A few moments later, I felt that familiar hum, and my gorgeous witch walked over the dunes, struggling to roll what looked like a folded-up set of bleachers across the sand. She was followed by an annoying buff seal—no, sea lion shifter. The dude smelled like prey. He was wearing a faded rescue-org tee, purposefully tight across the chest and biceps. I would know. That was my MO when I was forced to wear a shirt. He saw her struggling, took the entire bleacher frame off her hands as if it weighed nothing, and said something that made her laugh.
He made herlaugh—on the first try, with no visible effort.
The shark surfaced, slow and unreasonable. The shark had opinions about shifters who carried things and made witches laugh.
I crossed the sand. Selena saw me coming, and her posture armed itself, which was flattering. The meathead saw me coming and set the bleachers down like he might need his hands.
“Chase Perez.” I offered my hand to him. He looked at it like I’d offered him a flyer.
“I know who you are. I surf.”
“Yeah? Where do you?—”
“Mavericks, at nineteen. Name’s Elliot, and I was on the rescue crew the year after.” His jaw set. “The hurricane year. We pulled three groms off the rocks that season because they watched El Tiburón chase a storm swell and decided that’s what surfing is. You make the ocean look like a stunt. Some of us have to live with the consequences of that.”
Ouch. So, aYou ruined surfingguy.
“Chasing the stormiswhat surfing is. But knowing that is why I’m pro and you’re what…craft services?”
“Some of us love the ocean for more than the glory she can bring us.” Oh, he was heating up now. I could feel the animal inside him trying to—well, whatever the word was for how sea lions awkwardly moved on the beach—out of him.
“You’re a shifter, huh? Sea lion? As an East Coast guy, I’ve never tasted that before.” I let all my sharp teeth show in my grin.
“You mother—” He raised his fist.
“Okay, that’s enough of that.” Selena moved between us and put her hand on his chest. Oh, I did not like that. She turned her head back to me, glaring.
I kept the grin. She rolled her eyes but failed to hide the smirk beneath it. One point for me.
“Anyway,” Whiskers said, recovering, turning his shoulder away from me—to her— “the rest of the bleachers are by the boardwalk. I’ve got it covered. The rest of the rescue crew is up there.” He looked at me pointedly. “The community takes care of its own here. “
“Oh, I’ve seen just howgenerousthe community around here can be. Must take some serious energy. Late nights. Repeated, draining?—”
“It was a group effort.” Selena’s teeth showed now, tiny and blunt. Adorable.
“Oh, you didn’t invite me to that.” And, oh, now she was mad too. Perfect.
“Some places just protect themselves.” Elliot hauled the frame up again—flexing, I noted—completely oblivious. “The cove provides. That’s nature. Some things you just can’t fake.”
“Some things you really can’t fake.” I looked at Selena. Selena looked back, more predator than I was.
She leaned in close and whisper-hissed in my ear. “Cut it out. I’m going to kill you.”
“As long as it’s crushing me between those beautiful thighs, I’m okay with it.” I stepped back before she could follow through on her threat.
She was acting mad, but her pulse was hammering in her chest. I could hear it, see it throbbing beneath the skin of her neck. She was enjoying this, and I intended to show her I didn’t lose to marine mammals.
“Anyway, we saw your sign and came to play. Me and Tanner already signed up.”
“We did?” Tanner, once again failing me at critical times.
Elliot scowled. “The tournament is during your finals. You won’t be able to make it.”
“Is that so?” I raised an eyebrow at Selena, and she at least had the decency to look guilty about using me to sabotagemysponsor forherpet project. “Well, how about a warm-up set right now? Us versus you two.”
“We’re setting up,” Elliot said.
“Scared?”
