by Desiree Holt
Her eyes went wide. “You never saw a doctor?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t want to raise any suspicion.”
“Suspicion of what?”
Tiburon took a deep breath. He was determined to tell her the truth but in a way she could understand, if that was even possible. After living around humans for several years, he understood that they had a very narrow view of what was possible but he had to try. If he lost Eva, it wouldn’t be because he lied to her. It would be because she couldn’t accept who he was.
“I’m going to tell you a story. It will seem far-fetched and unbelievable but I promise you that it’s the absolute truth.”
“Okay.” There was a question in her voice.
“Five years ago, I washed onto the beach just south of Charleston. When I came ashore, I was a Great White Shark. An hour later, I’d transformed into the human I am now.”
“Fuck you.” Eva laughed and grabbed a magazine off the coffee table. “I thought you were going to tell me that you were in a gang, and you got shot by the cops or something.”
He slipped the magazine from her grasp and placed it back on the table. He took both her hands in his and looked into her eyes. In the past three days, he’d felt things he didn’t know he was capable of feeling. The last thing he wanted to do was to scare her or push her away, but she had to understand were still how he was, what he was.
“I’m serious, Eva. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s the truth.”
She tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth. She blinked rapidly, clearly trying to process the incredible story he was telling her. If it hadn’t happened to him, he wouldn’t have believed it. But it had happened to him and he didn’t want to go any further into the relationship without full disclosure.
“It’s not possible. I’m a biology teacher. I would know if shifters are possible. They’re not.” She was looking at him like he had mental health issues. “Maybe you had a psychotic break or something.” She’d moved farther away from him so that she was on the far end of the sofa.
“I’m not an educated man, but I know that what I’m telling you is the truth. I can prove it.”
Eva narrowed her eyes. “How?”
“This scar?” He rubbed his palm on his neck. “It’s from a tracking device a research vessel stabbed into me while I was still a shark.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “This, none of this, is even possible. That scar could’ve come from anything.”
“But it didn’t. Come here,” he said. There was fear in her eyes. He didn’t blame her. What he wanted to do was wrap her in his arms and soothe her, but it wasn’t the right time for that. “Please. Just feel this.”
She scooted a little closer, just short of the center of the sofa. He moved toward her slowly and turned so that she could touch the side of his neck. Her touch was tentative. She took her time and explored the scar. She paused at the bottom, feeling the edges of the square metal plate lodged into the muscle of his shoulder.
“Do you feel it?”
She nodded. “I feel something.”
“I’m telling you the truth. If I didn’t care about you, why would I even mention it?”
“I don’t know. You could be on some sort of mind-altering drug. You could be mentally ill. It’s just not possible. While I agree that you do have something in your neck, I’m very sure that it’s not some sort of tracking device a scientist implanted in your neck while you were a Great White Shark.” She rose and walked to the small dining table. Eva grabbed her orange tote bag and moved toward the front door. “I’m sorry, Tiburon. I really am. For whatever is going on with you.”
And then she walked out the door.
* * *
As soon as the house was out of sight, Eva collapsed on the sand and started to cry. The tears came in great waves and sobs wracked her body. Even though she’d only known Tiburon for a few days, she’d had feelings for him, feelings she couldn’t put words too.
Yes, the sex had been incredible but it was more than that.
She’d thought he might be the one.
The one. What the fuck? I’m too old to believe in that fairy tale bullshit.
She’d dived too deeply, too soon and now she was facing the consequences of her own stupidity. If he believed he was a goddam shark-shifter, he was crazy. She was lucky to have gotten out alive, unharmed. Unless you counted the broken heart pulsing in her chest.
The light began to fade to a purplish-gray, and Eva watched the churning of the surf until it was full dark. She had no idea how she was going to make it back to the tent in the dark, but at the moment, she didn’t care. Falling onto her back, she lay in the sand and watched the stars come out.
Of all the men she could’ve picked to fall in love with, she had to pick the crazy one.
At least she only had one more day on the island. Then she could go back to her sleepy hometown, shut the door and binge watch Netflix until she was well and truly over Tiberon.
She’d never be able to watch Shark Week again.
The rhythmic sound of waves crashing onto the beach calmed her, and she fell asleep.
Eva had no idea how long she’d been dozing in the sand when she heard footsteps. She sat upright and grabbed her bag. After reaching in and finding the comforting rectangle that was her phone, she stood.
“Eva,” she’d know that voice, that accent anywhere. “Please, hear me out.”
“I can’t. I won’t. It’s just too much.” She hated the way her voice quivered. “I need to get back.”
“I shouldn’t have told you.”
He’d done the right thing and she couldn’t fault him for that. Even though she knew he wasn’t some sort of shark/human hybrid, he thought he was and he’d told her. “I’m glad you did.”
“But you’re crying.” The was a question in his eyes and she tried her best to answer it.
“I just fell too fast. I should’ve taken my time, learned more about who you were before I fell in —”
“Fell in love? You’re certainly not alone in that.”
