Page 9 of Swimming With the Sharks

Jabari’s eyes widened in shock, but Foster justsnorted.“You heard me right.I’m dying.If anyone is being fuckedwith it isn’t you, Jabari, it’s me.”

Jabari felt his breath stop right along with hisheart.His mate was dying?No, that couldn’t be right.“No, I don’tbelieve that.”

Foster snorted, “Believe it or not, it’s thetruth.I could even fucking prove it if you had the internet downhere, but somehow I don’t think that’s possible.”

“And you’d be wrong.”Jabari stated placing thelarge clamshell bowl in the sink.

Taking his mate’s hand, Jabari showed Foster tohis security setup.“This is my main security office.I use it tomonitor Atlantis’ perimeter.We are not as far off the grid as youwould think.It might take great power to allow us this privilege,but Atlantis is power...it is magic...strong magic, and allowsfor us to tap into the humans’ internet.”

“Holy shit, you have to be kidding me.I wouldnever have thought that Atlanteans would be watching YouTube orplaying games on Facebook.”Foster said with a laugh.

Jabari smiled, “Well, I don’t know about thisYouTube or Facebook, that might be for the others.I use theinternet to get news of the surface dwellers, and I watch themarine biologists to see how close they are getting to us.We aredeeply hidden, but I don’t want to take any chances that humanswill find us and try to experiment or perform research on mypeople.”

“You guard all of Atlantis?”Foster asked.

Shaking his head, Jabari replied, “Not alone,no, but I have little contact with the other guards, even if I amtheir leader.My father put me in place when he and my mother movedto the surface.The people weren’t very happy, but they know betterthan to piss my dad off.He told them it was either me as thecommander to the guard, or they could guard themselves.He doesn’thave much patience when it comes to the Atlanteans’ bigotry.If notfor his promise to Poseidon, I doubt he would have requested I staybehind.”

“If they’re all so mean to you, why do youstay?”Foster asked.

“It’s my duty.I was raised with theunderstanding that I would be the protector of Atlantis as myfather and mother before me.Even though the people of Atlantisdon’t accept me, this is my home.It’s all I’ve ever really known.The people aren’t so bad, just misguided by fear a fear brought tothem for a reason.”

Foster walked to the desktop computer, asking,“May I?”

Jabari nodded as he signed onto the system.“Goahead.”

Foster sat down and started tapping on the keys,asking.“So what misguided reasons might those be?”

“I can only go by the stories my mother andfather told me as a young child.”Jabari stated, then explained.Hetold of Poseidon and how Atlantis came to be, then asked, “Rememberwhen I told you how my parents met?”

Foster nodded, then turned to Jabari.“How couldI forget such a beautiful story.”

“Well, what I didn’t explain was the war betweenthe Charonte and Adanc to begin with.It seems that Atlantis landedright in the middle of the battlefield.Some Atlanteans were killedbefore my father and mother bonded and merged the two demon clans.”Jabari explained.

“So, in other words, the Atlanteans, who wereonce surface dwellers, found themselves deep on the bottom of theocean and in the middle of a demon war.Some of them were killedand now they hate all demons?But how could they hate you guys whenit was, and still is, the demons that keep them safe?”Fosterasked.

Shrugging, Jabari replied, “Fear of the unknown?I don’t know.”

Foster scoffed, “Bullshit.I haven’t met theseAtlanteans yet, but if what I learned in my mythology class isanything to go by, they were a bunch of pompous idiots.It’sreasonable that the people would be freaked out to find themselvesliving under water...”

“And could breathe and some could shift intomarine life and other things.”Jabari filled in.

His mate’s eyes widened, then he said, “Okay,they found themselves living and breathing under water, and someeven discovered they were shifters...that had to be one hell of ashock then to see demons fighting...I take it you don’t look likethis when in your natural form?”

Shaking his head, Jabari replied, “No.On land Ilook like I do now, except my eyes change to a deep pearl white,but when in water, my face changes into what has been described tome as the devil with horns and all.My skin is a black, hard,leathery texture, I have wings and sharp claws.”

Foster shocked the hell out of Jabari when hesmiled, saying, “I so can’t wait to see that.”He then pushed hisseat back.“Okay, I said I could prove my words and here itis.”

Jabari read the story of his mate and watched aninterview he gave to a news crew.With every word Jabari’s heartbroke and dread filled him.His mate truly was dying.Looking atthe date of this interview, his mate had less than four monthsleft.How could this be?How could the fates bring him a mate, onlyto have him die within months of meeting him?

“So you see why I can’t bond with you, Jabari.If we bond, that means when I die you will die as well...at leastthat’s what the books I’ve read say.”Foster stated sadly.

Shaking his head, Jabari rasped, “No.I refuseto believe that.I don’t know about these books you speak of, butthis is wrong.The fates...no matter what...can’t be so cruel.”Looking at Foster, he said, “And I’m not just talking about cruelto me.I’m talking about cruelness to my people.We have not had afated mate in over a millennia.Now they can have hope that not allis lost to them and you think the fates would rip you away from melike that.”Shaking his head sharply left to right, Jabari hissed,“I refuse to believe that.”

Sighing, Foster said, “Well, in the paranormalromance books I’ve read, sometimes, if a person bonds with theparanormal person their illness goes away and they both livehappily ever.”

Jabari felt hope, until Foster said, “But then,there are some books that the person’s illness isn’t somethingtheir bonding can help and that person is on the road to death.Normally a miracle comes by and saves him, but in my case there areno more miracles, Jabari.I refuse to go through more chemo, and Iwon’t have another blood transfusion or bone marrow transfusion.”Slowly shaking his head, Foster rasped, “I just can’t.I’m tired,Jabari.I’ve been fighting this most of my life, and honestly, I’mtired of throwing up, and feeling so weak I can barely turn over inbed.I’m tired of the pain the surgeries bring to me, I’m tired ofbeing told, ‘This is it!’only for the cancer to come right back...I’m just tired.I have missed living my life, and I may only havefour months left of it, or possibly less...I won’t miss livinganymore.I want to explore the world.I want to see sights I’veonly read about.I want to go dancing in a club and sing Karaoke.Iwant to visit museums, go to Pisa and see how far the tower reallyleans.I want to lie under the stars and see if I can count them,and, if I’m lucky, I’d love to see the Aurora Borealis.I want tovisit all the wonders of the world.I want to go up in a hot-airballoon and visit the site of the Titanic’s demise and place awreath.I want to see fireworks over the waters and visit with apod of whales, to watch them and listen to their beautiful songsthey play to each other.I have always wanted to swim with sharks,but know I can’t, but I at least got to see them feed upclose.”

Jabari watched as his mate’s eyes had lit upwith such life...such enthusiasm, and then suddenly faded.