“We all have issues,” Penny said.
“His are pretty deep though,” Sylvia said. “I don’t think he’s going to let me in. This is all…it’s all temporary for him. He’s not going to put a ring on my finger and settle down in this little village y’all got going on. It’s not his style. Hell, I can barely get him to talk. He says a few words about his brother, tells me how wrong he is for me, and then…”
“…and then?” Penny coaxed her on.
Sylvia covered her face with her hands again and giggled. She dropped them and looked at her friend, mustering a bit of the old DJ Sylvia Foxx from back in the day. She needed that edge she’d always had before.
Where the hell did that side of me go?
“…and then he fucks the living shit out of me,” Sylvia said.
Both girls cracked up laughing.
“Ain’t nothing like some shark nookie,” Penny said.
“There damn sure ain’t,” Sylvia agreed.
“And what if he wants to make you one of us?” Penny asked.
The question caught Sylvia off guard. Of course, she’d considered it. She’d wondered what it would be like to turn into a great white like her man. Would he consider it? Would she? And what would that mean? What kind of life would that lead to? The thought of it made her heart race. It wasn’t like asking if she’d marry him. Walking down the aisle and saying “I do” allowed her to stay in human form. A life with Coby would mean changing into a fucking man-eating shark. Before she had the chance to answer her friend, the sexy blonde Sylvia had seen at the bonfire party back at the hotel emerged holding hands with the guy she’d had her eyes on at that same party.
Well I’ll be damned.
“Good morning, ladies,” the blonde called out.
Her voice was so whimsical. She was quite possibly the happiest sounding person Sylvia had ever met.
“Kalina!” Penny said. “And Rafe. Good morning. Have you two met Sylvia?”
Penny introduced her to the other two and they all sat down for a chat.
“How are you adjusting to the island?” Penny asked Rafe.
“It feels like home,” Rafe said as he held Kalina from behind, putting his hands around her waist and interlocking his fingers.
“Planning to stick around?” Penny asked.
Kalina looked back over her shoulder and locked eyes with Rafe, waiting on his answer.
“What?” Rafe asked. “I mean…I have a job and an apartment, but you know, I can come visit.”
“Long distance relationships never work,” Penny joked.
“Wait a minute,” Sylvia said. “Are you human too?”
Rafe grinned and nodded.
“For now,” he said.
“Whoa,” Penny called out. “Kalina wrapped you around her finger quickly.”
“You have no idea,” Rafe said.
The two kissed and Sylvia found it to be the sweetest thing in the world. They weren’t one of those ridiculous couples trying to put on a public display of affection to prove something. They seemed to genuinely enjoy every glance, peck, and flirtatious word from each other.
“I’m trying to convince Sylvia to stick around,” Penny said.
“You feel strange here, don’t you?” Kalina asked.
Her question went straight to Sylvia’s heart. Most girls with Kalina’s natural beauty would annoy Sylvia at first. A question like that might be seen as intrusive or accusatory in nature, as if Sylvia might be here for the wrong reasons or might dislike the island inhabitants, but it wasn’t that way with Kalina. Her voice, her mannerisms, and her overall attitude seemed to exude nothing but tender curiosity and concern.
“Come on,” Kalina suddenly said to her, taking her by the hand and pulling her away from the others.
“Um, what about me?” Rafe called out.
“You hang out with me, Stud,” Penny said.
Before Sylvia could protest, Kalina was tugging her down the beach and over to a giant rock with three kids playing on it. When the kids saw them coming, they ran away, chasing each other as they splashed through the shallow water at the shoreline.
“What is anger?” Kalina asked her as she grabbed hold of Sylvia’s hand and swung it back and forth the way young lovers might do.
“Finding out your fries were left out of your order after you’ve already drove away from the drive-thru,” Sylvia said.
Kalina laughed and stepped closer to the water, burying her toes in the sand, keeping safe enough distance from the approaching tide.
