Get a grip, Zak.
I shed my human skin, arching into the water and hitting it as a wolf. Now that I wasn't pumped full of adrenaline like I was earlier, I could actually look at Kamari's orca form. He was massive and perfectly suited to life underwater. The surface of his skin glistened like it was painted with glaze. He was an awesome, magnificent creature.
"What are you looking at?" Kamari growled.
"You," I said bluntly. "You're huge. You're even bigger than my Pops, who’s a shark."
"I am. So don't act up or I might swallow you whole."
I smirked. "You wouldn't do that. Too much fur."
"Try me."
"I'm good, thanks. So are we doing this or what? Show me the way to this mythical island."
Kamari sighed like he was already regretting this and began to swim.
7
Kamari
Zakariel was a total idiot.He had a smart mouth and a stupid brain. What was I thinking accepting his help? Obviously, I wasn't.
At least he wasn't totally incompetent. He didn't appear to be lying about his power not to drown. He swam with utmost confidence, never bothered when hit by a rogue wave except to be annoyed that it knocked him over. Even I couldn't boast that ability. If I spent too long underwater, I still had to surface and breathe every few minutes.
For Zakariel's sake, though, I kept close to the surface. As irritating as he was, it felt rude to swim at my full speed underwater while he wolf-paddled like a little cub. To his credit, he kept up well enough for an animal meant to be land-bound. I wondered if his alpha-father being a shark had anything to do with it.
"Did your father teach you how to swim?" I asked.
"Which one?"
Idiot."The shark shifter, obviously."
Zakariel grinned. "Sort of. I've been a good swimmer since I was born, but having a parent get in the water with me and help out was a confidence booster."
Maybe his alpha-father gave himtoomuch confidence,I thought.
"Dad helped out, too," Zakariel went on. "But he's not as big of a fan of swimming as me and Pops are."
"A shark and a wolf are an interesting pair," I remarked. "They must have an interesting story."
Zakariel let out a long sigh. "Yeah."
"Is that... a problem?"
"No. Nevermind." He shook his head. Despite saying that, he went on anyway. "They just tell me about it all the time. At least it feels that way."
Did Zakariel have some kind of complex about it? He was acting like it.
I tried to change the subject. "Are you close with your grandfather? The water spirit?"
"Yeah, he's pretty cool," Zakariel said, sounding like he was already in a better mood. "I don't see him all the time, but he's great. Cagey as hell, though. You can never get a straight answer out of him."
That was interesting. If Zakariel was telling an elaborate lie, he was doing a good job. I was close to believing him. But it wouldn't be the first time I met an alpha who was an excellent liar. Still, I kept my disbelief to myself.
Thunder rumbled above us, reminding me of the reason we were on this journey together.
"Is he... an angry sort of spirit?" I asked.
