“I’m not a bottle of Nyquil,” he argued. “You know it doesn’t work like that.”
“We’ll see,” she said. “I may let this one live for a little bit, but only so I can watch while she breaks your fucking heart like you broke mine.”
Thane tried to dig up a witty comeback, but he couldn’t. She’d always claimed that he’d hurt her, but what she saw as hurting her meant saving so many others. She’d wanted him to join her cause in killing every human that entered the sea. He couldn’t do that, so he turned her away. She would never forget it.
“I’ll let her live,” she repeated. “But…we’ll maim her a little bit. More fun that way.”
“We?” he said, fear filling him inside like ice water poured through his neck.
Fire flashed in her eyes and he knew that look. Drawing him away from Penny had been part of her sinister plan.
He turned to look back at the pure-human girl he’d already fallen for, and saw Axel, that piece of shit, standing next to her. Penny was saying something to him, but the blond weasel’s focus was completely on Thane. His lips crept up in a devious grin.
“No,” Thane said, but before he could take one step forward, Axel turned quickly to the left and slammed his heavy arm against Penny’s chest, tossing her overboard like a ragdoll.
Penny’s scream filled the air as she tumbled out of sight.
Everyone ran toward the railing and as they did, Thane went the opposite direction, knowing if he could get out of view, he might be able to save her. He hit the opposite side of the ship and dove overboard, face first toward the water.
As he soared through the air, his frame exploded like a rocket. An audible boom sounded off inside him and his bones shattered into a million little pieces, reforming supernaturally on the inside into the body of the apex predator he shared his life with. Bones cracked, muscles moved, and organs rearranged. He felt every bit of it, but he’d transformed so many times that it no longer bothered him. It happened so quickly, and he hit the water seamlessly, as if he’d been there all along.
The shortest distance was a straight line, so he took off beneath the boat, racing toward the spot where she’d splashed down. He hadn’t seen Evelyn or Axel hit the water, but he didn’t need to. He knew as soon as the crowd reached the railing, they would have done the same thing he’d done. They were already in the water, and more than likely they’d had others circling the yacht all along, waiting for the moment to strike.
The red foggy blotch of blood was already spreading by the time he got there. A feeling of déjà vu washed over him as he thought of the ship captain he’d been unable to save, and of Bobber, and of all the others he’d failed to protect. He’d only known Penelope for a few minutes, but he knew he had a connection with her and the thought of her being slaughtered or even hurt in any way was too much to handle. He opened his mouth and readied his razor-sharp teeth. This time there would be no warning bite. He would rip Axel’s fucking fins free of his body. He’d leave that bastard plummeting to the sea floor, unable to swim. Evelyn would be next.
***
Penny didn’t know what to think when Thane looked her way. She was instantly worried he might not come back to her once he saw her talking to the blond pretty boy at her side. Her thoughts were on this when the guy turned and slammed into her. Why, she wasn’t sure. Had someone bumped into him?
She desperately reached for the railing, trying to stop her fall, but she had already passed it and was flipping toward the dark water. Her arms flailed but there was nothing she could do. The slick side of the ship gave her nothing to grab hold of. She hit the water hard and was engulfed in its cold embrace so instantly she didn’t know how to react.
It had all happened so quickly.
No, God, no! Please!
She’d never been afraid of the ocean, not the water itself, but as she’d told Thane, it was the mystery that lurked beneath the water’s surface that terrified her. Her mind went there, wondering if sharks might swim upward at her feet the way they did in the movies. She kicked wildly, hoping it might scare anything away.
“Help!” she yelled.
The boat had already passed her but had slowed down. People stood at the side, waving at her, but nobody jumped in. Where was Thane? Where was the blond?
“Help me!” she screamed.
Then she realized she was being silly. The boat had slowed down. Everyone knew she’d fallen overboard. It was only a matter of minutes before she’d be thrown a life saver and then they’d pull her out of the water. It was not like she’d fallen in without anyone knowing about it. She calmed herself and treaded water slowly.
This is a memory. That’s all. It gives you something to laugh about later. You’ll be totally...FUCK!
Her thoughts were interrupted when the searing pain of hot razor wire wrapped around her thigh and pulled down. She went under the water’s surface. Her scream pushed cool water away from her mouth, but then it rushed in, forcing her to drink it. Her breath had gone out in her last cry and she couldn’t breathe. Something was dragging her under and it hurt so fucking bad.
She kicked and with each push, the pain dug in deeper. Her hands reached for the light of the distorted image of the sun she could see shining down. It was so close, but then farther, and even farther.
I’m going to die.
She’d been in so much pain and had been so tired and so worn out for so long that she’d thought often about what it would mean to die. Would she be afraid at the end? Would she be ready to go? Now she could finally answer it. She was fucking terrified. And she was not ready to go.
Penny’s screams came out like a gurgling sucker punch with so little breath behind it. Her body flung from left to right. She was being whipped around and she couldn’t grasp what was happening. What had her in its clutches? Then she saw it, only barely in the dark water, it was a shark. It could pull once and take her entire leg with it, but it didn’t. It seemed to be gnawing on her, playing with her.
I need to breathe. I’m not ready to go yet. I’m so not ready to die!