Sea Haven 01 - Water Bound

moments to find him. His body lay against the rocky shelf, the sweep of the kelp holding him prisoner and then releasing him. He was continually pushed against the shelf, and she noted in a calm part of her brain that she’d have to check him for spines if she managed to get him to the surface.
    He wasn’t fighting the kelp or trying to stabilize his body against the sweep of the ocean. She snagged his arm and he whipped around, his wide eyes staring directly into hers. She indicated the regulator and pushed it into his mouth. There was no panic in his eyes, which was good and probably indicated he was an avid diver, but there was no real fear either, and that scared her. He couldn’t just accept death—not if he wanted to live through this. The water was freezing and she had to get him topside as soon and as safely as possible. She didn’t know how badly he was injured. Minutes—
    seconds counted now.
    She kept her arms around him, kicking strongly for the surface, willing him to hang on. She kept her gaze fixed on his, using her eyes, telling him she’d get him to safety. He was a big man. He didn’t fight her, which surprised her. Most people would have panicked. The cold was getting to him, making his movements lethargic and heavy, but each time she pushed the regulator into his mouth, he didn’t protest and he knew enough to blow out when she was using the regulator.
    They stared at one another, and she swore that she felt as if she were falling into his eyes. He didn’t take his gaze from hers, not once, not like everyone else always did. It was as if they were so connected that if they looked away from one another, neither would make it to the surface. She felt as if the water flowed through her to him and back again, binding them together in a strange ritual she didn’t understand. It was hard to breathe, even with the regulator. Her entire being was absorbed into his as if their heartbeat were the same, their pulse one single beat, their lungs in unison.
    She’d never felt so close to another human being, not even Daniel, her fiance. She felt part of this man, as if they shared the same skin, the same lungs. Their eyes were staring into each other’s souls.
    At ten feet, she indicated her gauge and held him to her, her hand clinging to his shirt collar, anchoring him. For the first time he moved, pressing his hand to his heart and then up to the side of his head. She spotted a blood trail and realized he was injured. He wasn’t just cold: he’d been slammed against the rocks and hit his head. That changed everything. She needed to get him to the surface much faster than she’d thought. She kicked, 33

    but he shook his head, indicating he was fine and to wait at least the required minute.
    Rikki watched him closely, now a little nervous that a shark might be attracted and come up beneath them. Her stomach was in knots, an ominous sign. She took the regulator, taking in air, and then pointed up. He made no response but didn’t protest as they once again began their ascent. He was heavy and getting heavier by the moment. She felt the exact moment when he stopped breathing, saw his eyes go lifeless, but he was still calm, no fighting, no panicked moment where he grabbed and fought her. He simply was gone and she was left alone, staring into glassy eyes.
    She kicked hard, taking them to the surface, rolling him onto his back, trying to keep the regulator in his mouth while she looked around for the boat. It had survived the huge swell thanks to the extra scope she’d used. It was difficult fighting her way across the distance with her burden, and she was already exhausted from the wave battering her. It took a few moments to dump the nets from the float ball and attach the hooks to his belt. There was no way to pull his weight into the boat. She would have to use the davit to haul him to the deck.
    She’d left the nets full of urchins in the water. She always left the davit line in the water to hook one float to and to save her the trouble of hooking it up from topside.
    Scrambling on board, she tore off her gloves and tossed them aside as she ran to the davit and pressed the button to raise him from the water. She caught his arm and guided him over the gunwale. His body flopped limply onto the deck. Nearly sobbing with her effort, she rolled him over and tore open his shirt to lay her ear over his heart. Nothing. Frantically she put her fingers to the pulse in his neck.
    “Damn you, don’t