Kraken padded into the cabin.

  He’d left the duchess chicken strutting around the upper deck.

  After promising Tam that he wouldn’t tell anyone his secret, Kraken reluctantly decided to keep it. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t do something about it.

  Rounding the end of the bed, Kraken proceeded to the other side, where he could smell the new familiar laying.

  Leaping up onto the bed with a chirp, he noted that Tam had already risen for the day, but his familiar slept.

  Kraken’s eyes narrowed. He clambered over her limbs, then up her torso until he could sit on her chest.

  He stared down in wait.

  His tail twitched impatiently when she still didn’t wake.

  Giving a huff of annoyance, Kraken took matters into his own claws. Lifting up his paw, he proceeded to slap the familiar woman across the face.

  He didn’t use his claws, but he rather hoped that his powerful blow would be enough to stir her.

  Evidently it was not.

  Winding back his paw again, he slapped her again.

  Still, nothing.

  A low rumble sounded in Kraken’s chest.

  He proceeded to keep slapping the familiar’s face until her eyebrows twitched and her eyes fluttered open in confusion.

  She stared blankly at Kraken.

  “You are far softer than I realized,” she announced bluntly.

  Kraken wished he could roll his eyes the way some humans could.

  “Of course I’m soft. I have the best fluff in all the world. Now get up. We need to have a chat,” he meowed.

  He knew she was unable to understand him in her human form, but Kraken still felt the need to retort.

  “Can you please get off me?” Eli requested evenly.

  Kraken’s tail twitched again.

  Then he raised his paw back and slapped her across the cheek once more.

  She blinked rapidly at the assault, then said, “It feels like a fluffy caress when you do that.”

  Occasionally, Kraken’s divine softness worked against him.

  He growled again.

  “Is something wrong?” Eli ventured as she slowly pushed herself to sit up, forcing Kraken to move off and to the side of her.

  “Yes there is a big problem. Your witch is floundering. It’s your job to help him,” Kraken chirped.

  Eli raised a confused eyebrow and sighed. “I can see if I can change into my other form on the deck if you need to talk.”

  Kraken blinked in confirmation.

  “I’ll be up in a bit. I have to change and wash up.”

  Despite wanting to complain, Kraken knew there was nothing else he could do for the moment to hurry this familiar along, and so he moved out of the cabin, and headed for the stairs.

  In truth, he hated being below deck. His balance wasn’t what it should be. But there was no way he was going to let his witch’s kitten go on a dangerous voyage without one of the more seasoned familiars keeping an eye on things.

  Upon darting up the stairs, Kraken very nearly crashed into the chicken who also happened to be his witch, Finlay’s, mate.

  “Where have you been?” Duchess Annika clucked.

  Kraken sighed. He already missed the days when she couldn’t understand him. “Minding my own business. How are things here?”

  The chicken’s beady eyes glared at him.

  His chest fluff remained unruffled.

  “Fine. It is a sunny day, and the winds are still from the south. It is annoying having to avoid being stepped on.”

  Kraken chuckled. “Yes, it is a feat cats are better at to be certain.”

  The pair turned and started sidling down the center of the main deck.

  “I’ll be having a private discussion with your son’s mate when she eventually comes up,” Kraken announced briskly.

  “What about?”

  “Did I not say the word ‘private’ loud enough for you to hear through your feathers?” Kraken drawled without a single look to his right where Annika stepped.

  He was not entirely surprised when he felt the peck at his shoulder.

  Swinging round Kraken slowly moved until he sat perfectly straight with his tail wrapped around his feet. “That was a bold move for someone who tastes like dinner.”

  The duchess gave an indignant ‘bok’ before adding. “I knew you were difficult even when I didn’t understand you. However I would like you to confirm if everything is alright with Eli.”

  Kraken turned and surveyed the bustling ship, his gaze eventually finding Tam who leaned against the ship’s railing nearby, his eyes cast out blindly toward the horizon. Even from where he sat, Kraken could see the smudges under his eyes.

  “Your son’s mate is fine. Your son, however, needs her assistance.”

  “What’s wrong with Tam?” Annika asked in alarm.

  Kraken looked back at her with slitted eyes. “That is, again, a private matter.”

  “Does it have anything to do with how she was feeling unwell when she boarded the ship? Gods. Did Tam get her pregnant? Is that why he’s stressed?”

