Oceans Untamed

by Cleo Peitsche

  Spencer would make sure that Monroe stayed out of this. He would keep their secret.

  Chapter 17

  The boat’s main room, or whatever special nautical name it had, felt claustrophobic, and it reeked of sweat and dirty luggage, and—dare she say it?—stale sex.

  Monroe shoved her way through the suitcases and out the door, panic mounting in her chest. She had to get back to Tureygua.

  Nearly everyone who had come in the minivans was crowded on the boat’s deck. Many of them were smoking, and they’d clearly found the booze cabinet. She carefully wove through them, not wanting to accidentally knock someone into the water.

  She rapped on the glass, and Thomas turned. He was so not the ex-boyfriend she wanted to see at the helm.

  “I don’t want to go to Aruba,” she said. “I can’t go. Turn around.”

  One of the smokers booed her, and she flipped him the bird. It was her right as a New Yorker.

  “What do you mean?” Thomas yelled back.

  “Turn this boat around.”

  “It’s hard to hear you. Join me on the bridge.”

  She went in and tried not to think about when she’d been in this exact spot with Koenraad. “If you won’t turn around, then stop the boat,” she demanded. “Give me a life raft and a plastic spoon, and I’ll paddle back.” She would have leaned over him to turn off the engine herself, but she didn’t want to accidentally blow them all up.

  “I mean it, Thomas! Stop the boat!”

  He shut off the engine. The boat didn’t stop, but at least it wasn’t still racing forward, farther and farther from Tureygua.

  “This is crazy,” he muttered. “You want to go back for him? Look at this boat! The man who owns this gets no points for respect for women. That’s the kind of guy you want to be with?”

  She’d been pretty scandalized by the boat when she’d first seen it, but it irked her that Thomas was passing judgement on Koenraad. “For your information, he has nothing but respect for women. He’s a good man and a good friend, and he gets a million points, so put that in your calculator.”

  “Or maybe you’re just seeing what you want to see and ignoring the truth.”

  “Like I did when we were together?”

  Tara tore in like a hurricane. “I’m going to throw that lying piece of shit overboard, so help me god,” she panted. Her eyes were wild.

  “Fuck you!” Lee screamed. He was swaying on the deck, an open bottle of vodka in one hand. “It’s not easy being married to the ice queen, and you said I could fuck someone else.”

  Tara’s hands balled into fists. “Are you shitting me? I said it once because I was frustrated, but you know I didn’t mean it. You weren’t supposed to go waving your dipstick around.”

  “What am I, a mind reader?”

  Monroe grabbed Tara’s arms before she could yank out the steering wheel and beat Lee with it. She was so embarrassed for her friend.

  “Thank you, Monroe,” Lee said. “I’m glad you’re able to be an adult.”

  “Shut up, Lee,” Monroe snapped. To Tara she said, “Are you ok?”

  Tara was sucking in little gulps of air, and her eyes were bloodshot and glassy. “I’m fine,” she said. “I’m so happy to be rid of him.”

  “Yeah, you look happy,” Thomas said quietly, but not quietly enough.

  “Why are you being a jerk?” Monroe asked. “I’m starting to think you can’t help it.”

  “Says the woman who’s screwing the owner of this masterpiece.” He thumped the console once, angrily, to indicate Free Luv. “The guy’s probably on steroids, and I bet he inherited his money.”

  “I’m sorry, but didn’t your father and grandfather both go to Harvard?”

  “They did,” he said, looking pleased she’d remembered. “Good taste is genetic. You can’t buy it.”

  She didn’t even try to suppress her eye roll.

  The sound of an approaching boat had Monroe scanning the dark water. “Flash your lights at them or something,” she said.

  “They can see us.” But Thomas sounded the horn.

  To Monroe’s horror, the horn was an audio remix of a couple engaged in groaning sex.

  Thomas gave her a long, hard stare. “You want a good man? Well, here I am, Monroe. Being a good man. Trying to give you a second chance despite your stunningly irresponsible behavior.”

