“Of course,” he replied. “Stupid questions are the best questions.”
“Do you think you would have asked me to the school formal if we’d known each other in high school?”
She’d never gone to high school, but he didn’t need to know that right now. Horace, her sea turtle mentor, had taught her more than any school could have. At least that’s what Thane had promised her. He’d told her it was too risky putting her in school. Too many things could happen. Someone could try to take her away from them. And the trips back and forth to the mainland would be too much for her at such a young age.
“I would have sent a rose to your desk every day of the month leading up to the formal,” he said. “I would have sung you songs, would have written you poems, and I would’ve gotten down on one knee and asked, trembling with the fear that you might tell me no.”
His words were so sweet they brought tears to her eyes. She was so sensitive right now. Thane had drifted far from her mind, at least far enough that she knew he had nothing to do with this moment, but she wasn’t fool enough to believe his and Penny’s romance hadn’t sparked a strong desire in her to find something similar for herself. She craved wanting. She needed someone to desire her who wanted to hold her and take care of her.
“I would have told you yes,” Kalina said. “I promise.”
In silence they swayed to the music. The band must have known they were wrapped up in a moment because they didn’t kick the beat up into the high-speed rhythm of ‘Surfing Safari’ or ‘Surfing USA.’ Instead, they went with a song from a totally different artist. It was by Harry Belafonte and was called ‘The Land of the Sea and Sun.’
The moment was perfect. Nothing else and nobody else mattered in the world. Thoughts of the past flooded over her, memories of growing up on the island, and she thought it was best she’d never gone to a formal or a prom. She wondered how Rafe’s had turned out and if he’d had a real family to walk him to the door or if his date’s father had welcomed him with a handshake when he’d gone to pick her up. Kalina had missed so many things real teenagers got to experience. Like having real parents.
“Did you go to the school formal?” she asked.
“I did,” he said.
He didn’t give her mind more to work with, so it conjured up images of its own. In her head she saw him picking up a beautiful brunette, she looked irritatingly similar to Evelyn, and he’d given her a corsage. She’d admired his boutonniere. They’d walked hand-in-hand back to the limo he’d rented for only them. Other kids rode in groups, but Rafe was a gentleman and would have splurged for a solo ride. They’d danced and made out and had eventually fucked in some hotel room he’d rented for the night.
“For all of about twenty minutes,” he added. “I wasn’t much into school. My mom was a teacher and couldn’t keep a job for some reason. My dad was gone all the time anyway, so she eventually left him. Then she dragged me all over the place, in and out of public and private schools, as she tried out each new job. I made friends and lost them in a matter of months. I dated, tried to fall for someone, and quickly ditched her when it was time to trade the old life for the new. I hated my mom for that. I started finding the worst crowds to hang out with. I think they were the ones who taught me about indie tunes and dark rock and coffee-house poetry.”
He laughed.
“Fucked up kids are deep,” he said.
Kalina listened to him, not wanting to interrupt as he took this moment to get all his feelings off his chest. She wanted him to. The more she knew, the closer she would feel to him.
“Anyway,” he said. “I learned to adapt and overcome. Once my dad finally tracked us down, he asked if I wanted to go live with him. He promised me a regular life where I wouldn’t live like a gypsy moving from town to town. All my life I’d hoped to see my dad again. So, I agreed and left my mom. I know I broke her heart. I saw it in her eyes when I drove off with him. I wasn’t only her son, but I was her confidant, her traveling buddy, and the only person in the whole world she could depend on. If I’d only been able to depend on her the same way. If she’d given a shit long enough to realize she was ripping me apart. Sob story, I know. Poor me. Kids live that kind of life all the time.”
