She took another step with him leading her, the water waist high now. She marveled at the fact that she was in her thirties and had never been that deep in the ocean before. Her fear of the sea was a mystery to her. Her mother always told her that some people are born with different phobias, and that if she absolutely didn’t feel that she could overcome it, then not to worry about it. The water could always be avoided.

But Quinn had worried anyway. She wanted to be strong. Independent. Phobias didn’t fit into that description.

“It’s nice, eh?” he said.

She nodded. Her breaths were coming fast and ragged, as though she’d just run a mile. The current was stronger than she’d imagined, and she struggled to keep her footing. Another tickle against her ankle caught her attention, and she looked down, seeing a hand-size yellow-and-black fish inches from her.

“I can see a fish,” she said, surprised that the water wasn’t as dark as her imagination had predicted.

“It’s a yellow tang,” Liam said. He was staring down too.

She almost screamed, but it wouldn’t do to make those around her think there was a shark or something, when it was probably as harmless as an oversize goldfish.

Another wave came crashing toward them, and Quinn felt the sand shift beneath her feet. The waist-high water was quickly chest high, then chin high. She could no longer touch bottom, and she let go of his hands and began to tread water, trying to turn herself toward the beach.

“It’s okay, Quinn,” he called, his voice getting lost in the wind. He reached for her, but the force of the current pushed her farther away. “Just let the wave carry you.”

I will not panic.

Another wave came—this time a big one—and then Quinn was completely underwater and flailing. The wave toppled her until she didn’t know which way was up. She screamed, her lungs filling with the salty water that was strangling her.

Her eyes were wide open, and the salt stung. As she thrashed, trying to steady herself, a shadow came sliding in from her peripheral view.

It wasn’t Liam.

It was the biggest sea turtle that Quinn had ever seen. It was actually the only sea turtle she’d ever seen in real life, and at first she was terrified. But she realized she wasn’t thrashing anymore. The turtle had maneuvered itself just so until it was eye to eye with her, less than a foot away.

Its gaze had calmed her instantly, even as she knew she was nearly out of air.

As she looked into the turtle’s eyes, she was taken aback at the intelligence within. She realized the feeling that came over her was a sense of familiarity that was absolutely impossible. Somehow, she knew this creature, and it knew her.