[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.The tiger sharks were guarding him like two striped watchdogs. Where are we going? he asked.The sandy bottom disappeared,and they swam a maze of reefs toward what Cain assumed was theirgoal. Our home. Breathing and swimming in his new body was all new to him, buthe was adjusting.Cain didn t want to think of this as his homethough.The underwater world was amazing and beautiful.Coloredplants grew from out of the sand and the rocks.Fish darted in and outof the hiding holes, and when they noticed him, they hid.He felt stronger than before, and so very different than in hishuman form.Hungry, but mostly he missed his lover.Where wasShanghai now? Did he know he had been kidnapped? Would he comeafter him? He wanted to see him again, desperately, but he didn twant to see anyone get hurt.Especially himself.They led him closer and closer to shore until they were at theentrance to an underwater cave. I don t want to go in there, Cain said, only the words came outmore as some high pitched squeaks and echo sounds.It was an alienlanguage, and yet he understood every word of it.Trayvon bumped his right flank. Go, human. And you can t call me that.Not after what you did to me, Cainreplied. He talks a big fight, Alabastian retorted. I have a name, and you can use it. And that would be? Alabastian said tartly. Thank you.My name s Cain. Just move your tail, Cain. Trayvon sounded irritated and morethan slightly annoyed for Cain showing his backbone. 80 Missy LyonsCain didn t want to test his luck.So far they had not hurt himmuch, but those sharp teeth weren t just for looks. Fine. Darkness enveloped him as they swam into the cave.Amazinglyenough, Cain didn t miss the light.He could feel the walls close tohim and swim without hitting anything.The tunnel was severalhundred feet before it emptied into an underground lake.Cain popped to the surface and looked a little more critically atthe large room.There were halogen lights hanging from the stoneceiling, and while the opening may have originally been a naturalopening, it was taken over by modern technology.It reminded him ofan underground bunker, and people were on the dry land, dressed inolive-colored military garb. Welcome to our den, Cain. He watched as Trayvon transformedinto a human and walked to the shore. Thank you, but I d really just like to go home, Cain complained.Alabastian transformed and walked to shore naked to stand by hisfriend.The words came out in English, but Cain still understood thewords in his shark form. This is your new home.I suggest you getused to it. And if I choose not to? I can swim out of here at any time. You must stay within the island s reef. Trayvon s lips twistedup in a cruel smile. Even if you didn t get lost or die of starvation, orexhaustion, we d hunt you down to be sure you were dead.That youlive is a test of my kindness.Don t try my patience, Cain. A man with a pair of round glasses on the brim of his nose andstarchy white hair came up and placed a robe on Trayvon s shoulders,while his companions got a towel from nearby shelves to dry theirbody and cover themselves. Trayvon, why would you bring a stranger to the islands? Are youtrying to expose our secrets? Trayvon placed his hand upon the older man s shoulder and spokesoftly, but Cain could still hear him. Professor, he s human, but Ichanged him.He s one of us and a tiger shark now. Shark s Mate 81The old man with snow-white hair looked curiously at Cain stillswimming in the water. He s human? Amazing! I haven t heard of asuccessful transformation like this in my lifetime. Yeah, well, I guess I am a freak of nature now thanks to you, Cain replied in a series of underwater sounds, but the professor s facelit up as if he understood. Amazing! He can talk. Getting him to talk isn t the problem.It s getting him to shut upthat s the problem, Alabastian grumbled.The professor asked. Do you mind if I run some tests on him? Trayvon shrugged. Sure, knock yourself out. Wait a minute! What kind of tests are we talking about here? Cain asked, feeling a little concerned no one else seemed to careabout him more than as a science project. Oh, the usual.A few blood tests and endurance tests.I just wantto see how you ve managed to adapt to your new body and why youdidn t die. Thank you, I think I will pass. The professor walked to the side of the wall and pulled down alarge knob on a control panel that looked like it was straight out of ascience fiction film.An electric motor whirred to life and gearsturned, echoing a metallic crunching sound as it churned water and asolid steel door slowly dropped, making Cain s escape or rescueimpossible.He desperately wished for a set of legs so he could run away, buthe had no idea how to control that changing back or what the othersdid to change back to their human form.Even worse, he wasn t sure he could change back to the form.Hewasn t born a shifter.He had been changed to become one.