  “But I don’t want a second chance!”

  “She doesn’t,” Tara said.

  “Hello Free Luv! Having trouble?” a voice called out.

  Spencer? Monroe thought. It really sounded like him. What was Spencer doing all the way out here?

  Thomas stared evenly at Monroe, then turned to the window. “Don’t suppose you’ve got room for two passengers who need to return to Tureygua?” he yelled back.

  “Two?” Tara asked, clearly shocked.

  “You and Lee fighting are making me crazy, and anyway I’m not sending Monroe off alone with a stranger.”

  Monroe started to point out that the man on the smaller boat wasn’t a stranger, but she decided against it. Annoying as it was to admit, she agreed with Thomas. Tara and Lee bickering nonstop was nerve-wracking, and it would only get worse without her there to mediate.

  “We’ll get you off the island soon,” she promised Tara.

  “But he’ll steal my DVDs!”

  “I don’t want your stupid romantic comedies,” Lee hollered.

  Yeah, Monroe wasn’t leaving Tara behind.

  She waited until the boats were pulling apart from each other before asking Spencer the question that was foremost on her mind. “What are you doing here?”

  He grinned. “Koenraad wanted to be sure you got home safely. I’d planned to beg you… I mean convince you with logic and reason to come back to Tureygua.”

  “Why?”

  “Yeah, why?” Tara chimed in. She was staring at Spencer with a hungry expression. Monroe looked between the two and wondered if she should have left Tara behind after all.

  Spencer pretended to be busy with boat stuff. Obviously he didn’t want to give the reason in front of Tara, so Monroe took that to mean it had something to do with shifters.

  “I get it,” she said. “He misses me.”

  “He needs you,” Spencer said. He gave her a meaningful look, and Monroe stared at her best friend, hoping to convey I need you to get lost for five minutes without having to come out and say it.

  No dice. A goofy grin illuminated Tara’s face as she continued to ogle Spencer. She was clearly besotted, and come to think of it, Monroe hadn’t ever seen her act like this around Lee.

  After they’d docked, Spencer drove them to a modest but elegant house on the outskirts of the town. Monroe was surprised because she knew Spencer lived outside of Boston, and the Caribbean lab he managed for Koenraad was on the mainland. But she supposed he’d grown up here, and he had plenty of money, so why not have yet another house?

  “Wait here,” he told her, and he opened the back door to offer Tara a hand out.

  Monroe watched as the two disappeared through the front door, then lights came on.

  A few moments later, Spencer was back, and his demeanor had completely changed. He’d been charming, full of witty banter, during the trip back. It must have been a front because now he was all business.

  He pulled out of the driveway. “Do you have feelings for Koenraad?” he asked.

  Monroe sighed. “It’s beyond complicated with us.”

  Spencer narrowed his eyes. “Let me put it like this. Would you like to keep him alive?”

  She tilted her head, trying to figure out where this was coming from. “Yes. Of course. Where are you taking me?”

  “Even if it meant a…” He squinted up and tilted his head back and forth, searching for words.

  “Just spit it out.”

  “A statistically negligible risk to your own safety?”

  “Of course.” Monroe didn’t have to think about it. “He’s risked a lot for me. If he e
ver needs me, I’m there, but I doubt there’s anything I can do that he can’t do himself.” And do better, she thought.

  “I should have asked this first, but why didn’t he claim you?”

  Monroe felt her face heating. “He was going to,” she said. “But then…” Something told her not to mention Brady’s attack. She didn’t know anything about shifter rules, but Brady was surely in a lot of trouble. Maybe Koenraad was trying to deal with it quietly. In that light, it was harder to hate Koenraad for keeping it from her. Brady’s temper tantrums might have lethal consequences, but he was still a child. What a parental nightmare.

  But that didn’t mean she was letting Koenraad off the hook.

  “This is important, Monroe. Why didn’t he do it?”