She sat down on the sand and Tiburon sat beside her. His bare foot brushed against hers and the familiar tingle flooded her. “I’m not?” she asked.
“Nope.” He picked up a shell and tossed it into the water. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone. Ever.”
Eva had no idea what to say. In less than a week, she’d fallen head over heels for the man sitting beside her. She’d been in love before, or at least she’d thought so at the time, but this was totally different. Finding him had been like finding a part of herself she hadn’t even realized she’d lost, but he wasn’t stable. She’d been willing to change her life, her whole life, for a man who was clearly mentally ill.
No one in his right mind could possibly believe he was capable of shifting between a shark and a human.
“I know it’s hard to believe,” he said, as if reading her thoughts. “But it’s true. I can prove it.”
“That’s what you said about the scar.”
“I have something better.”
The hazy purple-grey of dawn was beginning to creep over the beach. “What’s that?” If she had any sense, she’d probably be afraid of him but she wasn’t.
“I’m going to show you.”
As outrageous as it sounded, she was curious to see what actually happened when he “shifted”.
“Okay.”
“Once you see that I’m telling the truth, will you give me another chance? Will you give us another chance?”
What did she have to lose by saying “yes”? Nothing.
“Sure. Why not?”
Tiburon nodded and stripped off his shorts and tank top. Her body reacted to him instantly. His bronze skin and impressive muscles were even sexier in this light. More than anything, she wanted to forget the last few hours, go back to the nights they’d spent in his bungalow. Alone and separate from the world, just the two of them.
“Remember your promise,” he said as he walked
naked toward the surf.
Eva watched him wade into the water, deeper and deeper, until it was just above his waist. He turned, gave her a sheepish smile, a small wave, and dove into the Atlantic.
Three minutes later, when he hadn’t resurfaced, she started to panic. While she knew he was an excellent swimmer, not many people could stay under that long without resurfacing for air. He was a strong swimmer, and she knew biology well enough to know that it was hard to drown oneself on purpose. The primitive brain took over and forced you to work toward the surface.
Five minutes. Then ten. Still no sign of Tiburon. Eva looked at the bright red shorts he’d abandoned on the sand. What if he really was a shifter? How was that even possible?
For the first time, she really considered the possibility.
Could she still love him if he was different? That different?
She looked out into the surf and saw a fin. A large dorsal fin that couldn’t belong to anything but a Great White. Her heart skipped a beat. She grabbed her cell phone and snapped a couple of quick photos. Then she opened the shark app she’d downloaded for her students. There were no tagged sharks in the immediate area.
Back in the water, the shark swam back and forth, like he was on parade. When he got directly in front of where she was sitting, he surfaced. Hundreds of pounds of raw, muscular power.
It was Tiburon. She didn’t know how she knew, but she did.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
She’d fallen in love with a shark-shifter, and she’d given him her word that they’d try to make it work.
It was either the best decision of her life or the worst one.
Eva had no idea which.
On the Hunt
The past few weeks had been amazing for Tiburon. He and Eva were getting closer every day. While he worked, she combed the internet, looking for jobs. At night, they cooked amazing food and made love. He couldn’t imagine a more perfect life.
The summer was winding down and when she went back to work, he’d miss all the time they had together. Today the beach was mostly empty. It was hot, too hot, to enjoy the waves and the forecast was calling for thunderstorms later in the afternoon. Tiburon leaned back in his chair and scanned the beach.
The two men walking from toward him didn’t belong on the beach. One of them, the shorter one, was bald, and he wore a rumpled shirt and thick glasses. He looked like he’d been plucked from a lab deep in the basement of some college lecture hall and plopped into the bright sunlight. The taller man, over six feet of gym-hardened muscle, was wearing pressed chinos and a button down. The sleeves were rolled up to the middle of his forearm and while on most men, it would scream “casual”, on him, it looked practiced, intentional.
They walked toward the lifeguard stand, the smaller one constantly checking the small electronic device he held in one hand. As they came closer, Tiburon heard it beeping, clicking and he felt a sharp jolt of electricity stab his neck and, on reflex, placed his hand on the spot.
He saw the smaller man elbow the taller one and both of them nodded in his direction.
Son of a bitch.
He’d always know they’d come for him, eventually. After his first shift, he’d stayed in Charleston for a while, tried to learn the ropes of being a human, but as soon he’d gotten his sea legs, he’d come south in search of a smaller beach where they might not look for him. When he’d ripped out the transmitter, he’d hoped it would be enough.
Clearly he’d been wrong.
Beep, beep, beep. The high-pitched pings were coming closer and closer together as the men got closer to the lifeguard stand. It took everything Tiburon had not to jump down from the stand and run as fast as he could. But there wasn’t really anywhere to go, and after all, they had a tracker on him, one that, try as he might, he couldn’t take out without a surgical procedure.
Were they going to try and turn back into a Great White or were they determined to make sure that he stayed in his human form?
