Oh, Bite Me (Guardians of the Deep 1)

Poet and J.D. leaned over her, trying to help her wake up, when a new set of hands grabbed hold of the ladder. This time, Evelyn pulled herself onto the boat. She was hurt and bleeding even worse than Penny.

“My God,” J.D. said.

“Evelyn, please stop this,” Poet begged. “You’re both hurt. We can live together in peace and you can both live long happy lives.”

“This bitch dies today,” Evelyn said.

“Why do you hate me so much?” Penny asked.

“I don’t hate you, sweetie,” Evelyn informed her. “I hate him. And if you’re what makes him happy, then you’ve gotta go.”

Penny knew if she didn’t do something soon, and quickly, Evelyn would kill her. Poet was in no shape to go back into the water. He was still trembling by her side. Juan Diego wasn’t going to be any help at all. And Thane was somewhere else. He was busy fighting his own battles. This one she needed to handle by herself.

Evelyn’s footsteps slapped against the boat in wet thuds, so Penny knew she was close. So was Juan Diego who was still squatting down next to her. Even closer was the knife on his belt. It was small, something probably for cutting open fish, but it would work. Summoning all the energy she had left, Penny turned when Evelyn was only a few feet away. Her rage took over and with the raised blade, she charged at her foe, dove at her, and slammed her body against her all while stabbing her in the face and neck repeatedly. They both went overboard.

The water was a cloud of red as both women s

hifted in an instant. This time, Penny fought through her pain and did her best to remain focused. The fear of losing herself in the confusion that happened between human and shark transformation kept her aware. Evelyn in her tiger shark form snapped at Penny, but Penny moved out of the way in time to dodge the attack. She tried to swim around and attack Evelyn from the side, but her enemy was much wiser, stronger, and faster than she was. Her only advantage was the amount of blood seeping out of Evelyn’s facial wounds. This only allowed Penny to dodge Evelyn’s attacks, but she still didn’t have the skills to launch an attack of her own.

Then, through the bloody ocean fog, things seemed to move in slow motion as Penny saw what was approaching. It was a giant great white shark. Poet had come to save her again.

Thank God. I love you, Poet.

The great white came at them fast, but it was aiming at Penny, not Evelyn.

No, wrong shark, Poet! No!

Penny swam out of the way just as the bigger shark nipped at her fin. Circling around, she watched as the shark soared up toward the bottom of J.D.’s boat where it turned around and aimed right at her again.

Oh shit!

“Poet, no! What are you doing?” Penny said in her mental voice.

“What’s happening?” Thane replied.

“Thane!” she said in her head. “A great white is coming at me. Poet’s coming at me.”

“Poet would never,” Thane said. “That can’t be Poet. Poet, is that you?”

“I’m on the boat,” he said.

“Get in the water, fast!” Thane ordered.

The oncoming great white was much too close for anyone to save Penny. Or at least that’s what she thought. Its face was so close, only a few feet away, and she could never, even in her nightmares, dream up a face so full of hate. Its black eyes were beady, distant, absent love or any kind of caring. A scar ran up one side of its face. It had the look of a real warrior, a shark that had seen its fair share of battles and had been on the winning end of them all. Its jaws opened wide and were about to close on her when a splash sounded off from overhead and a new great white sped down at her, slamming its snout into the head of the other.

Poet had saved her this time. The real Poet.

Both sharks wriggled and spun. Penny wanted so badly to help Poet, but she was in no shape and wasn’t prepared to fight a great white. She would have to handle Evelyn, but it seemed the injured she-shark had fled the scene.

“I’m on my way, Poet!” Thane yelled. “Get out of there if you can.”

“He’s fucking big,” Poet said. “I can’t handle him. I don’t fight like this. I can’t…”

Penny was about to reach the ladder when she looked down and saw the larger of the great whites take a giant bite out of the side of the smaller one.

“Poet!” she yelled.

Poet’s fins shook once, then twice as he held onto his life. The bigger shark let go of him and swam around quickly to attack again. Poet was no longer moving, only sinking toward the ocean floor. With only inches before he would clamp down on her friend again, Penny thought it was over, but then Thane flew into view, sinking his teeth into the side of the great white the same way it had with Poet. Thane’s mouth wasn’t nearly as large as the bigger shark and it only did half the damage.