  Kraken’s claws flexed into the wooden planks of the deck in irritation. He really wished he could eat the chicken duchess. He’d have to go deal with the witch that could turn her back soon…

  “I do not know, nor do I care right now if there are more grandkittens in your future. This is a matter regarding familiars, and I will be saying nothing else on the matter.”

  Annika’s head jerked to the side. “That isn’t a no to her being pregnant.”

  Kraken could already tell she wasn’t going to let the matter rest, but was fortunately spared from the duchess’s needling by the appearance of Eli. And so, he turned without bothering to mew another word, and sauntered over to Tam’s familiar.

  By the time Kraken reached her side, she already had the boy Tam called his son latched to her side, while the little girl prattled on about one thing or another…

  Kraken meowed up at Eli.

  She didn’t look away from the little girl.

  Kraken chirped.

  Still, nothing.

  With his calm turning rapidly to furious indignation, Kraken opened his mouth and let out a long yowl that sent several heads turning in his direction.

  Eli looked down at him, sighed wearily, patted Luca on the back, prompting him to release her, said something about talking or playing later to the two children, then pulled away.

  At last alone, Eli addressed Kraken.“I’ll go ask the captain about changing forms.”

  He let out a very long meow.

  He wanted to go nap, and this was taking far too long!

  As Eli climbed up toward the stern of the ship and approached the captain, Kraken watched their conversation.

  Then, striding past him, making his fluff rustle, he noticed Tam climbing the stairs.

  Kraken observed Tam joining the conversation, and what little patience Kraken possessed disintegrated.

  Bolting up the steps, Kraken sat directly behind Eli’s legs, and proceeded to pat at her calves—with his claws this time.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Okay! Okay! Ow—Stop that!” she chided.

  Kraken glared guiltlessly up at her.

  Did she think just because they were aboard a ship in the middle of nowhere he wasn’t busy? To see her meander and trod around while he, an empurror, waited!

  “Kraken, don’t do that,” Tam chastised.

  Kraken hissed at him.

  Tam’s eyebrows leapt toward his hairline.

  It was incredibly rare that Kraken became so annoyed, but it was Tam’s darn fault that he was so stressed to begin with!

  Bending down, Eli scooped Kraken into her arms and stepped away from both the captain and Tam to head back down to the main deck.

  “I don’t know that there will be enough room, and it will most likely affect the speed of the ship while I’m in my other state. So this needs to be quick.”

  “DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT THE WORD ‘QUICK’ MEANS?” Kraken let out another loud yowl.

  “Alright! Alright!” Eli countered as she finally reached the middle of the deck. “Back up!” she ordered tersely.

  Kraken didn’t stop grumbling.

  He watched as she shifted into her beast form, and noted that just about every sailor on board stumbled back in shock. There was a shout or two in alarm, even though they would have been informed of her abilities beforehand.

  As it turned out, the deck was a little more cramped with the familiar named Kasha taking Eli’s place.

  “There! Now what in the world is it?” Eli demanded exasperatedly.

  “You have been slacking on your familiar duties,” Kraken bit out. “Your witch is in over his head, and it is up to you to manage things better.”

  “What are you talking about?” Eli snapped.

  “He has sworn me to secrecy, but your witch is toying with a fate bigger than he can fathom! Something even the Gods will most likely take exception to!”

  “And what am I supposed to do?”

  Kraken slapped her whiskered snout. “SOMETHING! ARE YOU OR ARE YOU NOT A FAMILIAR?”

  “Pardon me,” the cool cluck of Annika Ashowan joining the conversation had Kraken rounding on her.

  “I SAID THIS IS PRIVATE, YOU UNDERCOOKED SNACK!” Kraken snarled in the chicken’s face.

  The duchess pecked him smartly on the nose. “Gods. I owe my husband a lot of sympathy if this is how awful you are.”

  Kraken lifted a paw, wrapped it around Annika’s neck, and pulled her closer. “Ask yourself this. If I’m worried, just what has your kitten done?”

  “I’d love to know but you aren’t telling me,” Annika fired back before jerking upward to stare at Eli. “Are you pregnant? I don’t know if you know this but our family is rather susceptible to—”

  After overcoming her visible shock of hearing the duchess speak while in her chicken form, Eli closed her eyes and dropped her head with a pained moan.

  *

  Tam stood beside the captain with Luca and Penelope in front of him.

  They were all captivated by the very unusual meeting of animals on the ship’s deck.

