Brady?”
Spencer motioned for her to follow him out of the room. He waited until the door had closed before answering.
“In short, he’s becoming psychotic. Great white sharks don’t do well in captivity. Long-term survival is a perfect zero percent. If Brady were just a shark and not a shifter, I’d say that Koenraad has a few weeks. But Brady is still a shifter, and I think his awareness of his predicament only exacerbates the effects of the inherently insidious nature of captivity—”
“Say it plainly,” Monroe said.
“He needs to get Brady out of here as soon as possible.”
“And then what?”
Spencer sighed. They’d been talking about weighty matters since the moment Spencer had walked out to the parking lot, but this was the first time he looked troubled.
“What?” she persisted.
“He needs to take Brady away from humans,” he said. “There have been two attacks in the last week.”
Monroe gasped.
“Neither of them fatal, thank goodness. We don’t even know for sure that Brady did it, but Koenraad found him near enough to the location of the second attack only a few hours later, and I don’t have to tell you about Brady’s history.”
So Spencer did know that Brady had bitten her. She was relieved that Koenraad had another shifter to talk to about it. “So Koenraad has to… what? Release him in the wild?”
“He’d need to stay with him to keep him away from coastal areas.”
Monroe felt the blood drain from her face. “What are you saying?” she asked, her voice little more than a whisper.
But Spencer didn’t have an opportunity to answer because the door opened and Koenraad walked through. His hair was wet, and he only wore his pants.
Some unspoken information passed between the shifters, and Monroe didn’t dare ask what it was about. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
“Off I go,” Spencer said.
“I think I should leave, too,” Monroe said to Koenraad. Clearly he was in no position to waste time with her. “We can have lunch some other time.”
Koenraad nodded. “Thank you.”
She wanted to wrap him into a comforting hug and never let go, but she could tell his mind was already racing ahead, and his goodbye kiss was distracted.
Spencer walked out with her to the parking lot, and to her surprise, he went right for the pickup and got into the back of the cab.
“What are you doing?” Monroe asked.
“Koenraad brought me here. Originally, one of your new friends was going to drive me to the airfield and then return, but I guess we’ll all go together.”
“You’re flying yourself to Boston?”
“No, just to the mainland. I’ve got a charter from there.”
“Oh.” She swung into the back and dropped onto the seat next to him. She welcomed a few more minutes with him; she was burning with questions.
But she had to be careful how she framed them because of the bodyguards, who were now getting into the front of the pickup.
“What were you saying earlier?” she asked.
Spencer was already nodding. “Koenraad’s parents like to swim around the world. They don’t need to fly or take a boat. If Koenraad wanted to spend time in the open ocean, and if he wanted to take you with him, he could simply take a boat. It would require more planning than just swimming around, of course, but it’s doable.”
She looked at the back of Theo’s head. “And how long do you think he’d want to stay in the ocean?”
“He’s a shark,” Spencer said. “The water is his home.”
If she was understanding correctly, Koenraad would need to stay permanently at sea, not just until Brady was an adult and able to care for himself.
All because of the attacks.
It seemed like a life sentence for Koenraad. And he would do it. He would have to do it because he was responsible for Brady.
And even though the idea of living on a boat in the middle of the ocean frankly terrified her, she was damned sure going with him.
Oh, her mother was going to love that bit of
Spencer motioned for her to follow him out of the room. He waited until the door had closed before answering.
“In short, he’s becoming psychotic. Great white sharks don’t do well in captivity. Long-term survival is a perfect zero percent. If Brady were just a shark and not a shifter, I’d say that Koenraad has a few weeks. But Brady is still a shifter, and I think his awareness of his predicament only exacerbates the effects of the inherently insidious nature of captivity—”
“Say it plainly,” Monroe said.
“He needs to get Brady out of here as soon as possible.”
“And then what?”
Spencer sighed. They’d been talking about weighty matters since the moment Spencer had walked out to the parking lot, but this was the first time he looked troubled.
“What?” she persisted.
“He needs to take Brady away from humans,” he said. “There have been two attacks in the last week.”
Monroe gasped.
“Neither of them fatal, thank goodness. We don’t even know for sure that Brady did it, but Koenraad found him near enough to the location of the second attack only a few hours later, and I don’t have to tell you about Brady’s history.”
So Spencer did know that Brady had bitten her. She was relieved that Koenraad had another shifter to talk to about it. “So Koenraad has to… what? Release him in the wild?”
“He’d need to stay with him to keep him away from coastal areas.”
Monroe felt the blood drain from her face. “What are you saying?” she asked, her voice little more than a whisper.
But Spencer didn’t have an opportunity to answer because the door opened and Koenraad walked through. His hair was wet, and he only wore his pants.
Some unspoken information passed between the shifters, and Monroe didn’t dare ask what it was about. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
“Off I go,” Spencer said.
“I think I should leave, too,” Monroe said to Koenraad. Clearly he was in no position to waste time with her. “We can have lunch some other time.”
Koenraad nodded. “Thank you.”
She wanted to wrap him into a comforting hug and never let go, but she could tell his mind was already racing ahead, and his goodbye kiss was distracted.
Spencer walked out with her to the parking lot, and to her surprise, he went right for the pickup and got into the back of the cab.
“What are you doing?” Monroe asked.
“Koenraad brought me here. Originally, one of your new friends was going to drive me to the airfield and then return, but I guess we’ll all go together.”
“You’re flying yourself to Boston?”
“No, just to the mainland. I’ve got a charter from there.”
“Oh.” She swung into the back and dropped onto the seat next to him. She welcomed a few more minutes with him; she was burning with questions.
But she had to be careful how she framed them because of the bodyguards, who were now getting into the front of the pickup.
“What were you saying earlier?” she asked.
Spencer was already nodding. “Koenraad’s parents like to swim around the world. They don’t need to fly or take a boat. If Koenraad wanted to spend time in the open ocean, and if he wanted to take you with him, he could simply take a boat. It would require more planning than just swimming around, of course, but it’s doable.”
She looked at the back of Theo’s head. “And how long do you think he’d want to stay in the ocean?”
“He’s a shark,” Spencer said. “The water is his home.”
If she was understanding correctly, Koenraad would need to stay permanently at sea, not just until Brady was an adult and able to care for himself.
All because of the attacks.
It seemed like a life sentence for Koenraad. And he would do it. He would have to do it because he was responsible for Brady.
And even though the idea of living on a boat in the middle of the ocean frankly terrified her, she was damned sure going with him.
Oh, her mother was going to love that bit of
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