* * * * 82 Missy LyonsShanghai had no doubt his enemy knew he was coming.Hewasn t a mile off the shore line of the Badland Islands when tensoldiers greeted his search party as if sheer numbers could overwhelmthem.This was a do-or-die mission.He would die trying to save hismate.His friends and family followed his example and attackedanything living or breathing on sight.He took the lead, slamming his body into two sharks that wouldtry and attack him, using his weight to shove them against the rockyreef.They tried to escape his mighty jaws, but he caught hold of a tailand sliced and diced the skin of his enemies.His rage was relentless,and he would not only die for his mate but kill for him.Blood carried in the water, but it wasn t his, and it only served toinflame his bloodlust.His heart raced with adrenaline, and the urge tofight increased.Destroy.He wanted everyone to die, but they weresmall, and weak as they were, they could still seem to just escape histeam s efforts to hurt all of them.Seven of the tiger sharks were killedand their bodies were ripped to shreds.The other three were chased asthey fled.One hid in tiny caverns where he could not reach him, whiletwo other tiger sharks escaped the brutal attack and fled toward theisland.It was more difficult to follow them through the reefs.Trayvonand his soldiers had to shift to their human form and swim the rest ofthe way.The body of a great white shark was too bulky to negotiatethe reef with only a few feet of water between the rocks, and they hadto shift to their human forms to cross it, and then quickly shifted backto their shark shapes when they could swim again.The sharks swam into the gentle surf, and when they reached theshoreline, they transformed into their human shapes one last time.Shanghai could see even from this distance the identity of them.Thetwo men who had managed to escape were Alabastian and Trayvon.They were naked as the day they were born, but Trayvon sported adeep flesh wound on his right side.Shanghai had to swim as hard as he could, and as soon as his legshit the sandy bottom, he began running.The weight of the water Shark s Mate 83slowed him down, but he was still faster than the wounded man on theshore [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl przylepto3.keep.pl
.The tiger sharks were guarding him like two striped watchdogs. Where are we going? he asked.The sandy bottom disappeared,and they swam a maze of reefs toward what Cain assumed was theirgoal. Our home. Breathing and swimming in his new body was all new to him, buthe was adjusting.Cain didn t want to think of this as his homethough.The underwater world was amazing and beautiful.Coloredplants grew from out of the sand and the rocks.Fish darted in and outof the hiding holes, and when they noticed him, they hid.He felt stronger than before, and so very different than in hishuman form.Hungry, but mostly he missed his lover.Where wasShanghai now? Did he know he had been kidnapped? Would he comeafter him? He wanted to see him again, desperately, but he didn twant to see anyone get hurt.Especially himself.They led him closer and closer to shore until they were at theentrance to an underwater cave. I don t want to go in there, Cain said, only the words came outmore as some high pitched squeaks and echo sounds.It was an alienlanguage, and yet he understood every word of it.Trayvon bumped his right flank. Go, human. And you can t call me that.Not after what you did to me, Cainreplied. He talks a big fight, Alabastian retorted. I have a name, and you can use it. And that would be? Alabastian said tartly. Thank you.My name s Cain. Just move your tail, Cain. Trayvon sounded irritated and morethan slightly annoyed for Cain showing his backbone. 80 Missy LyonsCain didn t want to test his luck.So far they had not hurt himmuch, but those sharp teeth weren t just for looks. Fine. Darkness enveloped him as they swam into the cave.Amazinglyenough, Cain didn t miss the light.He could feel the walls close tohim and swim without hitting anything.The tunnel was severalhundred feet before it emptied into an underground lake.Cain popped to the surface and looked a little more critically atthe large room.There were halogen lights hanging from the stoneceiling, and while the opening may have originally been a naturalopening, it was taken over by modern technology.It reminded him ofan underground bunker, and people were on the dry land, dressed inolive-colored military garb. Welcome to our den, Cain. He watched as Trayvon transformedinto a human and walked to the shore. Thank you, but I d really just like to go home, Cain complained.Alabastian transformed and