1. Natalie

Chapter one

Natalie

“Are those anal beads?” Diana asks me, staring at the ice-blue beaded string in my hand.

“Yup,” I say, unsure how cool she’s going to be about me carrying around my sex toys like they’re everyday accessories. I don’t feel like I need to defend my choices to someone I only met yesterday, but I square my shoulders just in case the judgment train is about to hit me.

Diana sits up a bit straighter in the fancy armchair across the room, craning her neck to get a better look at the beads. I fold my hand around them, tucking them in their special pouch before dropping them in my mini backpack—the only thing I have with me besides the clothes on my body.

“Were you wearing them on the boat last night?” Curiosity laces Diana’s words. She cocks her head and studies the bag as if she can see the beads through the vegan leather, the wheels evidently turning in her head.

I put my bag on the gigantic bed we had to share last night and pad over to join Diana in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, before sinking into the plush chair next to hers. I keep my gaze on the pretty sunrise across the Caribbean Sea as I contemplate what to say.

Not seeing a reason to deny the truth, I shrug and admit, “Ladies night promised to be a good time on the yacht. I thought I’d make it more fun by edging myself all night, then when I got back to my hotel—alone—I’d have some me time, if you know what I mean.” I sigh at the missed opportunity, then add, “Sounded like a good plan at the time.”

Diana crosses one leg over the other and scoots forward in her seat. “I don’t think anyone could have predicted what happened last night.”

“You mean meeting up with a group of women to sail to a supposedly uninhabited island in the middle of the Caribbean, only to stumble upon ten nonhuman beings—or ‘monsters’ as they call themselves—was not something you could have predicted?” I deadpan.

Diana’s lips quirk. “Don’t forget having a magical tattoo show up on our bodies that keeps us within a hundred yards of one of those monsters with a matching tattoo.”

I laugh dryly. “Right. Not how I imagined our night would go. But it has been fun rooming with you while the monsters try to figure out how to get us off this island and back to our normal lives.”

“Think we’ll get to leave today?”

“As someone who didn’t know magic or monsters existed yesterday, I honestly don’t know how to answer.” The males, as they preferred to be called since they are very much not men, looked even more freaked out than us human women when we discovered the magical bonds connecting us.

“You regretting all that edging now?” Diana asks playfully.

I purse my lips and angle my head to the left, then to the right, as I give it some thought.

I can’t deny how tightly spun my body is. It’s practically vibrating with need after having the beads hit me in all the perfect spots. I had this whole vision of going back to my hotel and taking care of myself with a couple of the toys I packed for my first trip abroad. There’s nothing a dragon dildo can’t fix.

My favorite one is large and a brilliant orange. It has thick veins spiraling around the shaft and an inflated bulb at its base that stretches me with the perfect amount of tension. Just thinking about it has me shifting in my seat.

“I won’t say I’m regretting it. Not yet,” I say. A slow smile forms on my lips as a thought sinks in. “It just means that the orgasm I’ll eventually get is going to be unbelievably strong. But I’m so horny right now, I’m scared I might come spontaneously if someone looks at me with the slightest bit of heat in their eyes.”

“Anyone? Or someone specific?” Diana teases, voice rich with mirth.

Jasper’s face flashes before my eyes. That mischievous glint that’s always evident in his smirk has me squirming and I squeeze my legs together, futilely trying to create some friction against my clit. I smooth the fabric of my pleated miniskirt down and trace the new tattoo on my thigh.

I don’t look at Diana when I say coyly, “There’s a certain someone that I wouldn’t mind assisting me with this particular need.”

Diana laughs and slumps into her chair. “Too bad the monster leader, Adelbert, told us we aren’t allowed to touch anyone.”

Narrowing my eyes, I flip my hair over my shoulder. “I don’t see why not. If it’s consensual and all that jazz.”

I imagine Jasper pushing me up against a wall and snaking a hand under my miniskirt. He’d look so sexy with his tall form looming over me and with those thick, curly horns that are just begging to be gripped.