“Anger is an emotion that comes from not being fulfilled in some way,” Kalina said. “It’s about you. No one else. Someone has either let you down or has made you feel unimportant or belittled.”
“Okay,” Sylvia said, wondering where the girl was going with this.
“What is jealousy?” Kalina asked.
Sylvia decided not to answer. It seemed the questions were rhetorical. No matter her answer, Kalina would have a response.
“Jealousy is you feeling inadequate. It’s you feeling like you don’t measure up to someone or something else. It’s high expectations you may never reach.”
Sylvia wasn’t quite sure where Kalina was going with this.
“What is sadness?”
Silence.
“Sadness is feeling alone, feeling like you’re missing out, feeling like you don’t belong.”
“I feel a little like that now,” Sylvia admitted.
“Look at me,” Kalina said.
Sylvia did.
“Now close your eyes,” Kalina advised her and Sylvia obeyed. “Think of everything back home. Was there anything about that life that made you angry?”
Sylvia thought about it and decided, yes, her job often made her angry. People not showing up for interviews which left her scrambling to come up with subjects to fill the dead air space. Or the DJ for the next show not arriving on time, leaving her to stretch out the end of her show until they did. Or the dating world and how men never measured up to her liking. She thought of Kalina’s definition of anger and realized it all made sense. She spent so much time being angry because other people had let her down.
“Yes,” Sylvia said. “Many things.”
“Did anything make you jealous?” she asked.
Again, Sylvia thought of home and the few people she was jealous of. An older male DJ made more money than she did even though her listeners outnumbered his. She was jealous of one of her old friends, Macy, and the constant barrage of beautiful, wonderful, joyful photos she posted on social media putting her perfect relationship on display. She’d never been angry with the girl, but she’d known the woman a long time and had seen some of her dirtiest deeds, so she never understood why Macy deserved so much happiness when Sylvia apparently did not. Kalina’s definition of jealousy made so much sense. She’d been weighing her happiness and her success against the giant smiles of those around her. She’d never amounted to as much as the others. Even Penny, her best friend, as much as it hurt Sylvia to think it, had found a new and amazing life while Sylvia remained back home suffering.
Sylvia had never answered Kalina’s question, but her silence must have been answer enough.
“And sadness? What has made you so sad?” Kalina asked.
Surviving the barge when nobody else had. Not only surviving it, but walking away practically unscathed, and maybe worst of all, going home to live a mediocre life. People always pray to God in moments of fear and extreme stress, and usually a deal is made, one that says something along the lines of, “I promise if you get me out of this situation, I will never take another day for granted. I will get up at sunrise, I will reach out a helping hand, and I will make the most of every opportunity that comes my way.” Sylvia hadn’t said those words exactly, but she should have and probably would have if she hadn’t lost all her wits while trying to stay afloat and out of the sharks’ mouths. Since surviving the massacre, she had felt alone. She’d felt unworthy of friendship. She’d felt unbelievably
out of place.
“Fear is another one of those emotions,” Kalina said. “It goes along with the others, and like the others you are in control of it. Fear is the lack of control we feel in dire situations. It’s helplessness. It’s a panic when faced with potential loss, whether that be the loss of friends, family, or oneself. You have undoubtedly been filled with fear since going through the shark attack. Anyone would. Yet, you’ve returned here to us, have gotten out on that boat and have come here to this island to befriend a bunch of sharks. You’ve been spending alone time with a great white for god sakes. You’re doing it, girl.”
The sun beat down over them and made its way through Kalina’s golden hair where it shined in slivers of light that blinded Sylvia and caused her to hold a hand up to cover her face.
“You see,” Kalina said. “Living here with us, anger practically fades away. Okay, sure, we have some issues with Evelyn, as you saw last night. Anger happens, but for the most part, we live a carefree and super chill life. We patrol the waters, party at night, sleep in when we want to, live off the land and the ocean…we’re like pirates but without all the destruction, raping, and pillaging.”
Sylvia laughed at that.
Pirates. Great comparison.
