Page 2 of Kraken the Seal

“This is going to be expensive,” I said, shutting the box and gathering all my treasures up to store them below deck. “Stupid angry people creating cursed objects. I hope you died sad.”

“Did you have a good time?”

I looked up to see Jean standing on the dock with a small cooler in one hand and an overstuffed beach bag in the other. She owned the small sloop tied up next to my boat. She’d caught me furling the sails.

“Always,” I said with a smile. I liked Jean, sometimes she shared her homemade cookies with me, and she loved the ocean almost as much as a kraken. “But I’ll probably go out again tomorrow. The ocean is calling to me.”

“The ocean never stops calling to you,” Jean teased. “It’s a pleasant surprise when I see your boat tied up. You're the only person I know who spends more time out at sea than docked.”

I shrugged. It was true I spent most of my days far from land, swimming deep in the ocean in my kraken form. Some nights I didn’t even come back to port. It was only the lure of tasty treats like lattes that pulled me back to land.

Well, treats and companionship. Even a kraken could get lonely.

“I ran into Zak in the parking lot. He’s having a party on his yacht tonight,” she said, nodding her head at the monstrosity in a slip not far enough away. “He said we’re both invited.”

I smiled, showing too many teeth but no joy. “Great.”

Jean laughed. “I didn’t think you’d be interested. I’m not going either, but I thought I should warn you in case you’re docked tonight.”

“I’ve never been so tempted to be out to sea,” I grumbled with another glance at the yacht.

I liked a social gathering as much as the next kraken, but Zak’s parties were always full of crypto-bros that talked endlessly about all things money related. Day trading, cryptocurrency, and NFTs were their favorite topics.

Their second favorite thing to talk about was whatever weird diet was trending. If I had to hear another one of those idiots drone on about macros or fasting, crypto-bro would become my new favorite snack!

“You could always crash at my place,” she said.

I gave her a grateful smile but shook my head. “Spend a night on land? Never!”

She laughed and waved. “I’ll see you later.”

I waved back and went back to my docking chores. Fatigue hit me as I finished. It was time for a nice nap in the sun. I’d deal with everything else later.

Chapter 2

Delmar

Exceptionally loud music and drunken singing woke me up. I’d slept the day away on a stern bench, comfortable with the gentle rocking of the sailboat against the pier and the sound of seals and seagulls in my ears.

Now it was fully dark, and my peaceful slumber had been interrupted by some obnoxious humans. One of my tentacles emerged from my back and helped me sit up while I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

All the noise was coming from the large yacht nearby.

“Zak!” I grumbled. When I found out he was hosting a party tonight, I should’ve sailed back out to sea instead of falling asleep. Well, that was easily fixed!

I got up, stretched, and then began the process of getting my boat ready to leave.

“No, baby, I fixed this drink just for you. Wait, where are you going?”

I recognized the loud voice as one of Zak’s friends. He was at every party and event, but I’d never bothered to find out his name. I wouldn’t know Zak if he wasn’t always trying to talk everyone he met into investing in one of his schemes.

“Hey, no, don’t do that,” he said, making me pop my head up to see what was going on. As I watched, a woman jumped from the stern of the boat onto the dock. The size of Zak’s yacht meant it wasn't a small jump, but she landed with ease and strode off without looking back. This woman was athletic and determined. I already admired her, then she came around a pile of boxes, and I could fully see her.

Unlike so many of the human women I saw on the docks, she wasn’t frightfully thin. Her round body bounced delightfully with every step, drawing my eye to her generous chest and perfectly round hips. She was exactly the shape a woman should be.

All my tentacles emerged, desperate to grab hold and wrap her up tightly so she couldn’t get away.

“Back off,” I hissed, forcing them to retreat into my body before anyone saw.