by E Hall
She softens the moment with a kiss.
When we withdraw, Kenna brings her fingers to her lips, reminding me what could’ve happened.
I worry we made a mistake coming here.
Chapter 21
Kenna
We spend the next few days on the beach and by the pool—the guys go surfing and Pepper suns herself—it seems her dragon loves lying out and getting baked in the sunshine.
I try and fail to sneak off again, desperate to sing despite what happened the other day. It’s like the longer I spend here, the more I want to sing. It’s something about the rhythm of the island itself—the lapping of the waves on the shore, the rustling of the breeze in the palms, and the calls of the seagulls and other birds.
I distract myself by swimming, surfing, snorkeling, and hiking with Pepper—the guys are mostly in the water after Clove beat the jet lag. I never expected them to bond over surfing of all things.
Pepper and I lounge by the pool as I continue my silent mantra, that’s turned into a plea I am wolf, hear me howl. My heart, my wolf wants nothing more than to be away from my fae.
Pepper eyes her freckles. “Want to go into town? I need more sunblock and the stuff they sell here at the resort is too expensive.”
“Sure,” I say, willing to do anything to distract myself from the desire to stand at the edge of the ocean and sing my heart out.
“Clove and I have been trying to find the best shave ice on the island. There’s a great spot by the shops near the point. We should get some.”
“I thought you guys went there after dinner last night.”
She clears her throat. “Yeah, but I didn’t try the haupia special. It’s delicious.”
Confused, I tip my head toward her. “I thought you said you didn’t try it, so how do you know it’s delicious?”
“I tried Clove’s. I want my own,” she says with a grin.
“This is why we’re best friends,” I say with a laugh.
When we reach the shave ice stand, she orders us each the special.
“This will change your life,” Pepper says, passing me my cup. “Wait. Don’t take a bite yet. Let it get just a little bit melty. We’ll go sit on the beach.”
“You are the queen of shave ice,” I declare. “I shall obey your orders.”
We both laugh.
A few people our age sit on the sand. A girl plays a familiar song on the ukulele and everyone sings along.
We plop down a measure away from them.
“Pepper, do you ever want to do something so bad, but you can’t because you know that it would ruin everything?” I blurt.
Her grin broadens. “Do you mean like staying here and never returning home? I’ve been obsessing over it every day. Clove and I could open a bakery. I could read books in a hammock all day. Corbin could surf. You could—” She pauses to let me finish.
What would I do? What’s next for me? I have no idea except right now I must sing. I just want to sing, but I don’t say this. Instead, I take a bite of the shave ice, stuffing the desire back down. The macadamia nut and coconut cream flavors meld on my tongue. For one glorious moment, all I can think is delicious.
A moan escapes.
Pepper says, “I was right, right? So worth it. It’s like a symphony on the tongue. I could just sing!”
She sings a made-up tune about how yummy the haupia shave ice special is. “Come on, join in.” She nudges me with her elbow. “It’s yummy on my tongue and in my tummy. It makes me want to become a beach bummy. I don’t know what I’ll do, except sing this song to you, and sound like a sunburned dummy.”
We both start laughing.
“I’ve heard you sing. Who cares? Come on,” she urges me.
I shake my head. “Let’s walk over to that market,” I say, knowing I can distract her with souvenir shopping.
We browse the typical tourist trap items like towels emblazoned with the word aloha, mugs with rainbows, and coffee beans.
Farther along the stalls, I spot what look like local craft items. I leave Pepper to her debate between a stuffed animal bear wearing a hula skirt and a giant bag of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts—I’d vote for them.
Strands of tiny shells hang from the edge of the stall. Inside, tables display jewelry made of seashells, stones, hemp bracelets, and kukui nut beads.
A guy that looks about my age glances up when I enter. It doesn’t look like a day has passed that he hasn’t seen the sun. I finger the smooth beads and a ring in the shape of a wave.
