Raquel and Evan (3rd prequal to werewolf series)

"This is nice." Rebecca said as she stretched out on her beach towel beneath the giant umbrella. "The whole family here at the beach." Raquel nodded and laughed as she watched Kent chase Jordan down to the water. Jordan was yelling at him and pretending to be irritated. Or maybe she really was irritated. They seemed to have a very strange love/hate relationship.

Bethany was wearing a bikini and laying on her stomach in the sun while Greg rubbed sunscreen on her back. Lane had a bucket filled with seawater and was currently on his way back toward Bethany and Greg and Raquel suspected he was planning on dumping that bucket on Bethany's head. Raquel looked around for Jake and saw him standing slightly apart from everyone else with his arms crossed over his chest as he scanned the beach. She sighed.

That was her older brother. Always on the lookout for some potential threat even on a private beach that the family owned. Their father had been training him since before he could walk and now Jake seemed to find relaxing to be impossible.

"Not the whole family is here, mom." Raquel said as she took a water bottle out of the cooler and opened it. "Dad refused to come." Raquel saw a hint of pain in Rebecca's blue eyes but her mother had gotten good at hiding just how badly her mates distance hurt her.

"Everyone that matters is here. Even Jake. How did you talk him into coming anyway?" Rebecca asked. Raquel smeared some sunscreen on her pale, freckled skin and smiled.

"I told him we might need protection of course." she replied. Rebecca rolled her eyes as she took the bottle of sunscreen from her middle daughter and began to put some on. Sadly Raquel and Rebecca both had red hair, pale skin and freckles and were the only members of the family that had to be careful in the sun... Sunburn might heal quickly since they were werewolves but it still hurt.

"Jake, honey, come here." Rebecca said waving her hand. Jake jogged over.

"What is it mom?" he asked.

"Can you relax please? Sit down and....." Before Rebecca could finish there was a loud splash and Bethany let out a scream.

"Damn it, Lane! You immature little prick! I'm going to kill you!" Everyone turned to see Bethany on her feet, wet and sputtering as she stalked toward Lane who was doubled over with his hand on his stomach laughing so loudly that he had tears in his eyes.

"You look like a pissed off mermaid!" he gasped. Bethany screeched and threw her hands in the air. She smoothed out her soaking wet hair, ran her hands over her red polka dot bikini and turned to Greg.

"I cannot fight with stupid," she said motioning toward Lane who simply laughed harder at the insult. "But why the hell didn't you stop him?" she demanded sticking a long slender finger into Greg's chest. Greg was fighting back a smile as he held up the sunscreen.

"I was distracted." he replied honestly. Jake shook his head and turned his attention back to his mom and sister.

"I'm here aren't I?" he asked. "You can't ask me for any more than that."

"Yeah mom at least the hard ass is at the beach. God forbid you ask him to smile or laugh or do something crazy like that." Lane said walking over and throwing his arm around Jake's shoulders. Jake growled and glared over at him but Lane stayed where he was.

"How did I manage to end up with such different sons?" Rebecca asked. Everyone knew the question was rhetorical so no one bothered to answer.

Just then Kent and Jordan came running back up the beach. Jake's head whipped around and he looked out over the water even before Kent said,

"There's some dude getting attacked by a shark!" The entire family was on their feet and at the waters edge within seconds. Sure enough, far out at sea they could see a man fighting a hidden enemy with everything he had. Every now and then a dorsal fin would break the surface or the snout of the Great White would come above water.