  “It’s my fault. I wanted to see him as a shark, and when he transformed, I panicked a bit. He said we didn’t know each other well enough, that it was too fast.”

  Spencer nodded as he chewed on that. “Good,” he said. “That’s good. Apparently he’s been paying some attention to what I’ve been telling him. Yes, it’s too fast. But I like you for him, Monroe. I don’t know how much he’s told you, but he had a tragedy a few years ago, and it about killed him. Before you showed up, I really wondered if he was going to live the rest of his life as a humorless grouch. Around you, he’s a different person. Truthfully, I think he needs you, and not just for tonight. The question is, does he make your life better? You don’t have to answer that, but it’s something to consider as the next few weeks unfold.”

  “Next few weeks?”

  “After he claims you, you’ll have to move down here.” He glanced at her. “I assume that’s not a problem?”

  “Uh—”

  “Good. Here’s the deal. Koenraad is being accused of killing you.”

  “What?” she gasped.

  “And he’s so Koenraad, so obstinate, that he’s unwilling to say where you are in order to clear his name. Noble of him, but misguided. And shortsighted considering the penalty is death.”

  “This is a joke, right?”

  He shook his head. “He’s a stubborn, stubborn shark. I don’t think you’re nearly as fragile as he acts.”

  “I’m not!” Her indignation was grossly undermined by the quake of fear that went through her at the thought of Koenraad dying. She cleared her throat. “So we need to prove that I’m alive. Since I am, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

  He nodded. “Exactly. But there is one problem.”

  Monroe didn’t like the way he’d said that, like it was something huge and he was pretending it was minor. It was enough to make her wonder if Koenraad wasn’t being overprotective after all.

  “What’s the problem?”

  “Victoria would have challenged you if Koenraad had claimed you.”

  “What does that mean, anyway? I’m guessing we’re not talking about a checkers tournament.”

  “You would have had to fight her. To give you an idea of what we’re dealing with, Victoria is also the one who accused Koenraad. She’s insane, she’s brilliant and she’s jealous. She can’t seem to decide if she loves him or she wants to destroy him.”

  “So she would kill me just to get back at him?” Monroe couldn’t even imagine such a mindset.

  “Before I agree with that, I just want to say that taking you there isn’t playing into her hands.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because I’m going to claim you.”

  Monroe’s mouth went dry. She liked Spencer just fine, but she didn’t feel about him the way she did about Koenraad.

  Spencer laughed. “Don’t worry. No one needs to get undressed. I can ‘claim you by intent’ and then have forty-eight hours to seal the deal, so to speak. It’s an antiquated rule dating back to the time when shifters frequently married islanders. Shifters had to claim their mates to satisfy the Council, then get permission from the bride’s parents before they could consummate the marriage.”

  “You… want to claim me?”

  “You’re wondering why. If I claim you, Victoria is highly unlikely to challenge you as my future mate. Remember, Koenraad is who she wants, and she’ll probably figure you’re a gold-digger turned shifter groupie who found a sucker. Though Victoria can be unpredictable. Do you trust me?”

  “After the gold-digger comment?” She smiled weakly. “I do trust you, but it seems like I don’t have a choice.”

  “There’s one other really little thing,” Spencer said as he brought the car to a stop in front of a complex of ominous buildings of varying heights. “You’re an open book to shifters. All humans are, so don’t take it personally. If I claim you, it has to be sealed with a kiss.”

  “A kiss?” Now she was thinking the whole thing was a joke, and she smiled uncertainly at him, ready for the gotcha moment.

  But Spencer was growing serious again. “A kiss or something stronger, but I don’t think either of us wants to go down that path. We could lie about it, but I’m not certain you can do so convincingly. It’s important that Victoria believe we’re a couple.”

  “What kind of kiss?”

  He moved close. “Like this.” He pressed his mouth quickly to her lips, so fast she barely felt it. “Did I kiss you?”

  “Yeah. And for the record, it was weird.”

  That made him laugh. “Let’s go save your boyfriend.”

  Monroe climbed out of the car.

