Page 75 of Summoning my Grumpy Demon Boss

I look above the heads of all our friends and family to where Luke is standing, watching me. His blond hair is tousled by the wind and he looks amazing in his white shirt and pale caramel shorts. His face lights up in the biggest smile as our eyes meet and all my nerves disappear. Tegan’s right. I found a good one, or he found me. And I know he’ll never let me down.

I give her a nod. “You’re right.”

“Of course I am. Now let’s go get you hitched!” She gives my hand one final squeeze, before she lifts her chin and begins striding down the makeshift aisle between the chairs. After a few paces, I follow her and once I start, I keep my eyes fixed on Luke and everything else just drifts away as if the tide came in and washed it off the beach.

When I reach him, he holds out his hands and I put mine in his and smile. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

“We’re really doing this huh?”

He nods. “We’re really doing this. You ready?”

I take a deep breath. The ritual makes me his forever. It changes my body so I can breathe underwater. There’s no going back.

Am I ready for no more nights alone in bed and a life with my dream guy?

I grin. “Hell yes!”

The ceremony doesn’t take long. Joanne told me that kraken culture always included spoken vows and they were one of the earliest groups of monsters to adopt human customs and mesh them with their own. Once the simple vows are exchanged and the celebrant declares us husband and wife there’s a cheer from the crowd.

It feels strange to sign my name on a piece of paper to solidify something so important. How can one piece of paper be enough to show what Luke means to me?

I get a little lost in the hugs and congratulations until I find Luke’s hand or his arm slips around my waist and I remember to relax.

Finally the formal part of the afternoon is over and Jack spreads out the picnic rugs as the townsfolk walk or drive back to town. Mum and Dad approach as Noah is busy handing around baskets of food and there’s an awkward pause after they congratulate us where I wonder if they’re going to hug Luke.

“I’m glad you came,” I tell them. I might not feel glad right now, but I know I will later, when I think back on this day. The fact that they came leaves the door open for the relationship to heal over time.

“You’ll never stop being our little girl,” says Dad. “But we know you’re also a grown woman and we want to know her too.”

It doesn’t really ever get comfortable, but the next few moments of conversation are less stilted. Eventually Dad leads Mum to a rug at the outer edge of the group and Luke and I are able to relax.

Luke was pretty vague when he explained the details of the mating ritual so there’s a flutter of nerves low in my belly when it’s finally time for us to stand and make our way to the edge of the water. He slips his hand around mine and gives it a squeeze as if he knows. He probably does. He has a knack of reading my emotions so fluently sometimes he knows how I’m feeling better than I do.

“What next?”

“We go fora swim.” He smiles at me reassuringly. “The rest of it is private so we’ll say goodbye now.”

There’s another round of tearful hugs and kisses. Tegan gives me a tight squeeze and whispers into my ear as she says goodbye. “You didn’t mention his brother was hot!”

I’m desperate to probe, but there’s no time. Soon we’re stepping into the waves so Luke can transform. He turns away so the humans in the group aren’t offended. “Ready?”

With a brief nod, I dive straight in, trusting him to keep me safe. I’ve grown used to the way he holds me in the water and breathes air into my mouth to allow me to stay under longer.

Beneath the waves, he discards the rest of his clothes and wraps his arms around me. Then we’re off, speeding through the choppy waves into the deeper water. The rolling sensation as I move with him is hypnotic. I grow confused about which way is up and down, but I’m not worried. Luke will keep me safe.

He stops after a while and we float as he gives me a burst of air. His glowing tentacles sway around us, keeping us steady. Slowly, he raises us to the surface and I blink as my head breaks into the air and I can take a real breath.

“There’s a little cove with no road access about a kilometer that way.” He points toward the headland jutting out from the bay. “I’ve stashed some things there.”

“OK.”

The air is warm and the sun is still hot despite the cool breeze. We dip back below the surface and it doesn’t take long to arrive at Luke’s cove. He brings me up onto a tiny beach surrounded by tall sandstone cliffs. It’s sheltered from the wind and there’s an overhang where the water and wind have erodedthe cliffs to form the beginnings of a cave. As we crawl onto the sand, the water laps at our feet and Luke’s tentacles rove up my legs.

I giggle.

Then suck in a breath as he finds a particularly sensitive spot. “So are you going to tell me now what the ritual involves, mystery man?”

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