Sailing with a Dolphin, page 1
World of Aquatica: After spotting something troubling on the job, a paramedic turns to the paranormal for help and gets more than he bargained for.
Peter Silverman found out about paranormals the prior year when one of his best friends—Waylon—bonded with a seahorse shifter. For the most part, he doesn’t think much of the fact that other beings exist right alongside humans as it doesn’t affect his job as a paramedic. That all changes when he begins running across injured people with holes in their necks. To Peter, they look suspiciously like a vampire’s bite.
Bringing his suspicions to Waylon’s shifter lover, Peter is introduced to Pisces, who’s supposed to be one of the shifter pod’s best trackers. The bottlenose dolphin shifter immediately claims that Peter is his mate. Peter knows that means he’s supposed to be the other half of Pisces’s soul, but he insists on a date.
The scent of a shifter on Peter has the unexpected repercussion of drawing the attention of the rogue vampire. Can Peter evade the rogue’s clutches while accepting a reality that has changed yet again?
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Sailing with a Dolphin
Copyright © 2023 Charlie Richards
ISBN: 978-1-4874-4082-4
Cover art by Angela Waters
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
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Sailing with a Dolphin
Beneath Aquatica’s Waves: Book Sixteen 16
By
Charlie Richards
Dedication
You will never ‘find’ time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.
~Charles Buxton
Chapter One
“Ma’am? Can you tell me your name?”
Peter Silverman stared into the glassy eyes of the woman lying on the pavement. He didn’t think he would get a response to his question, but he had to try. It was part of his job, after all.
While his partner paramedic—Ryley Cauldwell—checked the woman’s vitals, Peter tried to get the woman to focus and engage. They swapped roles depending on the situation. Having worked together for nearly six years—Peter had been paired with Ryley right out of training, with Ryley being an older and experienced paramedic—they had their system down and could often anticipate what the other person would do in any situation.
“Blood pressure is way too damn low,” Ryley muttered, before shining a pen light in the woman’s eyes. All she did was blink. “Pupil response nearly nonexistent.”
Sweeping his gaze over the prone woman once more, Peter racked his brain for some sign of injury. He’d just focused on her face again when something snagged his attention. Curling the tips of his fingers around the top of her blouse at her shoulder, Peter carefully tugged it aside.
The sight of the twin holes in the flesh where her neck met her shoulder caused his stomach to churn.
“Ryley,” Peter murmured, lifting his gaze to his partner. “We got another one.”
“Shit,” Ryley snarled, drawing the word out. “That’s four in two weeks.” Turning his attention to Peter, he shook his head. “What the hell is going on, Petey?”
Even though Peter would prefer to be called his given name while working, he didn’t correct Ryley. He’d been called that by his mother since before he could remember. His friends had picked it up, and it had trickled down from there into his work associates.
“I’ll get the gurney,” Peter declared, rising to his feet.
Peter hustled back to the ambulance. It wasn’t as if he could explain to Ryley that he suspected a rogue vampire was haunting the streets of Sacramento. Over a year before, Peter had learned that the paranormal actually existed and lived and worked right alongside humans, hiding in plain sight. One of his best buddies—Waylon—had ended up bonding with a seahorse shifter named Colton, of all things.
Crazy shit.
As Peter rolled the gurney to Ryley’s side where he still checked on the woman, an idea formed. If there really was a rogue vampire on the streets, then he should report it to Colton and the guy’s leader.
Uh, alpha. Right. The leader of the marine life shifter pod is called an alpha.
Peter worked on auto-pilot as he helped Ryley get the breathing and apparently awake but unresponsive woman onto the gurney and into the ambulance. He set up an IV as Ryley closed the doors and rushed around to the front. He’d just finished attaching the O-negative blood bag to her port when he heard the driver’s side door close.
“Ready?” Ryley asked.
“Yep,” Peter responded while double-checking the straps holding the woman to the rolling bed. “You didn’t see a purse or anything, did you?” he asked, suddenly realizing he’d forgotten to look around the alley where she’d been reported by some anonymous person.
“No, nothing but trash in that alley,” Ryley grumbled as he started the ambulance moving. “As if they were dumping her with the other garbage.” Letting out a low growl, Ryley snarled, “People can be such shitheads.”
Peter scoffed. “Yeah.”
*
Once Peter’s shift was finished, he waved goodbye to a tired-looking Ryley and hurried home. He showered in record time before tugging on a pair of jean shorts and a polo shirt. After donning his sandals, Peter grabbed his keys, wallet, and shades and headed back out the door.
The kind of discussion he needed to have with Waylon and Colton needed to be done in person.
As Peter began driving north out of the city, he figured he should at least give Waylon a heads up that he was coming. He certainly didn’t want to show up unannounced and interrupt something. Their mutual friend Jake had done that once, and the guys still razzed him about it.
