Chapter 1
The ocean was the only place where Victor felt truly
free.
He did a scissors kick with his fins and pushed toward the
great swath of coral reef teeming with life.
For the past week he had been riding out with his cameras and
other equipment and dropping beneath the calm surface of the Caribbean to the
unique world below. As he approached the reef, he caught sight of an immense
shark circling around the lowermost edges of the coral. The large female cut
through the water with ease, her powerful body graceful. Her deep charcoal skin,
far darker than that of a normal reef shark, was a shock against the pink–white
coral and cerulean blue of the waters.
All around her teemed yet more reef sharks, both male and
female, but none as big or as imposing. It was almost as if she was the queen of
the school, not that this species of sharks normally engaged in that kind of
behavior. But with her unique size and coloring, he could picture the natives
warning him that she was one of the shark gods who protected the many islands
along the Kuna Yala, telling him not to anger her by defiling her precious
reefs.
He smiled against the mouthpiece of his scuba gear as he
thought of the native legends and, for a moment, allowed himself the fantasy of
it. He imagined that big beautiful beast patrolling the waters to keep the area
safe. Shifting into human form for a short respite on land before returning to
guard the sea around the smattering of islands.
Pulling up his underwater camera by the leash attached to his
weight belt, he snapped several pictures of the school of predators. Only
hammerheads were known to swim in groups, and identifying yet another species
with this behavior would be an important discovery for his research paper.
He was so intent on recording the shark’s behavior that he
didn’t realize he had let himself drift down into the midst of the school until
the softness of sand beneath his feet and the bump of a fin against his side
warned of danger. Instinctively he jerked in a breath and held it, a mix of
primal fear and intense joy racing through him at the thought of being among
such magnificent creatures.
Slowly he settled to the bottom and kept his movements small
and nonthreatening. The lesser sharks surrounded him, their dark, glassy eyes
vigilant as they kept up the constant movement they needed to survive. Suddenly
the sizeable, darker shape of the queen shark slipped into his peripheral vision
as she approached.
Sleek muscles powered her near, but he kept his position,
watchful but unafraid. Nothing in the sharks’ behavior was threatening. If
anything, they seemed inquisitive, especially the unique specimen who inched
ever closer with each pass of her formidable body. He guessed her to be almost
eight feet in length, far larger than the other nearby reef sharks. Combined
with her shadowy charcoal coloring, he wondered if he wasn’t misidentifying her
species until she turned and approached him. She had the familiar broad snout
that all the other reef sharks in the school possessed, confirming that he had
been correct with his identification.
As she swam toward him slowly, he braced himself and kept his
breathing smooth. She swung away from him at the last second, but she was so
close he could touch her. Had to touch her.
He ran his hand along her deeply muscled flank and the skin was
sandpaper rough beneath his fingers. She quickly shifted away but then began
that almost lazy inquiring circle around him again. This time, as she passed his
gaze caught hers and shock traveled over him.
Nothing was dead or flat about that gaze. If anything, it
radiated human-like intelligence and interest.
Impossible.
He shook his head to drive away that thought and checked his
dive watch to see if he had been down for far too long. Then he checked his
pressure gauge for good measure.
All good. It was just his imagination getting the best of him,
but maybe it was time to go in. He already had a load of
The ocean was the only place where Victor felt truly
free.
He did a scissors kick with his fins and pushed toward the
great swath of coral reef teeming with life.
For the past week he had been riding out with his cameras and
other equipment and dropping beneath the calm surface of the Caribbean to the
unique world below. As he approached the reef, he caught sight of an immense
shark circling around the lowermost edges of the coral. The large female cut
through the water with ease, her powerful body graceful. Her deep charcoal skin,
far darker than that of a normal reef shark, was a shock against the pink–white
coral and cerulean blue of the waters.
All around her teemed yet more reef sharks, both male and
female, but none as big or as imposing. It was almost as if she was the queen of
the school, not that this species of sharks normally engaged in that kind of
behavior. But with her unique size and coloring, he could picture the natives
warning him that she was one of the shark gods who protected the many islands
along the Kuna Yala, telling him not to anger her by defiling her precious
reefs.
He smiled against the mouthpiece of his scuba gear as he
thought of the native legends and, for a moment, allowed himself the fantasy of
it. He imagined that big beautiful beast patrolling the waters to keep the area
safe. Shifting into human form for a short respite on land before returning to
guard the sea around the smattering of islands.
Pulling up his underwater camera by the leash attached to his
weight belt, he snapped several pictures of the school of predators. Only
hammerheads were known to swim in groups, and identifying yet another species
with this behavior would be an important discovery for his research paper.
He was so intent on recording the shark’s behavior that he
didn’t realize he had let himself drift down into the midst of the school until
the softness of sand beneath his feet and the bump of a fin against his side
warned of danger. Instinctively he jerked in a breath and held it, a mix of
primal fear and intense joy racing through him at the thought of being among
such magnificent creatures.
Slowly he settled to the bottom and kept his movements small
and nonthreatening. The lesser sharks surrounded him, their dark, glassy eyes
vigilant as they kept up the constant movement they needed to survive. Suddenly
the sizeable, darker shape of the queen shark slipped into his peripheral vision
as she approached.
Sleek muscles powered her near, but he kept his position,
watchful but unafraid. Nothing in the sharks’ behavior was threatening. If
anything, they seemed inquisitive, especially the unique specimen who inched
ever closer with each pass of her formidable body. He guessed her to be almost
eight feet in length, far larger than the other nearby reef sharks. Combined
with her shadowy charcoal coloring, he wondered if he wasn’t misidentifying her
species until she turned and approached him. She had the familiar broad snout
that all the other reef sharks in the school possessed, confirming that he had
been correct with his identification.
As she swam toward him slowly, he braced himself and kept his
breathing smooth. She swung away from him at the last second, but she was so
close he could touch her. Had to touch her.
He ran his hand along her deeply muscled flank and the skin was
sandpaper rough beneath his fingers. She quickly shifted away but then began
that almost lazy inquiring circle around him again. This time, as she passed his
gaze caught hers and shock traveled over him.
Nothing was dead or flat about that gaze. If anything, it
radiated human-like intelligence and interest.
Impossible.
He shook his head to drive away that thought and checked his
dive watch to see if he had been down for far too long. Then he checked his
pressure gauge for good measure.
All good. It was just his imagination getting the best of him,
but maybe it was time to go in. He already had a load of
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