The Shark Who Rode a Seahorse (10 page)

“I know him much better than you can possibly believe,” Skylar replied. “He is my mate, my true mate, and I will not leave him.”

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His mother’s legs gave out as she sobbed. Torn and confused, Skylar looked toward Annabelle. “I should probably go,” she said,

“but if there’s anything I can do to help…”

His mother’s situation was actually quite similar to the one the ewe faced, and Skylar might have asked Annabelle for help. But a wave of dizziness stopped him from speaking again. He swooned and would have surely had his father not been there to catch him.

His mate’s voice reached out to him through their connection.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong? What’s the matter?”

“I don’t know, Byron. I just feel a bit… off.”

Except he did know, or at least he suspected. He hadn’t expected this to happen so soon. He’d thought he would have a little more time.

But then again, seahorses were fertile creatures—his mother’s problem aside—and Skylar and Byron had been fucking like crazy since Skylar moved in. Skylar just never had the courage to bring up the inevitable. He cursed himself for being such a coward, especially since Byron had shared his own secret with Skylar.

“I’m coming there right now,”
Byron said.
“Talk to me, Skylar.”

But Skylar couldn’t speak. His nausea and dizziness took over and everything went black.

* * * *

Byron burst inside the clinic, uncaring of whatever everyone else thought of him. The only thing he could focus on was his mate and the way Skylar had sounded when he’d said,
“I feel a bit off.”

Byron had sensed there was something Skylar had been meaning to tell him, but he didn’t know what. He could only imagine he’d pushed too hard and Skylar had been reluctant to mention it. But that didn’t make any sense. Byron would have felt through their bond if Skylar wanted him to stop their more violent bed play, and he’d only ever caught genuine excitement and arousal.

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He didn’t even have to ask anyone to know where Skylar had been taken. He could trace Skylar’s sweet scent anywhere in the world. Soon, he reached Skylar’s private quarters. The Pierces were waiting outside, and they immediately went into fight mode when they saw him. It was quite admirable, given that they were seahorses and Byron a prehistoric shark.

Skye Pierce intercepted him just as he reached the door, lunging and thumping at his chest with her small fists. “You beast,” she said.

“You did this to him. You destroyed his life.”

Byron caught the woman’s hands. “I don’t understand. What did I do?”

Before Skye could answer, Byron sensed his connection with his mate snap open once again. Skylar was recovering consciousness. He released the seahorse female, his mind completely focused on his lover.
“Sweetheart, how do you feel?”

“Fine.”
Skylar sounded a bit apprehensive.
“Can you please
come in? I need to talk to you.”

A few seconds later, a nurse opened the door and gestured him inside. As Byron walked into Skylar’s room, she slipped out and closed the door behind her, leaving the two of them alone.

Skylar looked a little pale, but otherwise, unhurt. He lay on the hospital bed, fidgeting slightly and looking anywhere else except at Byron. Wordlessly, Byron made his way to his mate’s side and sat down on the mattress.

“You wanted to talk to me?”

Skylar’s gaze shot to him. He took a deep breath and seemed to decide on something. “I’m pregnant,” he blurted out.

At first, Byron thought he hadn’t heard right. “What?”

“I’m pregnant. I’m going to have a baby. Your baby.”

“But… You’re a man.” Byron’s head was spinning between shock, disbelief, and terror. “No, it can’t be.”

“Male seahorses can get pregnant. It’s a particularity of our species. My dad is actually the one who gave birth to me.”

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Byron remembered that in nature, male seahorses were, indeed, those who, for lack of a better word, gave birth. “Yes, but that’s different. Your mother would have to… err… provide the eggs.”

“I know.” Skylar seemed to be growing more and more nervous.

“That’s how it usually works, and it’s the reason why, to reproduce, seahorses have to be in shifted form. It’s just that… For males of our species, that ability has evolved. It doesn’t appear in all seahorses, but a lot of fathers can give birth to children even when their partner is another man.”

“How is that even possible?” Byron inquired, still shell-shocked.

