The Patient Is a Shark [Shape-Shifter Clinic 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (7 page)

She wasn’t stupid. She wasn’t going to fall in love like a teenager and have her heart broken. But she wasn’t going to waste two such perfect men dropping into her life however briefly either. Fate had brought them together and undoubtedly fate would rip them apart again all too soon. Meanwhile some cuddling and sex was the way to go. Besides, there was something about their scents that called to her on the deepest possible level, that made them irresistible to her. That told her more clearly than words they were honest, upright people, good men, not con men about to take her away to be tortured and abused.

She showed them the one-lane dirt road into the tiny, unpopular beach she swam from and was relieved to see no other cars stopped at the end of the track. That’s why she came here. It didn’t have much of a view and there wasn’t very much sand, so few people came here. Lovers sometimes, but no one much else. There was no easy way to get a boat or a jet ski from the end of the track and into the water, so that was another point against people coming here. Or a point in the beach’s favor, in her mind. Sadly, she mentally farewelled the beach. It’d been as much her home as her apartment was for the past two years. But even if she came back to California again, she likely wouldn’t come back to this town. Any beachside community would do. Anywhere she could swim.

Quinn lifted her out of the car and carried her across the sand. Wynter wanted to stay in Quinn’s strong arms forever. He carried her as if she weighed nothing, which she knew was a lie. Her body was rounded, even a little chubby, although she was only five foot four. She was a shark after all and no one ever saw skinny sharks.

Quinn took her right out into the water, removing her sandals and letting her slide down onto the ocean bottom when he was knee-deep in water. She looked all around but saw no sign of people and quickly stripped her sarong and bikini off and handed them to him, then she dropped down into the water.

Oh God that felt good. Her skin was dry and itchy and the water flowing over it was wonderful. She swam out until the water was deeper than she could stand up in as a human. Once again she looked around carefully but saw no one other than the two men. She sank down under the water and transformed then swam fast the length of the beach turned and swam back. Oh yes, that was good.

Ever since she’d hurt her knee she’d been frightened to go out too far into the ocean. This close to shore there was a risk of being seen by the shark patrol or hit by recreational water vehicles, but this particular beach had neither. She swam and played just at the edge of the deeper water, diving down from time to time, but mostly just rolling around, swimming backward and forward until her skin was perfectly hydrated and smooth again.

She couldn’t stay long today. She knew she needed to meet with the manager and get onto the road. They had a hell of a long road trip ahead of them.

Wynter faced toward the shore again and swam slowly back. She raised her snout and looked quickly around but once more saw only the two men. Quickly, she transformed and put her head above water for a much longer and more searching check but still saw no one. Thank God for that.

By the time she’d swum close to the water’s edge, Rainer was there holding a towel for her. He wrapped it around her and picked her up, carrying her back up the beach to where the two men had been sitting. Quinn offered her a second towel to dry her hair, and then she put her bikini and sarong back on.

Rainer picked her up and carried her back to the car as she held their three towels. Once they were headed back to the apartment Quinn, all business, said, “Rainer will go with you to get your deposit back as soon as you’ve had your shower and gotten dressed. While you’re doing that we’ll take the bed out to the trailer. I’ll pack the last few things when you’re getting your deposit back, and we’ll eat on the road. Does that sound okay with you?”

“Sure.”

Wynter felt a bit guilty. She hadn’t really offered them much to eat, but she’d deliberately eaten up most of her food and not bought any more. She’d planned to buy a loaf of bread and perhaps some fruit for the journey. She’d already filled all her water bottles with water from the tap and put them in the freezer. Of course they wouldn’t stay cold forever, but the water should be drinkable for the length of the journey and it was free.

“I should probably clean the floors one last time, too. I’ve been keeping the apartment reasonably clean but—”

“You can’t vacuum or mop right now. I’ll do that,” said Quinn.