Kalina considered the roughness of all he’d gone through. She’d had her own problems, but in many ways, maybe she’d been lucky to not have parents pulling her in two different directions. Her family lived on an island where it was all about peace and love, partying and celebrating, learning and adapting. Her tiger shark family was pure love, pure trust, and other than what transpired with Evelyn, had been a life of no regret, remorse, or revenge. She’d always thought she’d gotten screwed in life, but every movie or TV show she got the chance to watch told a different story. It told of depressed teens and warring parents hell-bent on providing the perfect life far away from each other, never giving a shit about how that would affect the children.
“My dad gave me the life he promised. At seventeen years old, I was finally able to have a bedroom I didn’t fear abandoning at the first sign of a parent’s pay raise or job gone wrong. My dad had retired from the road and was suddenly around all the time. I began to straighten myself out. Life was good. For us. A year after I moved in with my dad, my mom died. Car accident. She’d been driving alone. She’d had a small U-Haul trailer attached to the car, so it was clear she was on her way to a new job site. It was late, and she went off the side of a cliff. Of course, I blamed myself. She’d never moved anywhere by herself. I’d always been with her. I’d helped her stay awake on the road either singing along to our favorite tunes or reading to her from whatever novel she could pick up at a gas station.”
“I’m so sorry,” Kalina said.
“I’m fine,” he said and chuckled. “Really. I think picking up and moving so often gave me the rare ability to ditch old memories and quickly form new ones. I think I like the ones I’m forming right now.”
She returned her head to its spot against his chest. The song was winding down and she knew the next one would have to be something more upbeat. Their conversation was almost over unless they went someplace quieter to talk.
“You know what’s the most interesting?” Rafe asked. “Thinking back about the time spent with my mom and the time spent with my dad…I hated being with my mom so much. And that’s what does break my heart…”
His voice trailed off and Kalina looked up to see that his eyes were moist. He was fighting back tears.
“Because now that I’m older and wiser,” he said with another chuckle. “all that time spent with my mom is what I cherish most. I loved that fucking life with her. I don’t know why I made myself believe I didn’t. It’s like I was trying to be like other teenagers and formed a fake wall of disappointment. Maybe I wanted to be that angst-filled youth. She loved me so much and I loved her too. We had a hell of a time on our journeys. What I learned most is, when you find one person you truly love and trust…when you find that connection, that ability to have fun and keep secrets and laugh at inside jokes that nobody else in the world would ever be able to figure out…you have to protect that. Never let it go. Do you know what I mean?”
Kalina looked into his eyes and she wanted to climb inside him, to truly feel his pain, to know him as deeply as anyone in the world might be able to know him. She wanted that. She needed to be so connected to him that nothing could break it. She had to believe that he would fight to protect their relationship. That she would become the one thing that could make him forget everything else.
Also, she wondered if she could love him without turning him into one of her kind. Could he remain faithful to a woman who turned into a monstrous beast whenever she touched saltwater? Would he want to kiss her knowing she’d swam through the ocean and scooped up raw fish in her mouth? Could he be with her knowing that half her time was spent naked among her friends? Dating her would be like being with someone from a nudist colony who also happened to morph into one of man’s greatest nightmares. Snakes might
have been more feared on dry land, but in the ocean, nothing terrified people like seeing the triangular fin of a shark coming at them.
The music picked up as the band did their beach-chill version of ZZ Top’s ‘Legs.’ All men liked legs.
Can a man like a woman whose legs disappear and, in their place, grow fins?
“I’m glad you brought me here,” she said. “It’s almost like being at a carnival but without any rides.”
“Oh, we have rides,” he said. “In fact, that’s the main part of this date. You told me at the bonfire that you’d expected to have a wild night, so…I’ve got something in mind. You might have done this before and maybe it’s no big deal, but if not…it should make this night a lot…wilder.”
“Why am I suddenly worried?” she asked.
“Because you know I’m totally awesome and I wouldn’t let you down with anything dull,” he said. “Are you afraid of heights?”
“What?” she asked.
“Like up there,” he said, yelling over the increased volume of the music.
