Page 22 of Little Shake of Salt

She suddenly arched against me, screaming out my name as she came for me. I didn’t pull back until her muscles went limp, her breasts straining against the ropes as she panted.

I kissed my way back up her body, and we bobbed to the surface. Marina surprised me by drawing me closer, her head resting against my chest.

Vulnerable.

I rubbed the back of her head and closed my eyes. There was a sliver in my chest, a hollow little cavern that’d been begging to be filled for so long. To be wanted and to be seen.

Marina must have felt the same way.

This wholefated matesthing was turning out to be something I really wanted.

“I don’t want to take you back to the surface,” she eventually whispered.

“I know,” I murmured. “I have tomorrow off and we can see each other again. And then I do have to work for a few days, but . . . well, I’ll be out on the sea.”

Maria frowned and lifted her head. “Must you work? The ocean has been very angry, Demi. I don’t know about working on a boat in these conditions.”

“I’ll be okay,” I said. “It wouldn’t be my first storm.”

And I knew it wouldn’t be my last.

6 /UNDER THE SEA

Marina

Sending Demi back to the shore made my heart ache. I lingered as I watched her walk back to her lighthouse, waiting until she disappeared inside. It took a few minutes, but eventually I saw the light flick on in the window at the top of the tower.

There’d been many times over the years where I’d watched this lighthouse. I needed to ask her more about her family and how they came to own the lighthouse, as it did feel rather kismet.

I always wanted her near me. Iwaspossessive. I didn’t like the idea of her being somewhere I couldn’t reach. What if she fell? What if she hurt herself? How could I possibly help her or protect her if she were on land?

A wave pushed me forward, and the undertow pulled me back.

Was that how our fates would forever be?

In a way, perhaps it was good for us to take a little more time before fully mating. Although, after coming twice and making her come, I really couldn’t understand the need forspace.

Humans had such a fickle view of time. I’d been alive for so long, maybe it was ironic I was being so demanding, but I knew what I wanted.

And I wanted Demi.

Forever and always.

Ididneed to figure out how I was going to prepare my home for her to share.

Having a human as a mate was a little tricky for mermaids. We had the cave, of course, but that wasn’t ahome. Surely there was a way I could somehow bring her where she belonged once we were fully mated.

I had friends who’d made it work. Delphin and Aegaeon who were mated to their human, Matt. Since Matt was fully mated, there were times he could be in our cities and be just fine. But the long term . . . It was more difficult.

My brother, Nerio, made it work with Ofelia too. But he often spent his time near the shore when he wasn’t busy being a prince. I did love Ofelia, she was a very clever and amusing person to be around.

With one more longing glance at the lighthouse, I dove deep into the water. My tail pushed me deeper, fish giving me a wide berth as they rose toward the surface for their nightly feeding. Nighttime was when the ocean was most alive, and it was when I felt the strongest, too. My body hummed with energy, especially after tasting my mate.

Ugh, she was going to be on my mind all night, wasn’t she?Of course.

I swam deeper and deeper until the moon was no more. It took almost an hour, but eventually, I swam through the opening to our city beneath the waves. About two thousand merpeople lived here, a medium-sized city. Our largest city was right on the equator between the North and South Atlantic Oceans, a sprawling marvel we kept carefully guarded from humans.

I went through the stone archway, and was immediately met by two of our guards and my brother.