She relaxed back on to her seat. She was so spoiled. They were treating her like a precious possession and caring for her so perfectly.
Oh God, I want them so much. They’re everything I could ever wish for in a man. Kind, thoughtful, caring, and nice to look at. I can’t get used to it though. I’m just a job for them right now. Soon I’ll need to look after myself again.

* * * *

Quinn pulled out the tiny notepad he always kept in his pocket, along with his pen, and said, “I’ll get a couple loaves of bread, and iceberg lettuce, sliced cheddar cheese, and tomatoes to go in it to make us sandwiches. I noticed you’ve got peanut butter so we can make a few sandwiches with that, too. You said you had water in the freezer so I’ll pick up a six-pack of sodas as well. Is Coca Cola okay for you, Wynter, and Rainer?”

“Yeah, we may need the caffeine,” said Rainer.

“I’ll mostly drink the water, so choose whatever you prefer yourselves,” added Wynter.

“Bananas? Oranges?” asked Quinn.

“Oranges may be too messy to eat as we drive. Bananas or apples would be better,” said Rainer.

“Got it. Anything else you’d like?”

Quinn turned around to look at Wynter sitting on the backseat, but her head was down. “Wynter?”

“Nothing else, thank you, that all sounds good.”

Quinn wasn’t convinced, but he wondered if she was worrying about the cost again. Still, they had to eat something, and it seemed to him he’d been hungry ever since he left home. Besides, they’d gotten a fair price for her television, and she’d insisted on selling the microwave oven as well for what she termed “walking around” money. A couple of loaves of bread wouldn’t cost much, and at least it’d fill them all up.

As soon as they got back to her apartment, Quinn and Rainer dismantled the bed and carried it out to the trailer. It was easy enough to put it back together again. Just a few bolts at each end where the sides locked into the headboard and footboard, then they could put the mattress back on. At least she’d be able to lie stretched out and rest if she was in too much pain on the backseat, although they were filling the backseat with a couple of blankets and all her pillows in the hope she could travel comfortably there.

It was still not eight o’clock yet, so he and Rainer took the last few items out to the trailer, then Rainer cleaned the bathroom while he mopped the floors. Promptly at eight they all left the apartment. Rainer and Wynter went to get her deposit back while Quinn raced to the store. He picked up the bread and salad items, the sodas, a big bag of chocolate chip cookies, half a dozen bananas, a bag of apples, and at the checkout, he added a couple of women’s magazines and a little book of crossword puzzles and sudoku puzzles to his purchases. He had no idea whether or not she enjoyed solving puzzles, but it was going to be a long and boring day for her he was sure. Perhaps these would help her. If not, it was no big deal.

When he got back to the apartment block, he found he’d timed it just right. Rainer was carrying Wynter down the stairs to the parking lot. While Rainer settled her in the backseat, Quinn hooked up the trailer, and they were on their way.

For the first hour their conversation was desultory and mainly focused on keeping themselves on the correct route. But once they were on the Interstate they could relax. Quinn wanted to do as much of the driving as he was able to do, so Rainer could concentrate on looking after Wynter, but they both needed to be sure of the navigation, so they talked about the way they were going, which towns they’d pass through, and where they’d turn off at night to get to the place they were staying in
Albuquerque.

He glanced in the rearview mirror to check she wasn’t asleep, then asked, “Tell us about your childhood, Wynter. Did you grow up in a pack—pod?—of sharks?”

“You can say a pod, like whales, or a school, like fish, but I prefer the term ‘shiver.’ A shiver of sharks.”

“Really? You aren’t joking? It’s actually called a shiver of sharks?” Rainer sounded as though he didn’t believe her.

“You can Google it on your cell phone if you like. It really is a shiver of sharks.”

Quinn guessed she was telling the truth, but he waited for Rainer to check.

“Hey yes. And listen to this. You say a congregation of alligators, a cloud of bats, and a murder of crows.”

“I knew the one about the crows. I’ve heard that before,” said Wynter.