He pointed toward a giant steel structure in the darkness. She’d seen it before but hadn’t thought much about it. Now, lit up in the night sky, she saw what it was. She’d never thought of having a fear of heights because she’d never been in a situation where she’d been confronted with it. The highest she’d ever been was to the top of one of the mountains on the island, and even then, she’d never stood on the edge and looked down.
“I don’t know about that,” she said.
“Come on,” he urged her on. “I want you to meet my friends. This is kind of their part time hangout spot. It just so happens they’re here this weekend and one of my buddies runs the bungee jump when he’s here. He’s a good friend of the owner so it helps him earn some extra cash.”
“Raaaafe,” she said, letting his name drag on in an almost whiny tone.
“Kalinaaaaa,” he replied.
She liked the sound of her name on his lips. The look on his face was adorable, his eyes opened wide and his eyebrows up high, so much hope in that expression. He really wanted her to give this a try. Closing her eyes, she inhaled, filling her chest with the fresh breeze before finally popping her eyes open to look into his and nod her head “yes.”
“Really?” he said.
“Yes,” she said.
“You’re gonna love it. I promise.”
“Rafey?” a nasally voice yelled.
Kalina looked over Rafe’s shoulder and saw a young guy approaching wearing a knitted beanie cap with a small bill turned to the side.
“Beanie!” Rafe said.
Of course, that’s his name. I suppose the next guy will be wearing a sweater vest and we’ll call him Vesty.
Beanie passed Rafe, purposely giving him the cold shoulder, and wrapped Kalina up in a big bear hug.
“My God,” Beanie said. “She’s way too pretty for you, bro.”
Kalina felt herself blush. This was the first of Rafe’s friends she’d met, other than Kane, but she already liked this one. He might have been a sweet talker who knew how to turn on the charm for the ladies, but she liked that charm pointed in her direction right now.
A girl needs to be complimented every once in a while.
“Hands off,” Rafe said as she grabbed the top of his friend’s head and pulled off the beanie.
Beanie was bald beneath the cap and fought furiously to snatch the beanie back and pull it tight over his head.
“Dude!” he yelled. “Come on! You don’t fuck with the beanie. You know that. I have hat hair under this thing.”
“You have no hair under that thing,” Rafe said.
“Yeah, true,” Beanie replied. “I don’t even take this thing off for sex.”
He fixed the hat, pulling it down to the point right above his eyebrows.
“Beanie, this is Kalina,” Rafe said.
Beanie smiled at her and said, “So, you guys coming up, or what? Hightail’s up there waiting for you. He saw you down here chatting and sent me down to get you.”
“We going up?” Rafe asked, turning his attention to Kalina.
She responded by taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. She was ready. Beanie led them through what looked like a recently burned field, probably the spot of another bonfire. That or it had been cleared to get rid of the dry bush and keep the area clear of snakes. As they got closer to the metal structure, Kalina saw a small metal cage lift.
“My lady,” Beanie said as he opened the door and gestured for them to enter. “Your chariot.”
“Guess this is my last chance to back out,” Kalina said.
“What would be the fun in that?” Beanie asked.
He was right. No real fun was to be had without some risk. It was one of the reasons she hit the water and patrolled with the others. She could stay on the beach and hang out with Ruby and Penny. The two pregnant women didn’t do a whole lot but sit around and gossip. Ruby had filled their days with teaching Penny about their people’s history, customs, and caveats. Recently, especially with all the trouble Evelyn had gotten them into, being one of their kind was dangerous, and Penny needed to be prepared.
Thank god Evelyn is long gone.
Kalina wondered if the woman was dead. Evelyn had remained quiet for much longer than ever before, and after the injuries she’d sustained, Kalina didn’t imagine she’d be returning anytime soon, if she were even alive. Peace was better for them all. Of course, sharks needed to keep their edge, but there were better ways of polishing their skills than going to war with their own kind. Besides, Evelyn hadn’t always been the bitch they’d come to think of her as. In fact, Evelyn and her had been good friends at one point.