Jasper would have to clamp a hand over my mouth also, because if he so much as brushes a thumb against my clit, I know I’d combust. Anyone still on the island would definitely catch us— ugh, monster hearing —but I don’t think I’d care.

A bright blush spreads across Diana’s cheeks, most likely imagining her own shenanigans. “I guess you’re right. Not like I’d mind having fun with Rollo either.” Her voice trails off into a whisper and she doesn’t quite meet my eyes with her admission, choosing to stare at the increasingly lightening sky in the distance.

I think about Rollo, the wolf shifter whose tattoo location matches Diana’s. Seeing them chatting last night, I can totally imagine them exploring options together. She doesn’t seem too shy, so maybe she could get his number and they could try dating after getting off this island.

I reach between our fancy chairs and take Diana’s hand. “My take is, if Adelbert can’t find a fix to these bonds, and if we’re going to be stuck together with these males anyway, why not make the most of it.” I wink at her and she catches my drift pretty quickly.

Diana sits up and her face lightens with determination. “Right? No use worrying about tomorrow when there’s so much to enjoy today.”

I nod enthusiastically. “Exactly! Wasn’t it you who said ‘fuck it and go along with whatever life throws at us’? If we’re saying ‘fuck it’ we might as well make it ‘fuck him.’”

Diana laughs. “Oh, you’re naughty. I love it!”

I lift one shoulder unapologetically. “Life’s too short to worry about shit out of our control. Just enjoy the ride. Pun intended.”

We both burst into fits of giggles, falling back into the chairs and clutching our stomachs.

Once our laughter tapers off, I take Diana’s hand again. “So glad I met you last night and we got to be roomies.”

“Right back at you,” Diana says with complete sincerity and squeezes my hand. “Talking about roomies, it feels like all of us have similar stories to how we got invited to ladies’ night, yet vastly different reasons for why we’re in the Caribbean. I’m curious to hear yours.”

I grin at her, but it’s bittersweet. “I woke up one morning and realized my life is stuck in the same old pattern. The thought was kind of suffocating, and I knew that if I don’t get out now, I’d probably be doing the exact same thing ten years from now, even twenty. So I sold my stuff, packed my bags, and picked a place I’ve always wanted to visit. I have no real destination or plan in mind. I’ll keep going until I run out of money, or I’ll get a job somewhere I really like. I met Iris and Helena on the beach about a week after I arrived here. We got to chatting and they told me about the ladies night thing to celebrate Iris’s breakup, and invited me to join. They didn’t set off any of my stranger-danger senses and it sounded like a good idea since I had nothing else planned. How about you?”

Tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear, Diana looks at the floor as she speaks. “I… um… left home and got on the first flight out from LAX. It just so happened to be coming here.”

I sit up straighter and search Diana’s face. “Are you okay? Is there someone you’re running from?”

Diana’s shoulders climb up to her ears. “I might have made it sound worse than it is.”

“Girl, don’t downplay things with me,” I warn her, all defensive instincts on high alert. “If there’s someone we need to keep you safe from, you tell me. I’ll rally everyone to protect you.”

Shoulders relaxing slightly, Diana gives me a soft smile. “I’m okay. The main thing is that I’m safe here and I have no plans on going back.”

“If you change your mind and want to tell me more, I’m here for you, okay?” I add earnestly, making sure to meet her eyes so she can see how serious I am.

“Same.” Diana shakes her head and switches gears. “Now, since we’ve established just how cool you are, can I ask you something personal?”

I angle my head and my brows draw together. “Wasn’t this whole conversation personal?”

Diana scrunches up her nose and a bright red spreads across her cheeks. “It’s about backdoor play. I’ve always been curious about it. Would you… um… recommend those beads to be a good place to start?”

“Oh, honey. I’m so glad you asked. Embracing your sexuality is the best, most liberating thing you can do for yourself. I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”