Page 33 of Shark 2

He pulled out his cell phone and said something in a different language I didn’t understand.

Black dots started to crowd in from the corners of my vision.

The taxi swerved around a corner and Jong-hyun leapt out with me in his arms. He ran into a building through a door some stranger held open, down a hallway with the stranger yelling directions behind us, and then dropped me into water.

I flailed for a minute, my brain not comprehending fully what was going on, but my instincts took over and I shifted into my full shark form.

Flicking my tail hard, I propelled myself forward and was finally able to breathe.

After a few full trips around the tank, I realized that Jong-hyun had somehow found an aquarium and I was inside a shark tank.

It took me at least thirty minutes to calm down enough to swim back to where Jong-hyun stood. Peeking the side of my head out of the water so I could look at him with my shark eye, I blinked in question, swimming in smaller circles so I could see and hear him.

He leaned forward on the railing and smiled. “I had worried something might occur to trigger your need for the ocean while we were here. So, I did research to find an aquarium nearby and reached out to a friend who works here to ensure I could get you here no matter the time of day.”

The friend in question, the stranger, wiggled his fingers at me, his eyes wide as he looked at me.

I swam in one last circle before shifting back to my human form and reaching up my arms.

Jong-hyun grabbed my hands and lifted me out of the water with ease.

His friend held out a towel for me, eyes averted. “You are a beautiful shark.”

“Thank you,” I said and patted myself dry.

“You can breathe now, yes?” Jong-hyun asked.

I nodded. “The panic is gone.” The pain in my chest had also subsided, but was still throbbing slightly. Touching the center of my chest, I looked up at him. “Is Grant okay?”

“He is perfectly healed, like it never happened.”

“What was that?” I asked.

Jong-hyun rested his hand atop mine on my chest and said, “It appears you were going to sever your bond with Reed. Grant stopped you.”

Sever my bond? “I-I didn’t want to do that. I couldn’t really even think. It was just like a need, a necessity to do it.” What would have happened if Grant hadn’t stopped me?

Jong-hyun squeezed my hand and smiled. “Come, let’s get you back to the hotel so you can shower. Your beautiful hair has some kelp in it.” He picked out a leaf and tossed it back into the tank.

Turning to his friend, I bowed my head. “Thank you.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

Jong-hyun picked me up in his arms with the towel still wrapped around me and carried me out to the taxi that had waited for us.

I cuddled in his lap as we drove and closed my eyes.

Facing Reed after this wasn’t going to be easy. I also needed to apologize to Grant again.

The urge to rub my chest was strong, but I didn’t dare touch it again now knowing I had almost severed the bond with Reed.

16

Grant had immediately waved away my apology, but had requested I share his bed that night. I accepted and slept wrapped up in his dragon warmth.

Reed didn’t come back to the room until after I’d fallen asleep and when I woke up again, he was already gone.

Jong-min was in a terrible mood the next morning, constantly growling beneath his breath. Had he been in feline form, I was certain his fur would have been puffed out.

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