Placing his phone in the holder on the dash, Peter hit a couple of buttons and attached it to the Bluetooth speaker in his newer model Jeep Grand Cherokee. The phone rang so many times that he feared he would need to leave a message. Just as he was sure voicemail would pick up, Peter heard a breathless Waylon answer.
“Hey, man. Give me just a sec.”
Peter cringed, thinking maybe he’d interrupted something after all. Glancing at the time, he frowned. It was just after four in the afternoon. Peter and Ryley had been on the early shift for the last couple of weeks, although that was due to change.
“No prob, Way.” Peter waited patiently as he drove toward World of Aquatica, the marine park owned and operated by shifters who could turn into a variety of marine life. Peter had learned that was the only reason the park could put on a tiger shark show. The tiger sharks used in the show were actually shifters, so they could think and reason even in their shark forms. Peter had seen the show a number of times, and he still found it fascinating.
“Sorry about that,” Waylon told him, returning to the line. “I’m at the bar, and there was a rush, but I figured if you’re calling me right after your shift, it’s probably important.” Waylon’s deep voice took on a concerned note. “You usually spend at least half an hour in your sauna after your shift, considering it can be so physically demanding.”
“You’re right, but this is sort of important.” Before Waylon could question him further, Peter told him, “And I’m not comfortable talking about it over the phone.” Peter hesitated a second, then added, “And I was hoping to talk to both you and Colton.”
“Oh,” Waylon murmured, his voice going quiet. “It’s like that, huh?”
“Yep.” Peter figured his smart friend would get the reference. What he needed to talk to them about might have paranormal connotations. “I’m driving your way now.” Considering Waylon said he was at the bar working—Waylon worked as a bartender at one of Aquatica’s restaurants—Peter asked, “Do you get off any time soon?”
“I’m here until six,” Waylon told him. “And Colton won’t be available until probably thirty minutes after that. He’s working in the aquarium until then.”
Peter knew that meant Colton was in his seahorse form and actually in the aquarium. Most of the shifters there took turns in the aquariums to show visitors various marine life. Unless the shifter was something too exotic—such as the alpha and beta, who shared their psyche with huge squids—or a couple of security guards who turned into animals thought to be extinct.
“Okay.” Damn. Guess I shouldn’t have rushed into this without thinking. I could’ve still had my sauna time. “Well, I’ll be at the park in twenty minutes, so I’ll just wander the exhibits until you’re off.”
“You’re welcome to come hang out at the bar with me,” Waylon offered. “Are you hungry?”
&nbs
Waylon hummed softly. “Sounds serious.”
“Could be,” Peter replied, sobering.
“I’ll put in an order for the clam strip basket and fries for you in about ten minutes,” Waylon told him, knowing exactly what Peter would want to eat. His buddy knew him well. “That way, it’ll be hot and fresh when you get here.”
“Thanks, man.” Peter hummed as his mouth watered with anticipation. “I appreciate it.”
“Sure. See you soon.”
Waylon closed the call, and Peter pressed on the accelerator just a little bit harder. Noting his speed, he sighed and eased back off again. Getting pulled over for speeding wouldn’t get him to the park any faster.
Peter arrived and headed to the VIP parking area near the front. After parking, he leaned over and opened the glove box. From within, he pulled the VIP tag that Colton had provided for all of Waylon’s friends. After hanging it on his rearview mirror, Peter exited, locked his door, and headed toward the park.
Showing his annual pass to the attendant at the gate—also provided by Colton—Peter made his way into the park. As he headed toward the restaurant, he noticed the billboard with show times of the marine life shows. A stab of disappointment filled Peter when he saw he wouldn’t be able to make the last tiger shark show if he sat down to eat. Then Peter grinned when he noticed that if he ate fast, he would be able to see the dolphin show.
That’ll be a great distraction after I eat.
With that plan in mind, Peter hurried to the restaurant.
* * * *
Pisces swam into the huge aquarium with Angelina by his side. Having worked with the fellow bottlenose dolphin on many occasions, he easily kept pace beside her. They’d done this routine so many times, he figured he could do it in his sleep.
Listening to Gerard introduce them as George and Gracy, Pisces prepared to do their first trick. The man had a mild Australian accent, which most found pleasing to the ear. After shows, while Pisces swam around so people could take pictures, he always got a kick out of how many people flirted with the man. Of course, these days, Gerard gently let people down, seeing as the weedy sea dragon shifter had met his mate.
A pang of jealousy stirred within Pisces, and he did his best to push it down. Over the years, a number of shifters in his pod had found their fated mate—the person who was the other half of their soul. Pisces always hoped the fates would smile upon him and he would meet his special someone soon.
