Page 52 of All's Fair in Love and Magic

“Then you know more than me. All I know about them is that they’re both hiding from their fiancés. Apparently both of their families agreed to arranged marriages for them when they were kids.”

“I’ve heard that happens for rare breeds of shifters. Particularly the females. The men offer a lot of money for a mate that’s like them, and there are always a lot more male shifters than females.”

“Arranged marriage is bullshit,” I said, but gave him a side-eye. “I bet you would’ve been worth a lot of money on that mating market.”

“Probably. Hybrids are nearly nonexistent. Unfortunately for you, it’s too late to try to sell me to another woman. Our bond isn’t going anywhere.”

I snorted. “Did you just make a joke?”

“No. I don’t joke.” His lips were curved upward, though. Just slightly.

“Bullshit.”

“I’ll admit to nothing.”

I rolled my eyes. “Can you tell me what kind of shifters they are, or would that go against some kind of rules? They’d probably tell me if I asked, but I don’t know the etiquette, and I don’t want to be rude.”

“Shifters aren’t usually secretive about what they are. They probably assumed you could tell because of your magic. No one knows much about witches.”

“Good point.”

“The blonde one is a kelpie. The redhead is a kitsune. As far as I know, they’re both the only living female shifters of their breed. The kelpie was born to a shocked pair of wolf shifters. Thekitsune’s father was like her, and I think her mother is or was human.”

My eyebrows shot into my forehead. “Vera’s akelpie? Aren’t they water monsters?”

Liam lifted a shoulder. “Aren’t all supernaturals monsters?”

“Good point.” I let out a puff of air. “Guess that’s why she’s so good at surfing.”

“Probably has something to do with it. Are you going to sign up for another class?”

“Oh, no. The lady teaching the class totally hates me. She thinks I reek. And she kept looking at you, so she probably has a thing for you.”

Liam’s eyes flashed. “How many times do I have to tell you that you smell fucking incredible?”

“For the rest of our lives, probably. If you really want to be my mate.”

A pair of surfer guys came out of the water in front of us. Their eyes lit up when they saw Liam.

“Hey, man. You finally hitting the waves again?” one of them asked.

He was a vampire. I could tell by his magic.

The other guy was a wolf shifter.

“Not today. Headed to breakfast with my mate.” Liam flashed me a look that said he had absolutely emphasized the “mate” part for a reason.

“You could go surfing while I eat with Madison and Vera,” I said.

Liam glanced out at the ocean.

He totally wanted to. Keeping the wards running had been his whole life for so many years.

“I can sit at one of the tables outside. You would be able to see me the whole time,” I pointed out.

“We’re having breakfast,” Liam said after a painfully long beat of silence.

“No, you’re not. You’re going surfing.” I pushed him toward the water. He didn’t budge, of course. He was definitely strong enough that I couldn’t move him unless he let me.

---