“Welcome to Coco Cave,” he says in a voice as deep as the sea. “Can I help you find something?”
I shrug. “Just looking.”
“Is this your first time visiting the island?” he asks.
“Yeah, and I don’t want to leave.” I try on a bangle stamped with images of sea turtles.
He chuckles. “That’s how I ended up here.” He sets a book he was reading down and gets to his feet. “Let’s find you something that will help you always remember your visit—unless you end up staying.” He winks.
We both smile. “That would be nice. But—” How on earth would I ever explain that I’m the Alpha in a wolf pack.
“But...?” he urges me to finish.
I shrug and pick up a strand of beads I think Pepper would like. “Real life responsibilities.”
He waves his hand dismissively. “How about this? Close your eyes and find your favorite memory so far on the island. Go to your happy place.” He takes my hands.
A little jolt goes through me.
He gazes at my palms.
I go along with it but only because I’m not sure what else to do and this is awkward. My inner wolf growls in warning. The guy doesn’t seem fazed if the warning sounded outwardly. Whatever. It doesn’t matter. I probably won’t ever see him again and don’t want to seem rude. I’m a guest on this island.
When my lids close, I take a deep breath. My anxiety settles. Instantly, I picture myself singing on the beach the first day we were here.
The guy and I stand there a moment longer as I bask in that moment under the blue sky and in front of the vast ocean, singing freely. My happy place.
His hands close around mine. When I blink open my eyes and open my palm, I find a beautiful pendant carved from mother-of-pearl and hanging from a necklace with more pearls strung between gold links.
“It’s beautiful,” I say, watching it spin in the light and reflect rainbows off its smooth, pearly surface.
“Something special I made. And you seem special. I thought you should have it.”
“Special?”
“Sometimes you just know about people.” He winks again. “A beautiful shell for a beautiful girl.”
I sense my cheeks flush as pink as the hibiscus print on the tablecloth. “Thank you. Um, how much do I owe you?”
He shakes his head. “Consider it a gift.”
“I couldn’t. Please, let me pay you.” I rifle through my bag for cash.
“There’s a luau tonight with dancing, singing, and food. You should come.” He gives me the address.
“Oh, um, I’m here with some people.” I clear my throat. “And my husband.” The moment’s hesitation showers me with shame. I love Corbin. Why wouldn’t I say so confidently?
“Yeah. I saw you guys on the beach. I saw you singing before he rushed out of the water to stop you.” There’s an edge to his voice that wasn’t there before. It butts against my frustration at not being able to sing.
“You heard me singing?”
“I haven’t been able to get your song out of my head. It’s like you summoned me from the sea.” His lips twist with a smile.
My mouth falls open because stranger things have happened. You know, finding out that I’m a tri-magical, meeting my fated mate, who wanted to kill me at first, and then helping to break a curse.
He breaks into a laugh. Then he glances at his book. “Sorry. I’m such a nerd. It gets boring sitting in here all day. I probably read too much
about magic. My imagination—” He flutters his hand.
“Then you’d definitely like my friend Pepper. She loves reading.”
She appears through the strands of beads at the entrance to the stall. “There you are, Kenna.”
“Kenna,” he repeats.
“Um—I didn’t catch your name,” I say to the guy.
“Kai,” he says, extending his hand. “Nice to meet you, Kenna. Kai and Kenna. It’s almost like our names go together.”
I clear my throat. “This is my friend Pepper,” I sputter only slightly flustered because moments before we were kind of holding hands. But it didn’t mean a thing. My heart belongs to Corbin.
“Did you just get that necklace?” she asks, eyeing it dangling from my fingers. “It’s beautiful.”
I smile at Kai, deciding to keep to myself the fact that it was a gift because the heat of guilt already colors my cheeks—if she asks, I’ll tell her it was just from the sun. I think we’re both well aware of how good looking Kai is, and I don’t want the wrong idea to be passed along to Corbin. This interaction means nothing.