“The pouch that allows us to carry in shifted form works like a gland that secretes a special hormone. It makes it possible for male seed to fertilize the seahorse in question and later grows into the uterus we need for the baby. Of course, fathers generally give birth in seahorse form, to allow the pouch to open naturally.”

“And you’re telling me this now?” Byron roared.

“I’m sorry.” Skylar’s lower lip trembled as if he were suppressing the urge to cry. “At first, I just didn’t think it was possible between the two of us, and when I figured out it might be, it was already too late. We were already having sex. I didn’t know how to tell you.”

Byron felt like a heel for shouting at Skylar. He never raised his voice at Skylar. In fact, he rarely lost his temper at all, and when he did get angry, he spoke in a whisper, not loudly. But this time, it was different. It wasn’t just anger that passed through him, but also hurt, guilt, and terror.

How could he explain to his lover that shark children weren’t like seahorses? They were carnivorous from the womb, and could even eat their siblings if any existed. And with Skylar being a seahorse, Byron feared what the fetus might do. Perhaps it would even go against its carrier.

Still, in spite of it all, beneath the nervousness, sadness, and apprehension, Byron could sense another emotion in Skylar—

happiness. Whatever Byron said or thought, Skylar wasn’t afraid.

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“I want this baby, Byron,” Skylar whispered, as if guessing his thoughts. “I know it’s a surprise, but please, I need you to want it, too.”

Byron buried his face in his palms. “Skylar, I…”

“Just wait a minute. Imagine yourself holding a tiny baby in your arms. He’d have my eyes and your nose, and he’d be strong and brave like you. Or if the baby is a girl, she’d grow up to kick the asses of any boys who cross her. Can you imagine that?”

Through Skylar’s mind, Byron could see that dream so clearly. He could see himself holding his child, so small and fragile in his big, bulky arms. He could glimpse Skylar laughing as he played with the baby and then their son or daughter growing, their family coming together as one cohesive whole.

“I’m scared,” he admitted.

Those were the words he’d never uttered out loud, never once in his entire life. But with Skylar, it was all right. Skylar could see into his heart anyway. “I know. But don’t worry. Our baby won’t hurt me.

I’ll be fine.”

Skylar beamed at him, and Byron struggled to suppress his fears.

It wouldn’t be easy, but he needed to be strong for his mate. “Starting today, you’re off work,” he ordered. “You’re staying at home where you’re safe.”

Skylar’s eyes widened at the change in demeanor. The seahorse opened his mouth, probably intending to protest, but Byron silenced him with a brief kiss. He retrieved his cell phone and dialed his former second in command, Malcolm Bristol. The jellyfish was one of the few people who’d been loyal to Byron even before he’d become the head of the family. In many ways, Malcolm had been almost a father figure when Byron’s birth parents would have killed him.

Years back, Byron had released Malcolm from service, much like he had with Garth. The jellyfish had needed a break from the violent life in the Cunningham family. They still kept sporadic contact,
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though, and Byron knew Malcolm had a wife now, even if he’d never met her. Still, while he knew his demand might cause trouble, Byron needed Malcolm’s assistance. He couldn’t trust Skylar’s safety with anyone else.

“Hello, Byron.” Malcolm’s voice was, as always, calm and collected. His Australian accent had thickened after he’d moved back to his birthland. “What can I do for you?”

“I need you back in LA,” Byron said without preamble.

“Why?” Malcolm inquired. “Is anything wrong?”

“My mate is pregnant. As you can imagine, I can’t trust anyone in this situation.”

“Well, then, congratulations are in order.” Malcolm actually seemed pleased. “I’m on my way. I’ll bring Yuki along.”

“Thank you, Malcolm. We’ll be waiting.”

He ended the connection after giving Malcolm his new address.

After he snapped his phone shut, he gave his mate a smile. “Don’t look at me like that. From now on, you need to be protected.”

“We could get some security from my family,” Skylar suggested.

“On second thought, that’s probably not a good idea if I live with you.” He looked thoughtful and a bit worried. “Do you trust this Malcolm guy so much?”

“I never did tell you about my family.” Byron sighed. “Malcolm Bristol was sort of my...nanny-bodyguard growing up. At one point, after my parents died, life got really chaotic within the family.