“Jealousy,” Kalina said. “Forget about it. Once you become part shark, it’s like the jealousy fades away. I had a deep connection with Thane. I loved the man. Still do. But it’s more of a respect than anything else. I’ll never stop having that connection with him. He’s my king. Was I a little disappointed that I wasn’t “the one” for him? Sure. But I wasn’t jealous when I met Penny. She’s amazing, and I honestly felt a great hope that she would make him happy. That they would be complete. In some ways it felt like I now had permission to forget about him and find my own suitor. Nobody here is jealous. It’s great.”
“Nobody looks sad either,” Sylvia said.
“Nope,” Kalina agreed. “I mean we’ve had to mourn the loss of friends. Of course, that brings a bit of sadness with it, but something in our genes helps us understand that our friends have become one with the ocean, they’ve moved on to the afterlife, and we’re here holding down the fort until we can see them again. It’s a warrior mentality instilled in us the moment we form a bond with the shark spirit. Fear is the same way. That fear you feel. Fuck it. Forget about it. Once you’re one of us, fear is a thing of the past. You might get excited and anxious when going into a battle or when being chased by a predator larger than you, but fear doesn’t really exist for us.
“You’re never afraid?” Sylvia asked. “Sometimes I swear, all I feel is fear. I try to ignore that Coby is a shark. Sometimes it works. Other times it’s all I can think about and that reminds me of the attack on the barge. If I were to become like you…I’d be…”
“You wouldn’t be a monster,” Kalina said. “If that’s what you’re truly afraid of, let me put your mind at ease. You choose to be that kind of shark. You don’t automatically attack people. It’s a choice. My people don’t do that. And to answer your question, yes, I get scared sometimes. I was afraid last night. Not because I didn’t want Evelyn’s sharks to attack me. I was afraid because I didn’t want them to hurt Rafe. But that fear went away quickly. If you become one of us, you’ll see, the fear goes away. My people weren’t built to be afraid. We’re battle-born and ready to bite the shit out of something.”
Sylvia laughed and wrapped her arms around Kalina.
“Thank you so much,” she said. “I think I understand. You’ve said so much that makes sense.”
“So, you’ll join us?” Kalina asked.
“I still have to think about it,” Sylvia said. “I don’t even know what that means. Coby would have to change me, I suppose. And I don’t know if he would. I know he won’t stay here with you. He said he’s a savage and needs to live off the reservation. He wants to be free out there in the ocean.”
“Well he’s a great white,” Kalina said. “If anyone could make it out there on his own, it’s a great white. Not many creatures fuck with them. But you know, if he’s not ready for you, I’m sure we can find you another man who is. And if not right now, you can chill on the island and wait. Or…if you’re really into it, and don’t want to waste more time, Jagger could do it.”
“Isn’t he with Hailey?” Sylvia asked.
“Umm, kind of,” Kalina said. “They’re kind of like…like fuck buddies. But they’re allowed to see other people. If there were other people to see. They’ve been known to kind of swing, trade partners when visitors have come to the island.”
“You get visitors?”
“Not often, but shark shifters are all over the place. We have family and friends on different islands. Sometimes people stop by for a visit. But back to Jagger…just saying. If you want to be one of us and Cobalt isn’t up to the task, it could be kind of a backup plan.”
Sylvia had eyed Jagger. He wasn’t her usual type. He was tall with long hair and covered in tattoos. He could have been the lead singer in a rock band. She’d only dated lead singers in R&B groups. She wouldn’t say he didn’t have a chance, but for now she would keep her sights set on Coby.
Later that evening, the two shark-human couples decided to head back to the mainland on Juan Diego’s boat, for a perfect double date evening. As they entered the restaurant, Rafe was as relaxed as Sylvia had always seen him. His khaki cargo shorts and breezy button up shirt matched Kalina’s olive green dress. He was so at ease with all this, like he’d gladly let Kalina change him into a shifter right at the dinner table. Sylvia, however, wore a fancier dress with a sparkling clutch she snatched up from her hotel room before meeting the others at the restaurant. Of course, it was another bar and grill type of place. Coby surprised her by showing up fully dressed. His shorts had probably come from Thane’s closet, but the shirt, which Sylvia realized was the first shirt she’d ever seen on the man, looked to be a recent purchase. It still had the fold marks from being on a store display. Sylvia laughed under her breath as she took his hand and gave him a once over.
