Kissing the Shark (Maritime Monsters #1)

Chapter 2- Karlo

CHAPTER 2- KARLO

I FILL OUT the last of the forms and hand them to the nurse. She smiles and gives me discharge instructions, which is my ticket out of here. I nod at her, then walk through the automatic doors.

The waiting room lobby to Mareflow General Hospital isn’t too big, but the wide windows allow a vast vista of the parking lot. The sun is rising, and barely anyone is waiting around, thank the heavens. I don’t have work today, not that they would let me back so soon. I had the forethought to leave my phone dry on the beach, but now it’s almost out of battery, so I sit at the front of the waiting room to, well, wait. My best friend will be here soon, so I stare at the sunrise and stew with my thoughts.

Yesterday was a blur. I went surfing alone, like an idiot. I hit my head on my board and then…a shark man…brought me to shore? That doesn’t sound real.

I glance up and notice two nurses — one harpy and one ogre —walk in wearing scrubs. They’re chatting animatedly and quickly shift into human form while they make their way past another set of double doors. I’m glad to know this hospital employs monsters, aka shifters.

Maybe that’s who I saw? Everyone in the world knows about the Halloween Wave, the massive energy disturbance that altered the fabric of humans worldwide. Decades ago, a chunk of the population morphed into monsters who can shift into human form but live life as paranormal creatures. One of my closest friends is an eel shifter. But I haven’t heard of a shark shifter in all my years living in the coastal city of Mareflow. To meet one would be… fascinating .

I yawn and cross my arms. Maybe that bump in the head really did me in. But then, how did I make it to shore…?

“Oh thank monster god, Karlo!” My best friend, Skyler, rushes through the double door entrance. I stand up and he pulls me into a tight hug. “Are you okay?”

“You’re squishing me,” I grunt.

He lets go and looks me over. Then he gently pats my head. “But for real?”

“I’m fine now. Just tired.” We make our way out the entrance. “I could barely sleep in the ED; they kept waking me up.”

“What are the results of your head? Any trauma?”

“All clear.” I open the door and ease into the passenger seat of his compact car. “Got a clean bill of health and the papers to prove it.”

“Oh good.” He smiles and pushes up his glasses. His blond hair shimmers in the morning sunlight, and he leans forward. Is he about to kiss me? I know we’re both queer, but he’s definitely more like a brother to me. Before I can scoff at him, I feel a searing pain on my ear.

“Ow!”

“That was for having me worried all night.” He glowers at me, then shoves me. “And that was for surfing alone. Karlo, that was so stupid!”

“I know,” I reply, rubbing the ear he flicked. Tough love hurts . I pout, but Skyler simply frowns. He puts the car in reverse, and I know I have a lecture coming up.

“What were you thinking?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“Since when do you surf?”

I huff. “I…could surf. I’m strong enough…or could be.” I meekly lean into the seat and look away.

“And near Wavecrush Cove of all places?! That shore is as remote as can be.”

“But I read the waves there are killer.”

My best friend frowns while driving along the highway. “The only thing killer are the sea creatures. You and I both know that place is shark central.”

“Sharks rarely attack humans.”

“They do if the dumbass human bumps their head, bruises their nose, and trails blood all over the water into their domain.”

Shame burns my cheeks. Now I have to deal with a headache, a hurt nose, no sleep in a hospital, and a very disgruntled bestie. “I…won’t do it again.”

Skyler relaxes and pats my hand in my lap. “I was worried about you. You’re my bro.”

“I know.” I look at him and we share a smile as he drives. “Thanks for being there for me. And picking me up.”

He grins and lets go of me. “Next time, I’m letting the sharks eat you.”

I laugh. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Skyler.”

He smiles at me before looking back out at the road. “I know you wanna prove you’re masculine or whatever, but no more swimming near Wavecrush Cove. Prove you’re strong by resting up for work tomorrow.”

“Ugh, I gotta go in with this banged up nose.” I gaze at myself in the overhead mirror, then whine. The purple spots on my face are annoying, but they seem to be decreasing. I close the mirror and look around. “Where are we?”

“Getting breakfast.” My best friend smiles and puts the car in park.

Fifteen minutes later, we’re nursing coffees and carrot cake muffins at the food court. The one outdoor mall in town doesn’t have too many stores open this early, but the coffee stand is an exception. The warm beverage soothes me, and I pray the caffeine keeps me awake all day. I need to pick up my car, after all.

“What happened?” I look up to see my other best friend rushing toward me.

“He was being dumb,” Skyler remarks, smirking into this cup.

I glower, then turn back to my buddy, who’s now sitting down with us. Ardsley is wearing a gray cardigan and matching beanie cap, despite the warm weather. He’s a cute, taller dude, with plenty of anxiety issues, and the three of us get along great. He’s also the only monster of the three of us, being an eel shifter. I’m the only Filipino, with my light golden skin tone, and Skyler wears glasses, so each of us has our own distinguishing features.

But we’re all gay marine biology nerds. And we all work together.

“Dumb how?” Ardsley asks with genuine concern on his face.

“I’m fine. The scans were negative. I just…” I shrug and toy with muffin crumbs. “Bumped my head while surfing.”

“Since when do you surf?”

“At Wavecrush Cove,” Skyler points out, the traitor.

I nearly snarl at him, then turn to see Ardsley’s mouth wide open. “Are you serious?!”

I put down my cup. “I wanted to surf in privacy, and I heard the waves there are killer.”

“I heard the sharks there are killer,” Skyler mutters.

“Dude, I wouldn’t even swim there. And I’m an eel!” His skin turns purple just for a moment before returning to his usual Caucasian complexion.

“Yes, but eels spend most of their time in the river,” I say.

“Don’t monster-splain to me!” He points and we both laugh. While Skyler and I give him a hard time―he’s younger, shy, and so much fun to rile up―we never make fun of him for being a shifter. In fact, it’s pretty cool to be part of the monster community. Some monsters are kind of attractive.

Images of a shark man flitter through my mind and I touch my lower lip. Did I…meet a shark shifter? Did he give me mouth to mouth? Was I…kissed by a monster?

“But otherwise, you’re alright?” Ardsley asks, breaking me from my daydreams.

“Yeah.”

“Thank monster god your phone was intact,” Skyler points out.

“I left it on the shore. The only thing I lost was my locker key.”

“Wow, talk about lucky!” Ardsley says.

After he gets his drink, the two of them talk about the most dangerous beaches in California. Then they discuss what projects are coming up at our job. Despite the Maritime Monsters Institute being closed for the day, they can’t get work off the brain. I nod along and munch on my breakfast. Occasionally, I try to chime in, but I’m too distracted.

I almost died because I surfed alone in the most dangerous waters in the state. And all I lost was a key chain? The coastal patrol claimed they didn’t pull me out, that they found me on the beach, and assumed I floated there.

But how did I get that far? Why didn’t I drown? And why can’t I stop thinking about the image of some mystery maritime shifter saving my life?