“Let me put it on you,” Kai says.
I hesitate, not wanting to give him any ideas either. Pepper wiggles her head as if to ask what I’m waiting for.
I lift my hair. As the clasp closes around my neck, I audibly sigh, feeling all the tension I’ve been carrying leave me at last. As we exit the shop, I give Kai a little wave.
“Remember about the luau,” he calls after me.
“If I weren’t happily with Clove,” she whispers, “Or if you weren’t happily with Corbin...”
“Happily,” I echo, dismissing the notion. “He was just a nice local.”
“And extremely nice looking. He’d be perfect for Avril.”
I give her a forget this ever happened look.
But she doesn’t give up. “What was that about a luau?”
“He invited us tonight. Said there’s lots of dancing, singing, food...” I tell her the address.
“The one at the resort the other night was cool, but if he’s local, it might be more authentic. I still can’t decide between the bear or the macadamia nuts. Maybe I’ll get a grass skirt or something. I don’t know. A cool souvenir,” she rambles.
I touch the necklace hanging around my neck. “There’s always a piece of jewelry.”
“I think Clove’s taking care of that. I, um, saw a box from the shop at the resort.” She chews her lip guiltily. “Also, please don’t mention I went to get shave ice without him. When it comes to sweets, he’s terribly jealous.”
I laugh at my brother because I understand. It’s the fae in us. “My lips are sealed.” At least as far as that promise goes.
As we cross through the village and back toward the resort, Pepper starts to sing her jingle about the shave ice. I quietly hum along.
“That’s more like it,” she says.
Her silly song turns into one of her favorites. Without meaning to, I join in.
Our voices must carry down the hall toward the hotel rooms because when I arrive at the door, it’s open, along with Corbin and Clove’s mouths.
Chapter 22
Corbin
“Were you just singing?” I ask Kenna.
She shifts from foot to foot. “No, that was Pepper.”
The dragon shifter clears her throat. “Yeah. That was me. One of the activities today was voice lessons. Traditional Hawaiian songs. Haupia is the most special kahi hau...” She sings slightly off-key. Apparently, dragons aren’t musically gifted.
Clove’s eyebrows lift. “Like the shave ice? There’s a song for shave ice? Guys, I love this place.”
I’ve never seen him display such enthusiasm. Hawaii really brought the brooding fae to life—or it could have something to do with breaking the curse and shedding his shadow.
“Oh, and there’s a luau tonight. Traditional. Like the real deal. Not just the resort thing. We were specially invited. It’ll be so fun,” Pepper says.
“What about our shave ice date?” Clove asks.
“There’ll be a ton of food to try like poke, kalua pua’a, teriyaki, sweet bread with pineapple—”
I pull Kenna aside. “I know that was you singing.”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist.” She swallows hard. Her brow wrinkles with defeat.
“You couldn’t resist when you know there might be consequences? Kenna, think about it. We risked our lives to stop the fae from singing. Now, for some reason, you can’t seem to resist singing. Something is going on.”
“I know. But nothing happened. We just came from town. We must have passed like thirty people. No one even turned their head.”
“I doubt that,” I counter, eyeing her perfect curves in her bathing suit. My pulse jitters.
“Well, maybe that’s because our song about shave ice was so ridiculous. Pepper was slightly off-key. I make no great claims about my ability, but no one came at me glazed over and entranced.”
My nostrils flare. But I’m angry mostly because I can’t simply explain this away and fix it. I sit down on the edge of the bed and rest my elbows on my knees. “Kenna, it’s so risky. I don’t want anything to happen to you or anyone else.”
She rubs a smooth shell pendant around her neck and shrugs. “I can’t live in fear. I sang and everything was fine.”
“What about last time?” I ask, referring to the surfers.
“It must have been a fluke. Pepper was fine. Everyone we passed was fine. The people in the hotel... Last I checked, I didn’t kill anyone.”
I pull her close. She has a point. Maybe whatever it is wore off.
