“Bitch, be honest,” Evelyn demanded. “You’re here for a reason. You want him to cure you.”
“Stop it, please,” Penny said.
She’d been tough so far, but she didn’t know that Evelyn knew about her sickness. Nobody did except Sylvia. What would Ruby and Kalina and the others think if they knew she was dying? Would they still accept her as one of their own? Or would they turn her away?
“What is she talking about?” Kalina asked.
“Tell them,” Evelyn said. “Go ahead.”
“I have leukemia,” Penny admitted. “I have adult-onset leukemia…and I’m dying.”
“Oh my God,” Kalina said from behind her.
“She’s fucking dying!” Evelyn said, followed by a laugh.
“That’s enough!” Thane said.
“Is it?” Evelyn asked. “I don’t think it is. Tell them why you’re really here, princess.”
“I’m here because I want to be,” Penny said. “I’m here because I’m falling in love with Thane.”
“Love?” Evelyn challenged. “You barely know him. You don’t love him. You only want the shark dick and some of that good shit running through his veins, so he can heal your fragile ass. You’re fucking dying. Get off this island and go back to your hospitals. You’re not wanted on this island. Or on any of the others around here.”
“I said that’s enough!” Thane yelled.
He stepped toward Evelyn angrily. One of the sharks, a big brunette with a goatee moved between them. It happened so quickly that Penny could barely register it. Thane shot out with one of his hands and struck the man in the throat. The guy’s eyes went wide, and he clutched at his neck, trying to breathe. Thane swung a fist upward, catching the guy’s chin and sending him flying backwards onto the beach.
“Enough,” Thane added. “Unless one of you wants to be next.”
“I think I got my point across,” Evelyn said. “I’ve tried to talk sense into all of you. We could team up, but you choose human lives over your own. Something’s coming. I can promise you that. And you’ll all suffer for it. For now, have fun with your sick little bitch.”
Evelyn snapped her fingers and then backed away, keeping her eyes on Thane as she and her group made their way back to the ocean. When they all finally turned and ran, it was too dark for Penny to see them change, but they were gone in the blink of an eye.
Thane turned to Penny and rushed at her. At first, she thought he was angry, but then he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hard.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, holding her so tight.
She wanted to melt into his arms and join him in his skin. She hated her own weak and breakable body.
“I hurt all the time,” she said, tears finally falling from her eyes.
Somehow, being exposed the way she had, seemed to make her situation ten times more real. She’d spent so much time trying not to think about it or speak about it and now it was out in the open.
“It always hurts, and I always feel like shit,” she added, “but when I’m with you…it hurts so much less.”
Thane held her head against his chest as he spoke to the others. Penny closed her eyes and listened to him.
“You all heard what she had to say,” he said. “But I don’t give a shit. This is my woman. She will be treated as such. If she hurts, we’ll help her. If she’s in danger, we’ll protect her. Penelope is my woman. That’s all that matters. None of this other shit.”
All around her, she heard the others murmur words of acceptance. They didn’t hate her. And Thane had made it perfectly clear that she was his.
***
He’d arrived in time to make sure Evelyn didn’t tear his woman into bloody bits. Penny was naïve. She had no idea the trouble she was getting herself into. Fighting Evelyn wouldn’t be like fighting any other pure human. The evil bitch was as strong as she was savage.
She was mean too. The information she’d exposed to everyone was cruel. Penny was dying. He’d known something was wrong with her, but he had never realized it was something so serious. He’d already been afraid of losing her, of not being able to protect her, so hearing that she might die regardless was like a dagger to his heart. He wished she’d told him sooner, but it didn’t matter now. The story was out. The strength of him and his people was something they took for granted every day. He couldn’t imagine what it must feel like to have that stripped away from you over a fucking disease.
Now, with Penny in his arms, he didn’t want to let go. His cock pressed against her stomach and he wished he could take her right there in front of everyone. He wanted to make love to her and make her understand how much he needed her and help her understand how he couldn’t live without her now.