Page 21 of Echoes of the Tide

“Swim!” she shouted, though her voice was muffled by the helmet. “Please, for the love of god, swim!”

He had no idea what god she was talking about, and likely would need clarification on that soon enough. But first, he wanted to understand why she was so frightened.

“What is happening?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her and flaring his gills wide so he looked bigger to any other of his kind that might try to attack them.

“Shark!”

Shark? He hadn’t seen any... oh. There it was. The massive female was longer than he was. A great white of her size likely had traveled the seas for sixty years, and she was a beauty. Her massive belly was stuffed full already, suggesting she’d had a meal around here recently. Although, the closer he looked, the more he thought perhaps she was pregnant. Shark pups took a long time to grow in their bellies.

Black eyes looked back at him as the great white started toward them. He could read the curiosity in her movements, and that there was no intent in her to harm them. She just wanted to see what the fuss was about.

“You’re scared of sharks?” he murmured, moving his hands up and down her back reassuringly.

“Maketes, now is not the time for questions. Why aren’t you swimming?”

“Because a shark loves to chase, and no one is going to beat her in a race. They are some of the best hunters in the sea.” With some difficulty, he turned her in his arms. She had her back against his chest now, facing the giant shark that meandered toward them.

The beauty wasn’t moving fast. She was just gliding toward them. Ace shook in his arms, shrinking back into him as though she might melt into his skin.

“I don’t like this, Maketes.” The poor achromo was shaking. But he knew he could challenge her fear in this moment. Why should she fear anything in the ocean when she was with him?

“Watch,” he murmured, leaning down so his words were soft against the side of her helmet. “There is nothing to fear from the creatures of the deep.”

As soon as the shark got close enough, he reached out his hand. He gently palmed her nose and turned her in the other direction. As the great white passed them, she looked them over with those dark eyes and then flicked her tail. He held Ace in his arms as the shark brushed against both of their sides, and then he turned with her.

“She wants to show us something,” he said as Ace protested.

“Following her will only provoke her to attack!”

“No, it won’t.” He placed his hand along the shark’s side, flicking his tail until they were almost even with her mouth.

And she didn’t. The beauty guided them through the sea, side by side. She didn’t seem nervous about the smaller fish who swam beside her, nor was she all that interested in the strange creature he held in his arms. She just moved gracefully and with purpose, flicking her tail every now and then but maintaining a slow pace.

The shark was letting Ace get used to her, he realized. Neither of the females were pushing the other. But after a long moment, Ace reached out her hand as well.

“You want to touch her?” he asked.

“Well I—” A soft chuckle interrupted her words. “I guess when else would I have another chance like this?”

“Never.” He reached down and pulled the glove off her hand. Ace gasped, likely with cold water rushing into her suit, but they were going to be inside again soon.

He cupped her hand in his and then drew both of their palms to the shark’s side. Together they stroked the smooth flesh, feeling her gills flare beneath their fingers and the steady beat of her massive heart. And in that instant, he felt all the fear in Ace drift away.

“There,” he said quietly. “You can feel her, now.”

“She’s so soft and strong.”

“Like you.” He hadn’t meant to say that. It revealed far too much about his thoughts and how he was feeling. In a distraction, he looked up at the building and pointed at where the shark had brought them. “Ah, she brought us to the next hole in the wall.”

“What?” Craning her neck, Ace looked where he had pointed. “Well, would you look at that?”

“I’m looking.” He patted the shark’s side one more time and then turned them to head up toward the crack in the tower, hoping she didn’t think too much about what he’d said.

CHAPTER 9

Had she really just swum with a shark? Fuck, she had. She’d seen it with her own eyes. The dark shadow that moved with menacing intent and she’d been so certain it was going to attack them. She’d imagined the terrifying moment when there was nothing but flashing teeth and darkness as she was stuck in the mouth of a massive creature who only thought with its stomach.

Then she’d swum beside the shark that was larger than Maketes, and somehow, she hadn’t been so scared. It had only taken a few moments and then all that fear had loosened. And then she’d touched it. The rough skin was something she would never forget in her life. How could anyone? The shark had looked her in the eyes with that black gaze and she’d felt so seen.

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