Heathcliff briefly took over before I was forced to step in.”

Byron really hated to remember that time of his life. He’d been the one to kill his parents, although he’d never actually meant to do so. Even now, Byron could recall it so clearly even today.

It had been nighttime, and Byron had gone out swimming in the gulf. He’d noticed a quick boat approaching him and stopped.

He might have never done so, except his senses identified the occupants of the vessel. It was his parents. Byron had seen then maybe one time in his life. He didn’t remember their faces, only their
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scents, since Malcolm had taken him away from the main Cunningham residence shortly after being born.

He wondered why they were here now. He didn’t see any reason why they would come looking for him. The beast inside of him stubbornly refused to reveal itself, and he was useless for the family.

A part of him knew he should dive deep into the water, since they couldn’t mean well, but they were his parents, and Byron wanted to know for sure where he stood.

The vessel stopped a few feet away from him. A tall man smiled from the boat. “Hello, son. Going for a midnight swim?”

Byron wordlessly nodded.

“Mind if we join you?” his mother inquired.

“Of course not,” Byron replied apprehensively. He didn’t know how to act around the two strangers that had sired him. The situation was made even more awkward by the presence of several other men in the boat. What were his parents planning?

Moments later, he got his answer. His parents jumped in the ocean and turned into their shark forms as they hit the water. With the swiftness so characteristic of their species, they attacked Byron.

Byron didn’t know what happened then. Some sort of instinct of self-preservation kicked in. He was only thirteen and had no knowledge of how to control it, so he allowed it to flow over him.

At first, he thought his shark had finally decided to show up. This way, he could at least stand his ground against his parents, even if he did get killed in the process. After all, what chance did a shark pup have against two mature predators?

But his human form kept growing and growing without stopping.

His parents moved away, but the people in the boat didn’t manage to make their vessel work in time. Byron’s huge body crushed it, sending splinters of wood and metal flying all over the place.

Byron didn’t understand what was going on, so he allowed his human consciousness to fade into the background of his mind and
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became pure predator. Suddenly, he could acknowledge his new abilities, just like he did with the enemies in the water.

There were maybe half a dozen sharks around him now, his parents included. A few octopi and even a crocodile were added, from the guards who’d been in the boat. But none of them had any chance against Byron.

All of them tried to flee, knowing their inferiority, but Byron was much faster. He caught the first shark by his tail and gulped him down in one single bite. He was ravenous.

After that, his mind became a frenzy of hunger and silent anger.

Strangely, he knew the exact moment when his jaws clenched around his parents’ flesh, crushing their skulls. He spat them out, unwilling to eat them, but they were already dead.

Shaken by what he’d done, he changed back into his human form and swam toward the shore. Malcolm met him halfway, looking alarmed. He helped Byron out of the water, his eyes scanning Byron’s face. “I heard that your parents showed up. What happened, boy?”

Even in the darkness of the night, Malcolm’s eyes were so blue and familiar, and his slender form so strong. Byron broke down and told Malcolm everything.

Malcolm had not asked any questions after hearing him out.

They’d returned to the shore, packed their bags, and disappeared, just the two of them. For five years, they’d stayed away from the States and the Cunningham family. Byron knew his brother Heathcliff had tried to hunt him during this time, urged on by their late parents’

lieutenants. At last, when he’d reached his majority, Byron had returned and taken over the family. Byron allowed his brother to live, at least until he’d fucked up and hurt Skylar.

It was a memory he couldn’t put in words, but he didn’t have to.

Skylar had seen it now, through their bond.

Skylar wrapped his arms around Byron. “It seems I owe Malcolm a great debt,” he said. “I’ll make sure to thank him when he arrives.”

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It was exactly what Byron needed to hear. Regrets and words of compassion wouldn’t help now. Life was simply like that with the sharks. Parents tried to kill their children, and children retaliated. But Byron swore that with his baby, with the baby growing inside Skylar, it would be different. He would do anything in his power to give that child a real family, so that he or she wouldn’t have to pass through what Byron had.