Back in the day, they had practically shared Thane. He’d treated Kalina like a princess and Evelyn like his side whore. Everyone was okay with that. Evelyn seemed to prefer it. After all, that’s what she turned out to be…a hookerish human in high heels and a slutty shark with a taste for blood. Sure, they’d argued a little over their fearless leader, but Thane had made it clear to them both that he wasn’t in it for the long run. They both knew he needed to find his one true mate and even though they were sad that it wasn’t them, they accepted it and enjoyed the time they had with him.
That was until Evelyn saw one of their brothers, Cog, get harpooned. Cog had thrashed around violently and had rammed the boat hard enough to knock the human into the water. Once Evelyn had attacked him and tasted blood for the first time, that was it for her. The blood turned her into a demon of the water, constantly searching for more. Cog joined her mission, hell-bent on getting revenge on humans like the one who’d shot him. He died at the hands of a shark hunter. Not Kane, but one a lot like him. If he’d stayed away from the humans, he might’ve still been alive. That had always been the point Thane had driven home to the rest of them. Don’t start a war and there won’t be any war. Humans were vengeful beasts when provoked. They were much nastier than any shark in the water.
The steel elevator whined its complaint as they soared higher and higher into the dark sky. Kalina wondered how many tourists made this journey and how long it took for a bungee cord to get old, tired, and eventually crack or fall apart. She wondered how many people had died while partaking in this stupid pastime. She was glad to see that she wouldn’t be leaping out over the ocean the way most of these things were set up. Sometimes the jumpers would be yanked back over the ocean, right when their upper body dipped below the surface. If that happened to Kalina, they’d all have a big surprise when they saw a giant tiger shark flip through the air when the cord returned. She laughed to herself imagining what it would be like. Probably something like a giant fishing line hoisting a large catch out of the water.
As they ascended, Kalina stuck her fingertips through the cage and held on tight, watching the people below, some dancing in front of the stage like she and Rafe had done only moments before, become the size of ants. Rafe’s hand snaked around her body and his fingertips settled on her stomach
. She closed her eyes and felt the wind whip her hair around. She leaned her head back so it would rest against his chest and let him know that she was here with him and was enjoying the moment.
Finally, their cage rattled to a stop and Beanie swung the door open. The platform was large, about the size of a small living room, and a spotlight dangled overhead from a hook jutting out from the side of the steel structure. Kalina looked at it too long and was momentarily blinded, a blue dot following her gaze everywhere it went. She couldn’t even see the face of the man running the ride.
Ride? Is it even right to call this a ride? I’m going to leap through the air and plummet toward the earth.
“So, this is the wonderful woman who has stolen our best friend’s heart?” bellowed the voice of the man behind the blue dot. “I can totally see why. She’s gorgeous, brah.”
“Thank you,” Rafe said. “I made her myself.”
Kalina rolled her eyes. His humor took some getting used to.
“Are you sure you want to let this fella talk you into this?” the guy asked.
“Okay, shut up now,” Rafe warned him. “Do you know how long it took me to convince her to come up here?”
“No, I really don’t,” the guy said. “But it must have been like forever.”
“Actually,” Rafe replied. “It took like two minutes.”
Kalina laughed. It had seemed like a long time now that she thought about it, but in reality, it must have only taken a few minutes.
“Hightail,” the guy said, sticking his hand out for Kalina to shake.
The blue dot finally began to fade, and she could see that he had long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail.
Well hot damn!
Rafe was a damn good-looking man, but this guy was even more handsome. Where Beanie had a bit of a wimpy look to him, Hightail was all man. His chest was so well built his pecs seemed to be having a hard time staying within the confines of his Bungee Blast T-shirt. He had a dopey grin that was adorable and reminded her of the actor Stephen Baldwin. It was a lazy smile and was a great finishing touch to his total package.
Bite Me Harder (a paranormal shifter novel) (Guardians of the Deep Book 2) Page 13