“That was a movie, an old movie ages ago. I remember seeing it on late-night television. Some lawyer steals an old man’s book and publishes it as his own and then the police think he really committed the murders in the book,” said Quinn.

“I don’t think I ever saw it. How about a waddling of ducks, or a skulk of foxes.”

“Keep going. I’m enjoying these.” Quinn glanced in his rearview mirror at Wynter as she spoke and was pleased to see a little bit of pink color in her pale cheeks. Well, good. He was glad this was keeping her entertained, and he had all day to find out about her life anyway.

“Hmm. A bloat of hippopotamuses? A mess of iguanas, and a cartload of monkeys.”

“A cartload of monkeys? I always thought that was just a joke,” said Wynter.

“I did, too. Let me keep looking. A parliament of owls and a pandemonium of parrots. An unkindness of ravens. Now really, calling them that is pretty unkind all in itself. They might have thought of something better. Who comes up with these names anyway?”

“You’re the one with the cell phone. Can’t you Google that, too?” asked Quinn.

“But I’ll lose my place,” complained Rainer.

However, Quinn saw Rainer’s fingers dancing over the keyboard on his phone and knew Rainer was enjoying this as much as he was. Besides, it was making Wynter smile and anything that distracted her from her pain was good.

“Here we go. The collective nouns for animals were introduced by hunters, in France first then in England. Gentlemen used to show off the fact they knew all the proper names. And oh, yuck. How about this? There were special names for all the droppings as well,” said Rainer.

“Seriously?”

Rainer turned around, and Quinn guessed he was smiling at Wynter or maybe even showing her his phone.

“Yes.”

When Rainer was facing the front again, Quinn asked, “Are there any more good names for the animal groups?”

“We were up to ravens,” said Wynter helpfully.

“Oh yes. A crash of rhinoceroses, an ambush of tigers, and a descent of woodpeckers.”

Quinn watched the road as Rainer and Wynter talked a little more about the names, but after a little while they both became quiet, and when he next checked Wynter had fallen asleep.

Good. The more she can sleep the faster the trip will pass for her and the less pain she’ll suffer.

* * * *

By the time they arrived at the werewolf pack’s home in
Albuquerque, New Mexico, Rainer had nothing but admiration for Wynter. Not once had she asked for anything at all. They’d stopped three times for gas, and each time she’d insisted on walking by herself to the ladies room. Rainer had stayed at her car, leaning against the door, watching her try so hard to walk without limping that it made his heart ache for her. He knew she needed to stand and stretch her limbs properly, but he still wanted to pick her up in his arms and carry her to save her from being hurt.

Each time Quinn paid for the gas, he also bought them all something to eat—a hamburger, or a steak sandwich, or a donut—and a cup of coffee. Rainer appreciated that. Either Wynter never ate much, or else she was on a really strict diet right now. Either way, she’d had so little food in her house he’d almost been afraid to take anything, and he was really grateful that Quinn was using every opportunity to grab them a snack. Likely Quinn was hungry, too.

For a moment Rainer wondered if she ate in her shark form. Perhaps she caught fish each day and that’s why she wasn’t hungry. But no. He’d watched her carefully at the beach that morning, and she’d just swum. He’d have noticed if she’d gone fishing as well. Rainer shrugged. It didn’t matter. Quinn was feeding them now, so it was all good.

Rainer waited while Quinn punched the intercom button on the high metal gate. The directions had been exact and detailed—4.25 miles from the turnoff to the gate—and it was just as well because there was no name on the gate to tell him they were at the correct place and it was almost completely dark.

“Yes?”

“It’s Quinn Johnson and Rainer King bringing Wynter Hall here to rest overnight. We’re expected.”

“Drive around to the back of the house. You’ll be shown where to park.”

It didn’t sound very friendly to Rainer, but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to upset or worry Wynter. Perhaps they were only here on sufferance. Maybe these people owed the wolves Oscar was friends with a favor or something.