The Shark's Pearl Ch. 01

She minced her way around several large rocks before she came across the spot where most people liked to sit, a boulder with a near-flat plane suitable for sitting on. As the breeze roared past her ears, she imagined what it might be like to ride the wind, to drift off to faraway lands. She'd heard stories of this island or that, but stories were just that, stories, passed down through the generations that lived on the island before her. She let out a quiet sigh, head lolling to one side as she lost herself, letting the worries of the world slip away in a quiet moment of Zen.

Though it'd only been a few weeks, it felt like much longer since she'd had a quiet moment to herself by the sea, with only nature for company. Her eyes drifted closed before they opened minutes later, seeing the glimmer of morning light as the sun peeked above the horizon. The sea sparkled as it welcomed the dawn...

And there was a fin slicing through the water, and it was heading toward her. Before she had time to scramble off the boulder, the waves violently splashed forward, drenching her in seawater and leaving her gasping and shivering as Zvigen stood before her, an apparition from the sea, towering above her with the sun at his back so he seemed like the remnants of a terrifying and restless night.

Instinctively, she raised her hands above her head, and the next moment found her wrists and forearms firmly ensconced in Zvigen's hands.

"My pearl. You have been hard to find as of late," he chided. Shanan shivered from cold and fear as he lowered his hands, forcing her arms away from her face. Light tan skin complimented her dark gray eyes, and even with the sea spray on her face, she was an attractive sight to the sea demon. She did not know if she should attempt an apology or make up an excuse. There were these cold eyes, and that sharp nose, and these oh-so-sharp teeth... She'd seen them in her nightmares, him coming after her, eating her up despite his assurance that he wouldn't. She managed to pull her gaze free to look down at her hands, which seemed so small compared to his own. Her heart thudded wildly against her chest as his grip remained solid despite her attempt to pull away.

"Do you think you can get away from me?" he asked with a velvety chuckle that sent a shiver down her spine -- she was not sure if it was pleasant or not. With a swift movement, he transferred one of her hands to the other so that he now had one of his hands around both of her wrists. Her eyes widened as the implication sunk in.

"You were mine the moment I saw you. I was on the way to that little banquet your mayor set for me. You were standing with another woman, and you had a flower in your hair."

She blinked at him in surprise. She'd definitely noticed him, but had never imagined herself to be visible to him...

"The Sapphire Isles are a relatively quiet place, but not without its charms. I am pleased that I can count you among them." His voice was a rumble, far deeper than an ordinary human male could go, and his free hand reached up to touch her chin. "It will please me to finally take you as mine." He smiled, and there was something devastatingly handsome about his dangerous grin, the way his eyes lit up as he fixed them on her.

Had she been asked what she would have done in this situation, she gave the response many women would have given -- a good kick in the balls. But she was frozen in front of Zvigen. He had her in his grip, and she could not escape it.

An angry shout filled the air, and her head snapped up to see her uncle at the edge of the bluff, waving his fist in the air, his shotgun in his other hand. Quickly, he lowered the barrel, aiming at the sharkman who had let go of her once he'd registered the intruder. A loud bang filled the air, and when she opened her eyes, there the man was, sprawled across the grass, the gun broken in half and tossed on the bluff.

Shanan took a moment to register all this before asking herself where Zvigen was. She got her answer when Zvigen's arm wrapped around her middle, and she was lifted off the rock before Zvigen plunged them into the cold water.

She tried to fight him off, but she might have as well had an iron band around her middle, and spluttered for breath several times as her abductor slid through the water, and collapsed on the deck of the Deathsaw after he dropped her there once he'd jumped out of the water. She gasped and shivered in the brisk morning air as several fishmen and thralls looked down at her.

"This has been a fruitful excursion, indeed!" she heard Zvigen's voice boom. "I have collected my mate!" Roars of approval met her ears, and she looked up, seeing Zvigen standing there, hands on his hips, a triumphant smirk on his face.

No, no. This could not be happening. She shook her head weakly before flipping her damp hair over her shoulder.

"I am betrothed," she said as she stared up at him. He looked down at her, maintaining his smirk.

"Do you think that concerns me?" he asked.

"You... you can't just... take me!" she protested. She knew that to one such as Zvigen, such an argument was a weak one, but she wouldn't just sit back and let him cosign her to the fate he had chosen for her. Mate, indeed! "I... I made a promise. I-"

She found herself cut off by her captor. "Don't worry about keeping your word. If it makes you feel better, say I broke it for you."

