Hard Bubbles: A Shifter City Romance by Leah Legend

Author:Leah Legend [Legend, Leah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-02-28T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

DESIREE

My body hums with a contentment that's becoming an addiction. And when Astero surfaces with a lyrical whinny, it only adds to my joy on how this is my freaking reality. Dead fish, hacked up seaweed, and all.

But as Jaxon stiffens, I follow his line of sight toward the seemingly jubilant hippocampus.

Oh, god. Jaxon's fucked up gift is clutched between his adorable little webbed paws—which aren't that little at all. Just...why?!

On a curse, I turn and bury my face against Jaxon's chest.

Astero’s fins slap the water, getting closer.

“Astero,” Jaxon says in a stern voice. “Drop it.”

My stomach nearly leaps up my throat with alarm and I jerk my head up to peer at him. “Don’t tell him to drop it here. Why does he even have it?”

Jaxon continues to stare over my head but presses my cheek back to his chest with a gentle hand. “He believes I didn't present it to you properly,” he says, the deep timber of his voice resonating against my ear. “You have to understand, he only grasps mer culture. He thinks he's helping me.”

“Helping you what?”

I count his heartbeats, one, two, three, before he answers. “So you don't reject me, and by extension, him.”

Oh.

Why does that poke at my heartstrings, like I'm the asshole?

At my back, Astero makes a derisive snort. Agreeing with Jaxon?

Damn it, now I'm torn. Who wants to make the most magical, magnificent creature they've ever encountered think they're not wanted? Not me. And his clear devotion to Jaxon like he's trying to be his wingman?

I force myself to turn in Jaxon's arms. “Astero,” I say, cheerful, appreciative, gluing my eyes to his face. “Thank you so much for retrieving my, uh, gift.” I fight off a gag. “But, you see, I’m allergic to,”—another pause to stifle a gag—“to vamturi. It’s lovely, really. I’m honored Jaxon was so thoughtful.”

Astero's ears flick back and forth twice.

“It’s making her ill,” Jaxon summarizes, playing along. “Get rid of it.”

Astero makes an almost comical sound of dismay as he tilts his head one way, and then the other. The webbed spines along the arch of his neck fold and straighten while, I imagine, he mentally processes the likelihood such an allergy is possible.

To my relief, he swims backward. With a toss of his head, he dives and is gone.

At my back, Jaxon makes an amused sound. “It seems my fierce mate, who has no hesitation in making her opinion known to me, doesn't dare insult my hippocampus.”

Heat spreads across my cheeks. I've been found out. “Have you seen how cute he is?”

“I'm not cute?”

I fake indifference with a shrug. “Meh. You are a great many things, but you're not animal cute. There's a difference.”

I tip my head up so he can see I'm joking. His face is already angled my way with narrowed eyes, but there's no real heat behind it.

There's a comfortable sort of familiarity in the following silence, staring into one another's eyes like we've been lovers for eternity and not for mere hours.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.