Free Displaced by Sofia Grey Page B

me, a cute smile on his face, and I tried to recall what he’d been saying. The twig drew my attention, and I gestured to it with my hand. “So what are you doing with that?”
    He tapped it gently against his thigh, his gaze scanning the incoming tide. “It’s an offering. Like I said, I grew up with the legend, and my grandma taught us that it’s polite to leave gifts for the monster if we want to venture into his territory. First crop or new growth.” He shrugged broad shoulders. “Whenever I go out on the boat, I always do this first.”
    My heart warmed for the first time in forever, and it wasn’t just because he was attractive. It was good to see the old practices observed. “You, uh, going fishing?”
    “Nah, I’m going across to Kapiti Island. I’m leading a tour group there.”
    I followed his gaze to the hulking great island in the distance. “Nice and calm. You should have a good trip.”
    “Thanks.” He frowned at the dog, currently tugging on the lead. “Stupid hound. I daren’t let him loose, I’d never catch him.” He flashed another smile at me, and I felt my lips tilting in reply.
    How long was it since I’d been attracted to anyone? Sex was an itch I scratched occasionally, more out of defiance than anything. I sought out guys to fuck, because I wanted— for the briefest moment— to feel needed. They were never more than a tight ass, or a wet mouth, the faces forgotten within minutes, the names never known. Since Matiu, I’d never let anyone get close.
    “Nice talking to you.” The guy scratched at his chin with the back of his hand, but didn’t move.
    “Yeah,” I mumbled. This was enough, it seemed. He turned and walked to the water’s edge, where he shortened the dog leash to bring the hound to his ankles, and then crouched on the damp sand. Entranced, I watched as he held the twig to the sea rushing in, and laid it gently in the water, to wash back out again.
    Good manners. I approved. And he had a nice, firm ass.
    ****

Chapter 2
    As the first rays of the sun broke the sky, I took human form again. Lifting my head from the waves, I took a gulping first breath and waited for my lungs to reinflate. The water was warm and soothing, and I floated face up, trying to subdue the voices in my head while I drifted into the shallows.
    I could still hear my family, the echoes of them rippling on the currents. They laughed and talked, the young ones playing noisy games while I listened from a distance. At night I lurked on the outer fringes of their realm, hoping for someone to notice me, but wasn’t that the whole point of exile? I could never return.
    I rolled over in the water and closed my eyes, feeling the sun’s warmth stroke my back. I’d need to get out soon, and retrieve some clothes. Humans took a dim view of nudity these days, and there were more of them around in the summer.
    Matiu had loved this stretch of coastline. If he ever came to look for me, he’d come here. This was where we’d kissed for the first time. After that, we’d fucked here more times than I could count, well away from spying eyes.
    Thundering, splashing footsteps broke into my memories. Before I could react, hands grabbed me, tugging on my hair and dragging my face out of the water. What the fuck?
    “ Jesus . Are you okay? Please don’t be dead .” Panic threaded his voice, and I recognised him immediately. The dog walker with the nice smile. My brain finally woke up, and I felt like smacking myself on the forehead. He’d thought I was drowning, an impossibility. How fucking funny was that?
    There was a bizarre moment where he tried to haul me out of the water and I resisted, before he saw that I was actually conscious. “I’m fine, you can let go.”
    “You were face down. I thought…” He swallowed, and stared at me, his eyes wide and scared. “Christ on a bike, I was freaking out.” He swayed, as though his knees were shaking, the water continuing to swirl around his thighs. “I came