She released a relieved breath that bubbled to the surface. Smiling, she turned, but Knigh had already spotted it, his eyes wide, an uncertain crease between his brows. If she hadn’t known whale sharks weren’t carnivorous, she’d probably be wearing the same expression.

She nodded reassurance and pointed up—best they refill their lungs now, then dive again to get a full view of it swimming past.

“A whale shark,” she told him once they surfaced. “I’ve only seen one before, and that was a juvenile, not yet fully grown. It was trapped in a fisherman’s net. Saba and I cut it free.”

His eyebrows raised. “So, not a man-eater?”

She grinned and shook her head. “Come on, let’s take a closer look—this is probably the biggest sea-creature it’s safe to get close to.”

They dived together, and once they were at the whale shark’s depth, she tugged on his hand, taking them closer to the precipice. Her gift told her they were still several feet from the treacherous current.

Releasing him, she kicked right to the edge of the reef, and as the whale shark approached, its great, flat head came just a few feet away. Her heart hammered to be so close to such a giant.

Twisting, she watched the creature pass, the great sweep of its tail propelling it against the current with deceptive ease.

As it faded into the blue distance, Vice grinned and kicked up to the surface.

There were rare magical moments in life, and this had been one of them. And of all the people in the world, she’d shared it with a pirate hunter.

Laughing, she looked over her shoulder. “Wasn’t that—Knigh?”

No sign of him.

“Knigh?” She turned in all directions, but he hadn’t surfaced. Her stomach dropped. He couldn’t hold his breath longer than her—they’d established that in the other dives. He had to be reaching his limit if he was still under.

She inhaled, then ducked her face, searching for—

Movement—out past the edge of the reef, Knigh’s arms and legs pumped against the current dragging him away.

Bollocks, he must have drifted out too far while she’d been watching the whale shark.

Swallowing, she dived, pushing her awareness into that swift stream of water. With one arm stretched towards the current, she focused on just that. Gods, it was strong—how had the whale shark made it look so easy to swim against?

Knigh was now a dark, shrinking shape.

Her hand flexed into a fist, tension solidifying every muscle in her arm. With her mind, she pulled. The energy burned through her, arms and legs soon aching as if she’d been in an hour-long fight. Her heart thundered, the sound of her pulse pressing on her ears.

He wasn’t getting any smaller, but he hadn’t come any closer either.