The other pirate shouted from below, voice muffled by the waves, demanding to be hauled back aboard. The tension snapped tight, a storm gathering on the deck. Marcus’s chest burned with helpless rage, the weight of the reef’s destruction pressing down on him. And then — a new sound. A deep rush of water, powerful and fast, cutting beneath the surface.
Marcus’s eyes widened as a massive shadow surged toward the rising figure in the waves. Marcus’s breath snagged in his throat. Through the shifting glare of the waves, he saw the pirate struggling to climb back onto the boat, fingers clawing at the gunwale. Behind him, the water split with terrifying force.