shuddered beneath the
cold onslaught. He wasn't used to not being able to regulate his
internal temperature.
None of that mattered. All he could think of was
getting to Helena. As he came closer, he saw the man had grabbed
her hair, yanked her backward, and knocked her into the waves. The
ocean crashed around her as she struggled in Howard's grip.
Jeenai ran into the surf. The instant the salt water
touched his skin, he felt the change begin.
"You son
of a bitch!" Helena grabbed at Howard's wrist as she got to her
feet. She was soaked from head to foot from the pouring rain and
now the salt water. She used the side of her fist to chop at his
arm until he let go. "Keep your hands off me!"
"Don't you throw that ring in the ocean,
Helena!"
"I gave you a chance to take it back and you didn't
want it!" she yelled. Incredibly, the ring still remained in her
closed fist. "Take the ring back, if you want it so much!"
He grabbed for it and caught his fingers around her
wrist. Maybe he didn't realize he was hurting her, or more likely,
he didn't care. His grip bit into her skin and ground the bones
together so hard it made her gasp aloud. Water slid down her throat
and choked her. She began to cough.
"Give me the ring!"
She held it out to him, but he was shaking her so
fiercely she couldn't show him she still had it. Helena flailed at
him, but couldn't get a good purchase in the shifting wet sand.
Waves crashed around her feet, further unbalancing her. Finally,
she lifted her hand toward Howard, who grabbed at the ring and let
her go.
Johnny came from out of nowhere. He ran straight
into the water and reached for her. He pulled Howard off her, and
Howard stumbled back, clutching the ring triumphantly. Helena went
down into the water again and came up spluttering, mouth full of
salty, sandy water.
"Johnny!"
He had fallen. She watched in stunned silence as his
body shifted in front of her eyes. His legs melded, meshed, and
became sleek and smooth...a tail. Not scaled and glittering like
the pictures of mermaids in fairy stories, but blue and smooth like
a porpoise's tail. It melded perfectly into his waist which, like
the rest of his skin, had darkened to the same blue color. He
writhed in the water and rolled deeper, pushing against the sand
with his tail to little effect.
He was caught, Helena realized with horror. The
water wasn't deep enough for him to swim. He pushed himself up on
his powerful arms, but Howard whirled and let out a cry of utter
terror as his foot connected with Johnny's jaw.
"What the hell is that thing?" Howard kicked again.
Johnny bent in half to absorb the blow, which rocked his entire
body.
"Stop! You're hurting him!"
"Him? This is some kind of monster!" Howard backed
away, his face a mask of disgust. "Helena, what is this?"
"It's Johnny," she managed to say as she went on her
knees beside her lover. He reached for her, his gaze murderous
toward Howard, and she realized that though he was at a severe
physical disadvantage, he was still trying to help her. "It's
Johnny, Howard."
"My God, you actually fucked that thing?" Howard
came closer and bent low. He suddenly spat on Johnny's face. "It's
a fucking freak, Helena. I've never seen anything so nasty in my
life!"
"He's not nasty. But you should see the most
disgusting creature imaginable, Howard, every time you look in the
mirror," Helena retorted. She gazed into Johnny's eyes, dark with
swirling colors. "I'm sorry, Johnny. You shouldn't have come after
me."
His hands spoke to her. "He was hurting you."
His body shuddered as his mouth opened. The gill
slits she'd noticed in the bathtub fluttered. She didn't find them
so odd to look at now.
Howard grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her
away from Johnny. "C'mon, get out of the storm! Come with me!"
She tried to shake him off. "No!"
He grabbed her harder. "Helena, let's go!"
"I said
cold onslaught. He wasn't used to not being able to regulate his
internal temperature.
None of that mattered. All he could think of was
getting to Helena. As he came closer, he saw the man had grabbed
her hair, yanked her backward, and knocked her into the waves. The
ocean crashed around her as she struggled in Howard's grip.
Jeenai ran into the surf. The instant the salt water
touched his skin, he felt the change begin.
"You son
of a bitch!" Helena grabbed at Howard's wrist as she got to her
feet. She was soaked from head to foot from the pouring rain and
now the salt water. She used the side of her fist to chop at his
arm until he let go. "Keep your hands off me!"
"Don't you throw that ring in the ocean,
Helena!"
"I gave you a chance to take it back and you didn't
want it!" she yelled. Incredibly, the ring still remained in her
closed fist. "Take the ring back, if you want it so much!"
He grabbed for it and caught his fingers around her
wrist. Maybe he didn't realize he was hurting her, or more likely,
he didn't care. His grip bit into her skin and ground the bones
together so hard it made her gasp aloud. Water slid down her throat
and choked her. She began to cough.
"Give me the ring!"
She held it out to him, but he was shaking her so
fiercely she couldn't show him she still had it. Helena flailed at
him, but couldn't get a good purchase in the shifting wet sand.
Waves crashed around her feet, further unbalancing her. Finally,
she lifted her hand toward Howard, who grabbed at the ring and let
her go.
Johnny came from out of nowhere. He ran straight
into the water and reached for her. He pulled Howard off her, and
Howard stumbled back, clutching the ring triumphantly. Helena went
down into the water again and came up spluttering, mouth full of
salty, sandy water.
"Johnny!"
He had fallen. She watched in stunned silence as his
body shifted in front of her eyes. His legs melded, meshed, and
became sleek and smooth...a tail. Not scaled and glittering like
the pictures of mermaids in fairy stories, but blue and smooth like
a porpoise's tail. It melded perfectly into his waist which, like
the rest of his skin, had darkened to the same blue color. He
writhed in the water and rolled deeper, pushing against the sand
with his tail to little effect.
He was caught, Helena realized with horror. The
water wasn't deep enough for him to swim. He pushed himself up on
his powerful arms, but Howard whirled and let out a cry of utter
terror as his foot connected with Johnny's jaw.
"What the hell is that thing?" Howard kicked again.
Johnny bent in half to absorb the blow, which rocked his entire
body.
"Stop! You're hurting him!"
"Him? This is some kind of monster!" Howard backed
away, his face a mask of disgust. "Helena, what is this?"
"It's Johnny," she managed to say as she went on her
knees beside her lover. He reached for her, his gaze murderous
toward Howard, and she realized that though he was at a severe
physical disadvantage, he was still trying to help her. "It's
Johnny, Howard."
"My God, you actually fucked that thing?" Howard
came closer and bent low. He suddenly spat on Johnny's face. "It's
a fucking freak, Helena. I've never seen anything so nasty in my
life!"
"He's not nasty. But you should see the most
disgusting creature imaginable, Howard, every time you look in the
mirror," Helena retorted. She gazed into Johnny's eyes, dark with
swirling colors. "I'm sorry, Johnny. You shouldn't have come after
me."
His hands spoke to her. "He was hurting you."
His body shuddered as his mouth opened. The gill
slits she'd noticed in the bathtub fluttered. She didn't find them
so odd to look at now.
Howard grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her
away from Johnny. "C'mon, get out of the storm! Come with me!"
She tried to shake him off. "No!"
He grabbed her harder. "Helena, let's go!"
"I said
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