Hercules moved swiftly down the trail, and I was surprised I didn’t tumble down the path, knocking everyone out of the way like a sling-shot Angry Bird.

The moment we hit the beach, Hercules hung a right. Up ahead there was a cluster of guys standing among surfboards that were stuck upright in the sand. Some were wearing board shorts. Others had wetsuits half-on, pulled up to their lean waists.

Alex’s steps slowed even though Hercules was stalking past them. “I have a feeling we’re not welcome here.”

“Understatement of the century,” I murmured as one of the taller guys broke free from the group. His damp blond hair curled across his sun-kissed forehead.

“Hey,” he said, reaching Alex first. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing here?”

Alex looked at him and laughed—laughed and kept walking. The surfer dude didn’t think that was funny. He grabbed her arm, and that was all it took.

She spun on him, capturing his arm. Yanking him forward, she used his body weight against him. Thrown off-balance, he stumbled, and Alex dipped under his arm, twisting it back behind him. “Didn’t your mama teach you not to grab girls?”

“What the—?”

“Wrong answer.” Alex twisted his arm and flipped him. The guy hit the sand on his back, his expression absolutely dumbfounded. “I’d stay down if I were you.”

Shouts rose from the group of surfers. They started toward us, their bare feet kicking up sand.

Seth faced them. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

All of them—all six of them—skidded to a halt. Whatever those guys saw in Seth’s face had them backing up like scolded puppies.

He chuckled. “Smart idea. Have a nice day, fuckheads.”

“God.” I stared at Alex as we started walking again. “You’re a ninja.”

She shrugged, and she kind of looked like one in her black tank top and shorts. Of course, she looked super-cute. Not like a blonde ogre. I glanced back at the guys. They were crowded around the dude still laid out on the sand. Had Alex seriously injured—

“There he is,” Hercules announced.

My head whipped around. At first, all I saw was Hercules, but then, several yards ahead was a lone guy coming out of the ocean, a surfboard lifted over his head. Waves lapped at his knees and then his calves. Within moments, he was on the beach, biceps flexing.

This guy looked like a demigod.

Tall and lean with a tightly ripped stomach, his dark hair was slicked back from a classically handsome face. Skin bronzed and eyes that were an odd mix of blue and green, he smiled and nodded when we neared him. He looked about my age.

At least he didn’t seem like he was going to cuss at us.