“What?” he asked.
“You look very handsome,” she said.
He glanced at her body, taking it all in, sniffing like some sort of Neanderthal, and then leaned over and bit her softly on the neck. He didn’t need to say the words. It was clear he found her to be absolutely edible. That nibble on her neck made her feel like a human woman contemplating her future with a vampire boyfriend. Coby’s arm slid behind her and his fingers dug into the left side of her waist as he pulled her securely to his side.
Fucking hell.
Every time he touched her, she felt herself loosen up more. Her pussy responded the same way the rest of her body did, relaxing into him, craving that tough manliness of his grasp, of his kiss, and of his cock. The man did nothing half-assed. When he grabbed her, it was full-on. When he talked to her, he said only the words needed to get his point across. When he fucked her, it was to bring pleasure to them both. No wasted time and no wasted words. No wasted pleasantries either. That was something Sylvia was hoping to fix. As much as she wanted to be needed, to be desired, she also wanted to be conversed with. She needed to meet a man on an intellectual plane too, not only a physical one.
The mood was strange at first. Sitting beside Coby with at least a foot of space between their chairs, Sylvia admired how Rafe and Kalina snuggled across the table from them. They were cute together, like high school sweethearts. Coby sat stiff and strong with his hands on his thighs, his back straight, and his eyes shifting left and right as if trying to take in all his surroundings. He had not even a moment of peace in him. It seemed he was always on the lookout, always preparing for any attack that might come. Sylvia reached out and put a hand on his leg. His head whipped left and she smiled at him.
“It’s a date,” she whispered, bringing her face close to his and planting a gentle kiss on his right cheek.
She let her mouth linger there for a second, hoping it would soften him up.
“I don’t
do so well around humans,” he replied. “I can walk among them, but this…this sitting and listening to their nonsense…I’d rather be in the water.”
“I know you would,” she said, “but can you at least pretend to be happy you’re with me?”
“With you,” he said, no question and no real statement behind the words.
If nothing else, it confused her.
“Yes,” she said. “With me. Be happy at least for a little while, okay? Let’s order you a drink.”
When the waitress came to their table, Rafe and Kalina quickly ordered beer. Coby didn’t say a word, so Sylvia took over and ordered him a whiskey sour. He seemed like a whiskey kind of guy. She wanted a piña colada. That was the kind of drink you ordered while on vacation.
Am I on vacation? Or am I adjusting to a new lifestyle?
Only time would tell. She still hadn’t decided what she would do. Sitting next to the stoic Coby, she doubted she could spend the rest of her life by his side. She couldn’t handle all that bitter silence. She was his complete opposite. Yet, she couldn’t help feeling nervous butterflies when she looked at his face. His tense jaw that she wished were clamped between her thighs. His bulging biceps that she wanted wrapped around her body. His massive chest that she loved feeling mashed against hers.
“Dance with me,” she told him.
She might have asked him to help with trigonometry homework for the look of bewilderment that became his face. His brow furrowed, and his nose wrinkled like maybe she’d asked him to smell a piece of rancid fruit.
“It’s dancing,” she whispered. “Men and women do it, you know?”
He didn’t get it or didn’t like it. She wasn’t sure which.
“You can grind against my body in front of all these people,” she purred into his year, laying her best sexy Sylvia Foxx growl on him.
After about five more whiskey sours and enough liquor of her own to make her see a permanent smile on Coby’s face when she was pretty sure there wasn’t one, she finally stood and pulled him up out of his seat. The alcohol must have loosened him up enough because he didn’t resist.
Bite Me Harder (a paranormal shifter novel) (Guardians of the Deep Book 2) Page 18