He didn’t know which was worse. When he’d first shifted, he would have given anything to go back to being a shark. After all, it was a world he understood. A world driven by the need to eat and the need to mate. Nothing else. While there were complexities, it was nothing like the human world that was driven by arbitrary principles like time and distance.
But then he’d found that there were some wonderful things about being a land creature. Hotdogs, Christmas lights, women’s perfume, ice cream. Blowjobs.
Now, after falling in love with Eva, he was torn, he knew one thing for sure: he wanted to be with her. No matter the cost. If that meant giving up his fins for good, he was willing to do it.
The two men stopped and looked up at him. He was thankful for his mirrored sunglasses. He didn’t want them to see the fear in his eyes. He had no idea what they wanted to do to him but he was sure it wasn’t going to be pleasant.
“Ashton Penworth,” the taller man said, extending his hand. Tiburon ignored it and looked out at the water. The beach was busy today, and he wasn’t going to lose his job for these guys. Plus, he needed time to think. Time to size the two of them up.
“Floyd Masters,” the little man squeaked. He squinted up at Tiburon, taking in every inch of his human body.
“We need to talk,” Ashton said. He stuck his hand in his pocket.
“Not here,” Tiburon said. “I’m on duty.”
“It’s important.”
“So is paying my rent.”
Ashton took a crisp white business card from his wallet and handed it to Tiburon. “Call us as soon as you get off work.”
Tiburon took the card and glanced at it. Only two lines were printed, a name and a phone number with an area code he didn’t know. “I’ll think about it.”
“We’ll just keep coming back to visit until you talk to us.” Ashton was condescending, and it pissed Tiburon off. “Make no mistake. We have the upper hand here.”
Then why did you have to mention it?
Tiburon might be in the form of a man at the moment, but he was still enough of an apex predator to know bullshit when he heard it. Ashton was scared. Tiburon had no idea why, but the fear was there.
“I said I would think about it,” Tiburon said through gritted teeth.
“Call us,” Ashton repeated. He pivoted on one heel, the fine white sand covering the toe of his shiny penny loafer, and headed back toward the road.
Fuck. What am I going to do?
* * *
Eva had just finished grilling the steaks when Tiburon walked into the front door. “Hey, handsome,” she said, kissing him on the cheek. “Dinner will be ready in five minutes. Why don’t you wash up and join me on the back porch?”
Just the sight of him was enough to send her body into overdrive.
She didn’t know if she was going to make it all the way through dinner without a taste of him.
“Unless you want to—”
“We need to talk.” His dark eyes were serious. “Okay.” Her heart pounded in her chest. She thought they’d sorted through everything. Since the shift and the long talk they’d had on the beach once he’d resumed his human form, everything had been perfect. She’d been combing the local school districts for openings while he worked. She hadn’t found anything yet, but with her qualifications, she was sure something would turn up soon. If it didn’t, she could always bartend or wait tables until it did.
“Let’s sit.” He gestured to the table on the screened back porch.
Eva sat in her usual chair and bit her bottom lip. “What’s wrong?”
“They’ve found me.”
“Who?”
“The people who did this to me.” He ran his palm along the scar on his neck. “Said I needed to meet with them.” He tossed the business card on the table and took a swig of the beer she’d opened for him while he washed up.
“What are you going to do?”
Tiburon shrugged. “What can I do?”
“We can move. Go back to my house.”
>
“They’ll just keep coming back until I meet with them. After all they have a tracker still implanted in my neck.”
“It probably doesn’t work without the parts you ripped out.” Eva couldn’t believe she was having this conversation. “Those instruments are very sensitive.”
“It works. They were using some sort of electronic device today on the beach. The closer they got to my location, the more intense the electrical jolt in my neck.”
Shit.
Anger rose up in her. While she supported the pursuit of scientists to learn more about the animals and plants that made up the world, this was different. This was someone she loved and their experiments were hurting him.
“Maybe we can get someone to remove it. Mandy is a nurse.”
Tiburon shook his head. “How would I explain what it was? Who would believe me?”
“I believe you.”
“That’s different. You saw the shift.”
“You could show Mandy.” She was grasping at straws. “She’d keep our secrets.” Although she believed that in her head, in her heart, she wasn’t so sure. There were all kinds of risks. Too many people figuring out who Tiburon really was and exposing him to the media. If they did find someone they could trust to remove it, what about infection? What if it killed him?
What if it turned him completely into a shark?
“Can’t we just move someplace? Find new jobs?”
“Like I said, they’ll just keep chasing me.”
He was right. They’d just keep tracking him until he told them whatever they wanted to know. Her heart fell. She’d found her man, fallen in love, overcome a huge obstacle. And now another one was facing them.
“What are we doing to do?”
His eyes went cold. Shark-eyes. “I’m going to meet with them and see what they want.”
Eva shook her head. “No way you’re doing that alone.”
“No way I’m dragging you into my mess.”
“Our mess. Whatever we do, it’s together.”