"I- I can't. I won't do this." She managed to pull herself up to her feet, feeling stronger now that she wasn't on her knees and looking up at him. But by the gods, he was still tall enough. She looked to the side of the ship, knowing it would be easy for her to jump overboard and swim to shore. But she remembered how quickly Zvigen had overtaken her the other day. Nervously, she tugged at her clothing so the fabric wouldn't cling to her so, well aware of the intensity of his gaze as he perused her form.

He took a step closer, and she took one back. For someone with such a bulky, powerful form, he moved surprisingly quickly out of the water, and she gave out a squeal of alarm as he pulled her to himself by the back of her neck, hooking one thick finger in her collar.

"You can. And you will," came his growl before the sound of tearing fabric met her ears, and her shoulder seemed to explode in pain. It took her a moment to realize that he was biting her shoulder.

Biting? Wait, what the hell?

Blood dripped down on her shirt as she felt him laving his tongue along the wounds he'd caused a moment ago, teeth scraping against her skin as she let out a sharp, pained keen, unable to believe what had just happened. She tried to pull away, her first instinct being simply to run as far as she could, and find a safe place to curl up and sleep, and then...

then what?

A broken sub burst from her throat as he licked her several more times.

"As gods and men are my witness, this woman has been marked as mine," he said as he raised his head in a triumphant roar. In shock from the pain, Shanan could only stare ahead, feeling the throbbing pain in her shoulder and his hand on the back of her neck as he displayed her like a prize.

Someone please help me, she prayed. But who would? Zvigen had proven his strength enough times to her and the other people on the island. There'd been a few whispers of refusing to bend the knee, but in the end, all the humans could do was accept. With a shaking hand, she reached up to her shoulder, feeling the puncture marks under her fingers and the fresh blood that oozed from them.

Zvigen scooped her up by wrapping an arm around her middle and hoisting her over his shoulder. This snapped her out of her thoughts, and she blinked and looked around, seeing the small throng of men that had witnessed her marking. The fishmen looked pleased with their captain's success. The thralls seemed indifferent, and one of the fishmen snapped at the thralls to get back to work. The scenery jerked around a bit with Zvigen's heavy footsteps and the sway of his body as he took her within the ship, and she squirmed around, trying to push away from him as he opened the door to his cabin.

He entered the room, and the door closed behind him with a heavy thud. She barely had time to register her surroundings -- a desk, some cupboards, a few maps, and chests, before she was deposited on the largest bed she'd ever seen in her life. It was supported by thick rope anchored to the four even thicker posts at the corners and was piled with blankets and pelts.

"Zvigen! Please!" She placed her hands in front of her much as she had done earlier, longing for nothing more than to simply hide under the bed. Morning light filtered in through the window, casting the room in a warm glow and giving Zvigen's cool skin an orange tint. In the room, there were faint notes of a variety of things. Leather, sweat, salt, an occasional trace of spice. And now, there was something she could only describe as musk. It became more pronounced when Zvigen closed in on her, grabbing her ankle so that she could not retreat to the other side of the bed. His hand was slightly cool, but his skin was surprisingly not unpleasant to the touch. A bit damp, but not slimy like some people said fishman skin was bound to be.

"What do you plead for, my pearl?" he asked as he pulled his arm in, slowly forcing her to come closer to him as he lifted her ankle.

She could plead for him to let her go. But he would either laugh or become angry at that. What could she say that he might listen to? That might give him pause?

"Would you like me to pound into you with my cocks, and have you screaming my name until you can no longer speak?" he asked, revealing that predatory grin of his again.

She was so overwhelmed at the mental image of him doing just that that she did not catch on to his use of the word 'cocks' in the plural, and he continued to speak, adding more to her fevered thoughts. "Would you like me to fill your pretty little cunt with my cum, and leave you so well-fucked that you're unable to leave my bed?"

She knew that sometimes the young men of her village liked to brag about their prowess or their strength. Women talked about their partners and the claims they'd made. And though she knew she was supposed to wait until she was married, she had had some 'fun' with her betrothed. And yes, she had enjoyed herself with Albert. Her times with him weren't what she'd call earth-shattering, but they'd been pleasant, and given her some idea of the intimacy that marriage was expected to bring.

"Oh. Please," she whined. She hadn't even seen what Zvigen was endowed with, but just from looking at him, it was obvious he would offer an experience quite different from Albert.

"I will do all that, and more," he promised as he pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her shoulders so that the upper half of her body was nestled against his chest, where the smell of his musk was stronger. "Fret not, my pearl. You will learn -- and understand -- who you belong to."

o0o

Zvigeni is Georgian for shark. I was trying to come up with a unique name for this sexy sharkman and liked how that word sounded so I derived Zvigen's name from it.

I hope you enjoy this new treat from me, and all feedback is very welcome and appreciated.