  This place, whatever it was, met the definition of foreboding. Gray slabs of concrete, hardly any windows, and the few that did exist had bars over them. The humid air smelled like sadness. She wanted to leave already.

  Spencer took her hand. He was warm, strong. It suddenly occurred to her that he was risking an awful lot.

  “Koenraad’s lucky to have you,” she whispered.

  “Ditto,” he whispered back.

  Chapter 18

  Koenraad paced across the stage. He was ready for this to be finished. The thirty-minute break was almost over and he still didn’t have his anger under control.

  The questions wouldn’t stop coming. Most of them he didn’t answer. It wasn’t anyone’s business where he’d been the night before, and being globally stubborn was better than ignoring only the questions with incriminating answers.

  The only one he would respond to was if he had hurt or killed Monroe.

  “No,” he’d said, over and over again.

  Not that they believed him.

  If he’d been a spectator, he wouldn’t have believed him, either. He wouldn’t answer how they’d met or if she’d been to his house. He didn’t want to give any clues to her identity, which he was certain they didn’t know at this point in time.

  Assuming he could get a message to Spencer, the Council would never know her name. Though knowing Spencer, he was already on it. Spencer always thought ten steps ahead.

  They simply couldn’t imagine why he wouldn’t tell them where to find her, but he knew that if she was found, there was a good chance her blood would be tested to match whatever they could come up with from the pool. It would be the only way of determining that Monroe was the same human.

  And if they tested her blood…

  The judges filed back in, their faces somber, and realization dawned on Koenraad.

  That hadn’t been a break. They’d been discussing. They’d reached a decision already.

  The punishment for attacking a human was death, pure and simple.

  His heart pounded. He’d broken shifter law, though not for the crime Victoria had pinned on him. He was more than willing to accept the punishment in Brady’s stead, but his sacrifice would do nothing to keep the young shark safe.

  “Please stand, Koenraad Van Buren.”

  Koenraad rose to his feet. This wouldn’t be the end. Even if they sentenced him to death right now, he could request a stay while his parents were located. Somehow, he’d find a way to escape in that time.

  He raised his eyes to the ten people who would determine his fate. Victoria’s face contorte
d in shock, then fury, and the tips of her ears turned crimson. Confusion and surprise radiated from her.

  Turning, he saw immediately what had upset her.

  Spencer had walked in. With Monroe.

  And they were holding hands.

  Koenraad took a stunned step toward the newcomers. This was his worst nightmare, and he couldn’t believe Spencer had betrayed him like this.

  Monroe, his perfect Monroe. She was terrified; her fear was the strongest scent in the room, and the spectators were all staring now, confused to see a human in the shifter court.

  Victoria had managed to contain her emotions, but her reaction had already spoken volumes.

  Darius snorted in disgust, the sound filling the auditorium. Someone slapped a hand loudly on the concrete.

  Koenraad turned to see Kendra, death in her eyes, glaring at Victoria. “When you requested this emergency trial, you said you saw a half-eaten body.”

  “But—”

  “Quiet! You swore he’d confessed that he was unable to control himself,” Kendra continued. “The whole point was to keep him under observation while we investigated, and now the woman he supposedly ate walks in here?”

  Arnie quietly slipped out the door.

  “I’m not sure that’s the girlfriend,” Victoria said. She sniffed. “No. It’s not the same scent. Different woman.”

  “You seemed certain a few seconds ago,” Kendra snapped.

  “My mate,” Spencer said cheerfully. He held their clasped hands up. “She’s Koenraad’s ex.”

  Koenraad stared in shock, and then he understood. “I challenge you for your mate,” he said.

  “You can’t challenge anyone,” Victoria said. “You’re on trial.”

  Kendra slapped the concrete. “We’re done here,” she hissed. Koenraad had never seen her like this. She’d always been so even-tempered. It made her a good judge. “Victoria, I’m livid right now, and I’m disgusted. I don’t know what your game was, if you planned to let him die—”