The Six | A Reverse Harem Novel | ✔️

Twenty Seven

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They were coming, but not fast enough. I darted through the water, seamlessly cutting from one place to another. For a moment, I thought I was safe, but more sharks appeared.

My arm, still cut and bleeding enough to leave a trail of red behind me, was stinging under the pressure of the salt. Whimpering quietly, I forced myself to press on. The ship was a little over 3 kilometers from me, an easy to distance to cross when I wasn't injured and exhausted.

"We're coming, Blue." I closed my eyes as Jason's voice cut through the comm again. "We're coming." The sweet words, a litany, did little to calm my racing heart.

Gasping harshly, my body rocketed to the side when a shark burst into my vision. It had been aiming for my injured arm and caught the wetsuit instead, dragging me backward half a kilometer. I was just barely able to keep my scream at bay. However, my frightened sobs broadcasted over the comms clearly.

"Blue...?" I sealed my lips shut and kept moving, fighting the nausea and dizziness. "Babe... I need you to answer me, let me know you're okay."

Charlie.

His voice.

An anchor through my chaos sounded distraught and weak. He felt the same thing I did: helplessness, fear, and loneliness. Shaking my head, I pressed forward.

Fins and teeth appeared and disappeared, diving for me with practiced precision. Accomplished hunters, each one fighting to be the first to take a bite out of me. Every time I swung my injured arm, it felt a little more whole; the nanites working tirelessly to close the gaping gash on my forearm.

"Blue...," he sighed, "please talk to me."

I shrieked as another shark darted across my vision, nearly taking off my head.

"Blue...?"

Was my name all he could say? I didn't need this right now; I was fighting to make it back to my original position before the shark carried me away. Hot tears blurred my vision. Everything had fallen apart. My desire to help had done nothing and here I was, trapped, useless and about to be savagely torn apart by beasts. And Lewis, Lewis was still lost.

"Please?"

I screamed again as a shark whipped past me, nearly catching me with his yawning jaws. "Charlie..." Gasping his name was painful, a knife twisting in my chest. My eyes cataloged each shark, recognizing and displaying their species. "I'm sorry."

He backpedaled. "No, no, no, no, no... don't say that, Blue. It was my fault."

"It doesn't matter." I argued, feeling my frame lose power. Soon, I'd be a sitting duck, ready to be devoured. "I shouldn't have said what I said. I'm sorry, I do trust you," I sucked in a breath of air, stunning the tears cascading down my face, "I love you."

"Blu- you're going to be fine..." he started, but his voice faded away as I glanced up.

Coming towards me at full speed, its gaping mouth wide open, was a great white shark. Exhausted and spent, I continued to kick my legs and wait, watching as death stared me down. Strangely, my mind and body felt at ease, ready to let go. I'd leave behind Jason, Michael, Charlie, Hayden and Chris, but nothing else.

At least, this way SolJourner would never get my designs and the world might be a little safer. And now, the remaining members of the Six would have a shot at normal lives. Taking one last deep breath, I stopped treading water, and reached forward just as the shark reached me.