“Want to take a nap?” I ask. “I’m wiped out from surfing so much.”
“Never thought I’d hear you say that.”
Resting in the crook of my shoulder, she brushes her hand over my firm chest. “You’re sandy.”
“Sleepy.”
“Sure, but first—” She stretches her head up for a kiss. “I could get lost here,” she says.
“Me too,” I whisper.
And that’s what I’m afraid of.
My breath turns heavy as I nip from her ear to her neck and then trail along her jaw before landing on her mouth. My pulse pounds and sensation builds as our kiss deepens.
After we part, we lay together. I pinch the shell pendant between my fingers. “Where’d you get this?” I ask.
“In town. A souvenir from the island.”
“Clove said Pepper doesn’t want to leave.”
“That wouldn’t be so bad.”
“Life back home...The pack.” I’m enjoying our visit, but I cannot wait to return to HQ and regular life.
Kenna wraps herself around me as if by tangling in my arms and legs, we’ll never have to leave.
“Hmm. On second thought, I have no complaints.”
Kenna giggles.
The soft breeze flows in from the lanai, whispering over our skin, and we both drift to sleep.
Loud banging wakes me up. The room is dark. But the scent of sand, sunscreen, and the beautiful shifter beside me remind me we’re in Hawaii on our honeymoon.
“Guys, are you in there?” Clove’s voice calls.
“We’re headed to the luau. Are you coming?” Pepper asks.
I carefully untangle myself from Kenna and open the door. “Sorry, we fell asleep. Whoa, the sun already set.”
“Yes, we’re coming to the luau,” Kenna says, clambering to her feet.
“I can’t believe I missed the last surf session of the day,” I say, pulling on a shirt. “Must’ve needed the sleep.”
Kenna flashes me a smug smile. She’s been saying I need to rest more. She’s not wrong.
“What did you do this afternoon?” Kenna asks them.
Pepper smiles. “We went on a shave ice crawl.”
“What kind did you guys get? I hear there’s this great place in the village.” I bet Kenna would like to try it.
“Macadamia haupia,” Clove answers. Then he li
sts several others.
“I wonder if I could convince my grandmother to get a shave ice machine. Actually, how do they make it?” Pepper asks.
“A mission for tomorrow,” Clove says then turns to his sister. “Go get ready, I have some dancing to do.”
“Who are you and what did you do with my brother?” she asks.
I close the door to freshen up.
Kenna rubs her eyes. She finds a sundress, grabs a light sweater, and ties her hair up.
She stops and inclines her head. “What?”
I slide my hands across her waist. “I’m thrilled that we’re married.”
“Me too.”
I steal a kiss before we join the others.
Pepper must have looked up the address for the luau because she leads us there with no wrong turns. From the road, we hear the faint strains of music. We follow a lantern-lit path toward the beach where people already gather. On one side, tables heap with food. On the other, several girls hula dance.
As we emerge onto the beach, a guy with a deep summer tan approaches. A girl walks beside him, and she drapes orchid leis around our necks. He puts drinks in our hands and then explains how he met Kenna and Pepper in the shop earlier. “I’m Kai.”
Strange, Kenna didn’t mention him.
Clove and I introduce ourselves. It’s as if he already knows who we are.
My wolf bristles. I tell him there’s no reason to be jealous. Kenna and I are married and sealed. Nothing can tear us apart.
Kai leads us over to the food and after we fill our plates, he suggests we sit in the sand to watch the dancers. A few surfers I met earlier lasso me into a conversation about waves, breaks, and the tides.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Kenna and Pepper digging into the poi and poke. The shirtless figure slides onto the sand next to her.
My wolf ears attune to their conversation.
“So glad you made it,” Kai says.
“Me too. This is amazing,” Kenna replies.
“The hula you’re watching tells ancient stories.” Like me, Kai has tattoos, but they’re not the mark of an Alpha, and I don’t scent wolf.