re done?” I arched a brow and shifted to go around her. “I’d like a chance to rest before I have to go for another swim.” I also wanted to escape this awkward conversation.
“What do you mean have to?”
“Why do you care?” I said with a sigh.
“I don’t. But…” She frowned at me. “Yesterday, I couldn’t see anything when I looked at you. Just darkness. Today, though, I’m realizing that’s actually water. Water and nothing else.”
Not the most reassuring statement. “Because that’s my future. As my birthday approaches, so does the curse quicken in my body. The change comes upon me more than once a day now. And it will happen more often as the time nears until I permanently turn into the monster and lose access to the man.”
“You can’t stop it? You likened it to an illness before.”
“Because it is like a sickness.” I rolled my shoulders. “There is nothing to be done. By this time next week, I’ll be the kraken, and you’ll be able to have the marriage