Page 11 of Little Shake of Salt

Her cheeks reddened, and I could smell her blood. I could still taste her on my tongue, too. Without a doubt, this human belonged to me.

My bite at her neck was red and angry, but I was quite proud of it. No one in my world would dare touch or harm her now.

Really, she didn’t know how lucky she was.

Despite her fury, I pulled her body close to mine. She was so warm in my hands, sohuman.And she wasmine.

“You have no problem believing in monsters, but this is where you draw the line?” I teased. “Breathing underwater because you kissed your fated mate?”

Demi shot me an angry look again and shoved away, her arms and legs kicking as she kept her body suspended. Eventually, she would tire. I had no doubt her stamina would last a long time, hours even, but eventually she would need to hold onto me.

I wanted her to hold onto me. Feeling her fingers in my hair as she kissed me wasn’t enough. I was starting to wonder,though, if this whole fated mates thing was going to be harder than I first thought. She should have been kissing me again by now, right? Didn’t she feel the inexplicable draw between us? Why wasn’t she jumping me and begging me to eat her out?

“Demi,” I purred. “Come here.”

“I don’t want to,” she snapped. “I want to go back to the surface.”

I scowled at her. Ihadheard that humans could be stubborn, of course. My cousin was mated to a human, and he was wrapped around that human’s finger like a net. “We’re not doing that,” I said sternly. “We’ll go to the cave and continue our date.”

“The date isover,” Demi said. “Youbit me,Marina. I don’t know how much you know about humans, butbitingis typically not okay on the first date.”

“I know about humans,” I said with a shrug. “I know humans poison my home and steal my food and send their submarines to the depths to explode. That my mate is a humanshouldbother me, but it doesn’t. I have waited for you for centuries, and my patience has run out. Apologies for being so forward, but youdidsay I could do whatever I wanted to you.”

“And again, I certainly didn’t mean you could give me abitelike this. What does this even mean now?”

I was getting tired of watching her limbs flail about. I slid my arm around her waist and tugged her against me. “It means you’re coming with me.”

Before she could protest again, I dragged her legs around my waist and my tail pushed us through the water. She stiffened, but then her arms wound around my neck, and she clung onto me for dear life as I swam with her.

“Take me home,” she demanded against my ear.

A shiver rolled through me from the roughness of her voice. Soft and breathy. I still wanted a taste of her, and resented whatever evil had interrupted our date. I would have my tonguein her right now if that storm hadn’t blown in. “No. You’re mine now.”

Her grip tightened on me as a current rushed past us. I let it propel us forward, chuckling as fish scattered, desperate to flee from a predator.

To think I wasn’t even in my true form right now. I washumansized at the moment to make things easier on Demi.

We came to the mouth of an underwater cavern and she squeaked as I carried her down the tunnel into complete darkness. I could see everything clearly, but I could alsofeel it. Every nerve in my body was sensitive to the world around me. It was exhausting at times, but right now, I was enjoying it. I could taste the salt on her skin and could feel the thrumming of her heart, wild in her chest. Her nipples were hard, and I knew she was wet between her muscled thighs.

We broke the surface in the cavern. I took her to the edge of the pool and placed her on the stone. She dragged in a few breaths now that she was in the open air and then crossed her arms.

“There are candles,” I said, nodding toward a small basket I’d spent a few days organizing. My brother’s human mate, Ofelia, helped me get everything together. I’d added a few items for myself as well. Not that I fully expected us to immediately dive into sex, but . . .

Well, maybe I had thought we would do that.

“There are snacks and fresh water as well. And a blanket. You humans get so cold. And I used a bit of magic to ensure the air here is safe and fresh for you.”

Demi went very still, her expression becoming unreadable. She then pulled her legs out of the water and leaned back, feeling around until she felt the basket.

“Perhaps let me light them,” I said. “I forget you cannot see very well in darkness.”

Demi sighed, but pulled the basket to the edge. I reached inside and pulled out the lighter and candles, setting them up. The flames flickered, casting warm light over the cavern and her body.

“Did you plan to kidnap me then?” Demi asked sourly.

I snorted. “It is not kidnapping if you were willing.”

“I wasn’t willing. You dragged methrough a portal.”