Page 37 of Little Shake of Salt

I bet you are, little sailor.

She blinked as my voice echoed in her mind, her tongue dragging over her bottom lip. “I need a little taste after biting you.”

My gasp echoed around us as her tongue pressed against my clits. I moaned, my fingers digging into the sand as she devoured me.

“Demi,” I groaned.

“Yes, princess?”

I grabbed hold of her and flipped her over beneath me. Her eyes lit up, her lips twisting. “I love the beach and all,” I said. “But I want to fuck you in my bed. And now that we’re mated . . . you’ll be able to see my city. I can take you home.”

Demi let out a happy sigh. “Then let’s go home.”

12 /TWO MONTHS LATER

I lovedthe late hours of Creature Cafe’s city location. I glanced at the moon that glowed overhead, knowing I needed to get back home sooner rather than later. I’d picked up some supplies I’d been missing for a while, but decided I wanted to take a treat to Marina, too.

When I stepped inside, it was quiet. Jazz music floated through the cafe, and I wasn’t surprised to see Layla at the bar. Sitting on a stool to her right was a young guy with piercings and tattoos. Next to him was a curvy woman in nurse scrubs sipping on an iced coffee. The three of them chatted away, their voices low.

I frowned when I saw her expression.

“Hey,” I said warily.

“Oh, hey,” Layla said, her spine straightening. “Demi, this is Leo. He’s mated to Malachi, a local vampire professor. And this is Juliet. She’s mated to two gargoyles, Beau and Jade. They’re architects.”

Leo eyed my arms. I was wearing a tank top, so the guns were out. “Hi. I amveryjealous of your biceps.”

I snorted as I walked up to the counter. “Perks of having a mermaid mate, maybe.” Going down on her was the perfect workout. “And also playing rugby. It’s nice to meet both of you.”

“Nice to meet you,” Juliet said with a grin. “Welcome to the Millennial Monster Mates group. Well, except for Layla, who is not mated nor exactly human.”

“Hey,” Layla snorted. “I’m half human.”

“Are you so sure about that?” Leo asked. “You’re aGrim Reaper.Big and scary.”

She groaned and sank down until her forehead rested against the counter. All of her energy seemed to fade, and it felt strange seeing her like this.

Ever since she’d called me for my first date with Marina, we’d kept in touch. Especially after Marina and I washed ashore andsomethinghad happened on a supernatural scale that we still didn’t understand.

Layla sighed. “I don’t know what I am. Maybe I’m a Grim Reaper, but every time I try to be helpful, I fuck up.”

“You were helpful to me,” I said. “I met Marina because of you. And you haven’t even mentioned the fact I left my underwear in your cooler, which I’m absolutely sure is a health code violation.”

Juliet and Leo burst out laughing, and that made Layla perk up enough she stood up straight again.

Layla studied me thoughtfully. “Random question, but do you want to join our group chat? It’s for humans and monsters, and it’s just to get updates on stuff happening in our area. After the whole . . .Awakeningthat happened, I thought it’d be a good idea for everyone to be a little more connected.”

“Um, sure,” I said. “I’m notoriously terrible at texting back, but having something like that sounds nice.”

TheAwakening.I still wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but we’d all felt it. Every monster I knew was on high alert.

And they were scared.

Even Marina was concerned. She’d insisted that if anything happened on the surface, I’d live in her home beneath the water. She’d even been working with her family and other merpeople with human mates to use their magic to create spaces where humans could survive long-term. I was very proud of her. Her intelligence and determination only made her sexier.

I just wished we had nothing to worry about. It was bittersweet, finding the love of my life, but seeing how troubled our world was.

There were whispers of something terrible, and I didn’t even want to know what that could possibly mean. Marina had mentioned a creature that’d saved us, but I couldn’t remember anything except drowning, and then waking up in my mate’s arms.