Oh, Bite Me (Guardians of the Deep 1)

“That is fucking it!” Jagger yelled, his voice getting closer.

“Gotta go!” Hailey yelled as she dashed off toward the water.

“Where is she?” Jagger asked as he appeared in front of the cabin, his chest pocked with red dots.

The bees had stung the shit out of him. Penny had never liked bees. They gave her the creeps and seeing him sent a shudder through her body. If this was how they joked on the island, she would have to be extra careful.

Through tears of laughter, Kalina pointed toward the ocean. Penny looked that way and didn’t see Hailey at all. Jagger growled and sprinted after her. When he reached the spot where the ocean met the sand, he leapt into the air and dove into the water. He never returned to the surface.

“Did he just…” Penny started.

“…shift?” Kalina asked, finishing her question for her. “Yep. We can’t touch the ocean water at all without doing it.”

“Wow,” Penny said.

She hadn’t seen him turn into a shark but knowing that he had done it so quickly was astonishing.

“I should get dressed,” Penny said. “I’ll be right out.”

Inside the cabin, she dumped the contents of the bag onto the bed and surveyed her new threads. Kalina had style, that was for sure. Penny picked out a soft, teal cotton dress with peach-colored flowers. She still had no underwear, but she figured women on the island probably didn’t wear any. What would be the point? They were always changing back and forth, shredding their clothing. Underwear would only be something else to remove.

When she stepped out, Kalina was waiting for her. She tilted her sunglasses down and let out a teasing whistle.

“You look great,” she said. “Whoever gave you those clothes knows her shit.”

“I know, right?” Penny said. “I’ll let my stylist know you said so.”

“Come on,” Kalina said, taking her by the hand and pulling her away from the cabin. “Let’s go see Ruby.”

Penny’s new sandals slapped down the steps and into sand. Sunlight hit her face and she loved it. The weakness in her limbs subsided under the heat and she wished she could feel this way, basking in its warmth forever. If Thane were by her side, it would be perfect. Kalina skipped ahead of her a few steps, always so lively. Penny thought Kalina might be living the life she’d prayed to God about earlier. This was a woman who had it all. She had the face, she had the body, she had the voice, and she had the infectious energy. Yet, she didn’t have Thane.

How could he possibly choose me over this?

Her eyes were on Kalina’s perfect ass when she emphasized the word “this” in her mind. They’d only walked a few cabins away when Kalina suddenly stopped and faced her. She closed her eyes and nodded her head slightly forward a couple of times as if counting to herself. It looked like some sort of stress relief technique.

“Are you okay?” Penny asked.

“I need a second to…” Kalina said and then stopped the way she so often did. “…there! I can say it now. I’m not going to hesitate anymore. We’re grown women. Look, I’m not gonna lie. Thane…well…he’s important to me. He always has been, and he always will be. He sees something in you that he feels drawn to. With our people…with our kind…that’s important. It’s rare. I hoped he’d find that in me.”

She put her head down and stared at her bare feet. Even her toes were lovely.

“How long has it been since you were together?” Penny asked.

“Two…three years maybe,” she replied.

Oh, thank God. Not a day or two, not a week, not even a month. Two or three years. I can handle that.

“And you’re still in love with him?” Penny asked.

Kalina chewed the side of her mouth, showing she was uncomfortable.

“I’m intoxicated by him,” she said. “Absorbed by him. It’s more like a state of being than any feeling of emotion I can describe.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Penny said. “Do you love Thane?”

“It’s more than that is what I’m saying,” she replied. “And that’s why I struggle some, but I believe ultimately that’s what helps me through it. Love can quickly turn to hate. What I feel…it never goes away. But more than anything, I want to see him happy. He looked happy with you last night.”

“I’m sorry,” Penny said as she leaned forward and hugged her new friend.