The vibration of a stick tapping the water twice drew Pisces’s attention. Knowing the cue, he undulated his powerful tail as he arched his body. Pisces leaped from the water, Angelina right beside him doing the same, and twirled in the air. Adjusting in mid-air, Pisces made certain to splash a large wave at the waiting crowd, soaking the first two rows.
Before being fully submerged again, Pisces took a deep breath through his blowhole. In that instant, the most tantalizing scent registered. Pisces enjoyed the smell so much that he nearly rose back to the surface to try to get another hint of it.
Pisces caught himself just in time and continued with the routine. That didn’t stop him from searching for the scent each time he did a trick. Every time he used his tail to dance across the top of the water, Pisces searched for more.
When Barry—their trainer—was riding Pisces’s back—one foot on him and the other on Angelina—he finally realized the delicious fragrance was coming from someone in the stands...and what it meant.
Holy shit! My mate is somewhere in block A, B, or C. How the hell will I be able to find him?
At that realization, Pisces’s mind blanked a little. He pushed too hard through the water, breaking stride with Angelina. Barry was still on their backs and hissed his name, redrawing Pisces’s focus. It was a good thing Barry was a harbor seal shifter with heightened reflexes, or he would have tumbled into the water.
Oops!
It took every scrap of self-control Pisces had to continue the routine. He knew he couldn’t very well stop everything, shift, and go hunting for that special someone, even though every fiber of his being screamed at him to do just that. Instead, Pisces did his job.
Still, each time Pisces swam by the area where he knew his mate sat, he searched the stands—not that it helped. There was absolutely no way for him to pinpoint who the mouth-watering aroma belonged to.
As soon as the show was finished, Pisces couldn’t help himself. Even as the people continued to mill around, snapping pictures of them, he swam to the far side of the aquarium. He rubbed his side against a tile that appeared like any other. It depressed ever-so-slightly.
In each aquarium and tank, there was a button. If, for some reason, a shifter had an emergency and needed to leave a shift early, the Roush brothers—their pods’ alpha and beta—had planned for that contingency. Each place had a panel that a shifter could push with their snout, body, or even a fin. It would set off an alarm in the security office, and immediate action would be taken to have the shifter removed from the aquarium.
Pisces desperately needed that to happen...and fast.
To Pisces’s relief, through the haze of the water, he saw several people arrive. The first was Eban, their head of security. The next was Gunner, a fellow bottlenose dolphin shifter. Gunner was usually paired with Sylvia for dolphin shows, and Pisces figured he was there to replace him. The final person making up the trio was Doctor Anthony.
Probably called because I asked to be removed.
As soon as the last of the visitors filed out, Eban closed the doors.
Pisces quickly shifted, taking on his human form. As soon as possible, he pulled himself from the pool. He took the towel Doc Anthony handed him and began drying himself, uncaring of his nudity.
“What happened, Pisces?” Barry asked, giving him a worried look. “You’ve never faltered before.”
“Are you injured?” Doc Anthony asked, sweeping his gaze over his frame in an assessing manner. “Pull a muscle or something?”
“Is that why you asked to be removed?” Eban asked, resting his hands on his hips.
“I smelled my mate while in the air doing tricks,” Pisces quickly explained, nodding at Gunner in thanks as the guy grinned and offered him congratulations before diving into the water. “He was sitting somewhere in areas A through C.”
Scoffing, Barry grinned at him. “That would explain it.”
Eban nodded. “Okay. I’ll have Ovram start pulling footage. Maybe he can do a facial rec or something like that.” He patted Pisces on the shoulder, offering him a grim smile. “We’ll find your mate.”
Relief filled Pisces as he nodded. “Thanks.” Ovram was their pod’s technical guru. If anyone could help him start meeting the people in the stands, he could.
Before he could say more, Eban’s phone rang. As the head enforcer answered the call, Pisces took the clothes the doc offered him and pulled them on. Then he slipped his feet into the sandals that Gunner had discarded before folding the other man’s clothes.
“Glad you’re out of the water already,” Eban stated, drawing Pisces’s attention as he lowered his phone. “Alpha Kaiser has a tracking job for you.” Beckoning, Eban started toward the door. “Come on.”
Pisces would much rather have stalked the park trying to find his mate, but he knew an order when he heard it. Following Eban, he hoped whatever his alpha needed wouldn’t take long. Pisces followed Eban out the doors and settled onto the passenger seat of the utility cart the guy must have used to get there so swiftly.
Eban drove them out of the park to the attached private residential area. There were condos as well as a few homes scattered about the area. Stopping before the main complex that contained offices and conference rooms, Eban put the cart into park.
Without a word, Pisces followed the head enforcer through the building to Alpha Kaiser’s large office.