  Eli looked vexed, Kraken sounded angry, and his mother…

  He had no idea.

  But she was in a sort of scuffle with Kraken as he kept jabbing her with his paw and she kept pecking him.

  “And you say they are having a conversation…?” the captain asked delicately. His usual primness was audibly fragile.

  “Allegedly. Eli will tell me more once she turns back.”

  The captain nodded. “Ah.”

  Out of the corner of his eye Tam could see the troubling strain between the man’s eyebrows.

  “Dad?” Luca peered up at his father.

  “Mhm?”

  “Can we go play now?”

  “Nope. Now that Eli’s awake it’s time we get you both caught up on your studies.”

  “Awe!” Luca whined.

  Even Penelope’s nose bunched up in dislike at the idea.

  “After lunch we can try and play a game together. Sound good?”

  Luca’s eyes sparkled. “What game?”

  “I’ll tell you later. I know you’re stalling. Go head down into my cabin and I’ll meet you there in a minute.”

  Letting out laments of reluctance, the children gradually dragged their feet over to the stairs, leaving Tam to stare after them with a tired smile.

  “They’ll appreciate it when they’re older,” the captain said, his voice full of fondness.

  Tam was turning to ask the captain if he had any children of his own, when he noticed Kraken was slapping Eli’s face again, only this time he did so repetitively while his mother flapped her wings and kept trying to grasp Kraken’s fur as though to pry him away from Eli.

  “Apologies, I’ll be back in a moment.”

  Tam darted down the stairs, stalked over to his father’s familiar, waved off his mother, and snatched up Kraken by the scruff.

  “Slap her again and I will chuck you overboard,” Tam informed the fluffy cat sternly. “I don’t know what this is about, but I’ve never seen you in such a bad mood in your whole—”

  Kraken slapped Tam across the face, silencing him.

  Dumbfounded Tam gaped at the cat.

  “That felt oddly nice. But I feel the insult that was behind it.”

  Kraken tried to slap him again until Tam changed his grip on the scruff then held Kraken out over the ship’s railing as per his threat.

  The fluffy familiar went perfectly still.

  “I know you’re going to take a dump in my bed or shoes for this,” Tam began boldly. “And I accept that. But you do not slap Eli—even if she’s in her Kasha form—again. Unless she asks you to. Because again… That was strangely pleasant.”

  Kraken’s eyes slid sideways. The familiar was unable to move, but Tam caught the grumbling acceptance of his warning in the action, and so he brought him back on deck and placed him down.

  “Now, is the discussion over? Kasha, you haven’t eaten yet,” Tam raised a stern eyebrow in her direction.

  A great whoosh of hot breath came out of Kasha, as though she were as irked by him as the children had been.

  A short mew sounded from Kraken before he stormed off. Eli shifted back into her human form where she remained kneeling on the deck with her eyes lost in thought.

  Meanwhile Annika strutted off after Kraken.

  “Everything alright?” Tam asked, his brows lowering in worry.

  Giving her head a shake, Eli rose to her feet. “Yes, everything is fine. And I don’t need you nagging me to eat.”

  “Oh, so you aren’t hungry? I shouldn’t have told the cook to prepare you a plate with some tea?”

  Eli scowled at him and he grinned back at her.

  She had no less than three cowlicks in her hair, and she looked adorable.

  Which was why Tam decided to spare her nerves a little and instead of teasing her further said, “Come on. The kids are already waiting for us in our cabin ready to start studying again.”

  Tam swung around, his hands in his pockets as he headed toward the stairs.

  He was only a little surprised when Eli’s arm slipped around his and her head gently rested on his shoulder.

  “Thank you…” she mumbled.

  Tam chuckled. “Not sure why you’re thanking me exactly, but you’re welcome.”

  “You’d tell me if something was wrong, right?” she asked suddenly, tilting her face up to him.

  Tam balked.

  Maybe it was because it had been a while since he’d been able to relax in any capacity, but he was finding himself prone to getting distracted by the loveliness of his assistant.

  “I’m sure I will eventually.”

  Her sweet expression dropped, and Tam was forced to laugh as she resumed her more typical grumpy countenance.

  She continued to pester him as they went below deck, and while Tam had a hunch about why she was suddenly asking him questions, he decided he would put off bringing forward any concerns for the time being. He wanted to try and put any dark thoughts of the future off… Even if it would only be for a little while.