walked to shore naked to stand by hisfriend.The words came out in English, but Cain still understood thewords in his shark form. This is your new home.I suggest you getused to it. And if I choose not to? I can swim out of here at any time. You must stay within the island s reef. Trayvon s lips twistedup in a cruel smile. Even if you didn t get lost or die of starvation, orexhaustion, we d hunt you down to be sure you were dead.That youlive is a test of my kindness.Don t try my patience, Cain. A man with a pair of round glasses on the brim of his nose andstarchy white hair came up and placed a robe on Trayvon s shoulders,while his companions got a towel from nearby shelves to dry theirbody and cover themselves. Trayvon, why would you bring a stranger to the islands? Are youtrying to expose our secrets? Trayvon placed his hand upon the older man s shoulder and spokesoftly, but Cain could still hear him. Professor, he s human, but Ichanged him.He s one of us and a tiger shark now. Shark s Mate 81The old man with snow-white hair looked curiously at Cain stillswimming in the water. He s human? Amazing! I haven t heard of asuccessful transformation like this in my lifetime. Yeah, well, I guess I am a freak of nature now thanks to you, Cain replied in a series of underwater sounds, but the professor s facelit up as if he understood. Amazing! He can talk. Getting him to talk isn t the problem.It s getting him to shut upthat s the problem, Alabastian grumbled.The professor asked. Do you mind if I run some tests on him? Trayvon shrugged. Sure, knock yourself out. Wait a minute! What kind of tests are we talking about here? Cain asked, feeling a little concerned no one else seemed to careabout him more than as a science project. Oh, the usual.A few blood tests and endurance tests.I just wantto see how you ve managed to adapt to your new body and why youdidn t die. Thank you, I think I will pass. The professor walked to the side of the wall and pulled down alarge knob on a control panel that looked like it was straight out of ascience fiction film.An electric motor whirred to life and gearsturned, echoing a metallic crunching sound as it churned water and asolid steel door slowly dropped, making Cain s escape or rescueimpossible.He desperately wished for a set of legs so he could run away, buthe had no idea how to control that changing back or what the othersdid to change back to their human form.Even worse, he wasn t sure he could change back to the form.Hewasn t born a shifter.He had been changed to become one.* * * * 82 Missy LyonsShanghai had no doubt his enemy knew he was coming.Hewasn t a mile off the shore line of the Badland Islands when tensoldiers greeted his search party as if sheer numbers could overwhelmthem.This was a do-or-die mission.He would die trying to save hismate.His friends and family followed his example and attackedanything living or breathing on sight.He took the lead, slamming his body into two sharks that wouldtry and attack him, using his weight to shove them against the rockyreef.They tried to escape his mighty jaws, but he caught hold of a tailand sliced and diced the skin of his enemies.His rage was relentless,and he would not only die for his mate but kill for him.Blood carried in the water, but it wasn t his, and it only served toinflame his bloodlust.His heart raced with adrenaline, and the urge tofight increased.Destroy.He wanted everyone to die, but they weresmall, and weak as they were, they could still seem to just escape histeam s efforts to hurt all of them.Seven of the tiger sharks were killedand their bodies were ripped to shreds.The other three were chased asthey fled.One hid in tiny caverns where he could not reach him, whiletwo other tiger sharks escaped the brutal attack and fled toward theisland.It was more difficult to follow them through the reefs.Trayvonand his soldiers had to shift to their human form and swim the rest ofthe way.The body of a great white shark was too bulky to negotiatethe reef with only a few feet of water between the rocks, and they hadto shift to their human forms to cross it, and then quickly shifted backto their shark shapes when they could swim again.The sharks swam into the gentle surf, and when they reached theshoreline, they transformed into their human shapes one last time.Shanghai could see even from this distance the identity of them.Thetwo men who had managed to escape were Alabastian and Trayvon.They were naked as the day they were born, but Trayvon sported adeep flesh wound on his right side.Shanghai had to swim as hard as he could, and as soon as his legshit the sandy bottom, he began running.The weight of the water Shark s Mate 83slowed him down, but he was still faster than the wounded man on theshore [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]