Dalton blinks, confusion creasing his brow. “How is that possible? The club is twenty-one and older, and I know damn well that no one underage is sneaking past me.” He shakes his head. “Any witch in this building would have matured enough to at least have magic of their own. So they’d have to know about the paranormal to some extent.”
“True, and while that would usually be the case, I have reasons to believe someone bound his magic.”
Dalton nods, fingers flying across his screen as he sends a text message. His phone beeps back almost immediately before Dalton sends another text. “All right. You’re good to go in. Let me know if you need any help. If there is a paranormal emergency, find me or one of the bartenders and let us know it’s a code red.”
“Thank you. I appreciate all the support.” We shake hands again before I make my way inside. Sliding my mask over my face, I tie it as I walk.
The club’s overhead lights are low, while colorful strobe lights pulse to the beat of the music. Bodies writhe all around, and I instantly detect several magical signatures amongst the crowd, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t find Kaleb’s anymore. Closing my eyes, I focus again until my magic wraps around the one I’m looking for. There’s something different about Kaleb’s magic. My inner kraken extends his tentacle, rubbing against it and coiling around it.
My head jerks up, and I open my eyes. Light green tendrils of magic are floating in the center of the dance floor.
Now that I can sense where my target is, I can see Kaleb’s aura flickering in and out like an old, faulty light. No wonder I was having such a hard time. I turn and walk toward his aura, memorizing its general location before it flickers out again. I’ve seen this before. Whenever I use my ocean magic, I can see people’s auras and magical signatures. But when a paranormal can’t access their magic, it starts seeping out of the body, the way it seems to be doing with Kaleb. The power inside can become more dangerous and chaotic the longer the magic remains locked away.
Bodies gyrate and move, paying me no mind as I make my way through the crowd. The magical aura flickers out again, but I still have an idea of where Kaleb might be. I just pray that he’s easy to spot.
As if my kraken senses something before I do, my whole body freezes in place. My heartbeat picks up when I take in the stunning sight in front of me.
There, in the center of the dance floor, is a blond person dancing to the beat of the music, their tight leggings sparkling under the lights. From here, I can’t quite tell if this person is male, female, or nonbinary. Not that it matters to me or my Kraken. As a magical creature of the ocean, I naturally find all types of genders and body types attractive. Throw in a happy, caring personality, and I’m fucking done for.
Even so, their body is toned and lithe like a dancer. There are tiny, colorful scales on their leggings. The tight material does nothing but accentuate the lovely curve of their ass and the muscles in their long legs. The gorgeous body dancing in front of me might be tempting as all get out, but it’s their costume that catches my attention further.
I chuckle when I realize they’re human and in their version of a mer costume. I step closer. Intrigued. What are the chances that this pretty human would dress like a mer-person for me? For a moment, my mission flies out the window—something that has never happened to me before. I’ve always been on point; the perfect soldier who never gets distracted. But as I take in the beauty in front of me, I know I won’t be able to tear my eyes away from them until I at least introduce myself. It’s not just sexual attraction. It’s something…more.
My inner kraken urges me forward, and my palms grow damp. There’s definitely a magical tug pulling me toward this person.Long blond hair tumbles down their back in a cascade of wavy curls. Now that I’m closer, I notice the tight, shimmery blue crop top as well. Their arms rise into the air, a collection of bracelets hanging from their wrists.
Unable to help myself, I tap on their shoulder. I need them to turn around. I need to find out who’s got my heart racing with just a single dance.
Could this blond be the same person I’ve been dreaming about?
The beauty spins to face me as soon as they feel me behind them. Our eyes meet, and I swear something fucking magical happens when I’m met with stunning, large baby blues. He’s even more attractive up close with long blond hair and sharp cheekbones. An intoxicating mix of pretty and masculine. His lips part in shock, the wide smile dropping away. He stops dancing altogether, and I swear my kraken rages inside of me.
I didn’t mean to take away his happiness; I just wanted to be closer to him. The tentacle tattoos under my shirt twist and turn, sliding against my body. The suckers expand as if trying to reach out and taste this stunning creature in front of me.
He quickly glances at my neck, where a tentacle tattoo peeks out from my green shirt. Hypnotized, he stares at it, a ray of emotions flickering across his face. Hopefully, he didn’t see my tattoos moving.
Feeling awkward, I start moving my body in what I hope resembles a dance. My tentacles coil tightly around my chest, probably subconsciously trying to stop me from making a fool of myself. “Hi,” I breathe out, voice getting swallowed up by the loud pop music.
His lips twitch with amusement. “Hi!” he shouts back. His gaze travels up the length of my body, causing me to shiver. His body slowly begins swaying in some sensual moves, bumping and rubbing up against me, and I swear, my kraken thinks this is some kind of mating dance.
‘Easy boy,’I say to myself.‘Please don’t scare him.’
The beautiful stranger grins up at me, and my nerves fall away. I wrap my arms around him, and he slides against me easily. Our bodies fall into sync as if we’ve been dancing together for years. Quickly, I scan the people around us, stretching out my magic. Now that I have this pretty human in my arms, my kraken settles. I need to at least attempt to look for Kaleb.
When my magic only skips across a few shifters nearby, I frown. Where did he go? There’s no way he left that quickly.
“What’s your name?” my stranger asks, fingers digging into my hips in a possessive hold.
I smile down at him, loosening my grip enough to meet his large blue eyes. “Darius. My name is Darius,” I shout, hoping he can hear me. “You?
“Kaleb.”
I halt in place. Did he just say Kaleb? I study the human, noting the similarities. His mother’s eyes. Her cheekbones. His father’s nose. My magic reaches out for his, but I don’t sense anything. He feels human. I scan the crowd again. Most of the people near us are female. Could this attractive man really be the witch I’ve been searching for?
I have to get him away from the crush of bodies. “Are you thirsty?”
His smile tips into a flirty smirk. “Are you buying?”
“Gods, yes.”
