Chapter 163 Till Death Takes Us

Chapter 163 Till Death Takes Us
Lucian’s POV

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

The fear in Selene’s voice hurt me more than the wounds covering my body.

I tried to keep my eyes open and looked toward the island in the distance. We had come much closer than before, but the remaining distance still felt painfully far. My body had reached its limit. Every muscle burned, my injured arm throbbed with unbearable pain, and the fever spreading through me made it difficult to think clearly.

I knew exactly what would happen if we continued like this.

I would become Selene’s burden.

She was already exhausted from swimming through the night, fighting the giant fish and dragging me through the water when I became too weak to keep up. If she continued using what little strength she had left to support me, there was a chance neither of us would reach the island.

I could not allow that.

The last thing I ever wanted was to become the reason she died.

I frowned and reached for the rope holding our life jackets together. My fingers were weak, but I still tried to untie it.

“Selene, I feel a little tired. I need to rest for a bit.”

I forced my voice to remain calm.

“You should go ahead and swim to the island now. I’ll catch up with you later.”

She immediately understood what I was trying to do.

Her hand closed around mine before I could loosen the rope.

“No. We’ll swim there together.”

There was no hesitation in her answer.

I stared at her.

Her wet hair clung to her face, exhaustion showed in her eyes, and her breathing had become heavy. She was struggling too. Yet she was still refusing to save herself because of me.

I could not lie to her anymore.

“I’ll just be a burden to you.”

Saying those words was difficult, but they were true.

My strength was disappearing quickly. I could barely move my arms anymore, and each new wave made the pain in my body worse.

Yet when I looked at Selene, there was no disgust or hesitation in her expression.

Only determination.

Her unwavering support filled my chest with a strange warmth.

For so long, I had been the one pursuing her.

I had waited for her answer, hoping she would eventually believe that my feelings were real. I had wanted nothing more than for her to accept me.

Now she had.

Even if this endless sea became my grave, I could honestly say I had no regrets.

Selene drew in a deep breath.

“I don’t care about you being a burden at all.”

Her grip on me tightened.

“Since I’ve already told you my feelings, I will do my best. I won’t leave you behind.”

I stared at her as she continued.

“This time, I’ll be protecting you. We’ll be together forever, and till death do us part!”

The determination in her voice left no room for argument.

I wanted to tell her not to be stubborn.

I wanted to tell her that loving me did not mean she should risk her own life.

But I knew Selene well enough now.

Nothing I said would change her mind.

So I stopped fighting her decision.

I allowed her to pull me forward while she used everything she had left to swim toward the island.

“Lucian, you must hold on!”

Her voice reached me through the haze filling my mind.

I tried.

For her, I had to.

Selene kept swimming.

Her arms repeatedly cut through the water while she pulled me beside her. Progress was painfully slow, but gradually, the island began to grow larger in front of us.

We were getting closer.

Selene’s breathing became rougher.

Still, she did not stop.

“Lucian, we’re almost there,” she said between breaths. “Just hold on a little longer!”

I wanted to reassure her.

Before I could, another wave crashed into us.

Pain tore through my body, and a grunt escaped me.

Everything felt terrible.

The fever made my head heavy. My wounds burned, my muscles had almost stopped responding, and darkness kept creeping into the edges of my vision.

Part of me wanted to close my eyes.

Just for a moment.

But the little consciousness I still had told me that if I gave in now, Selene would panic.

She had given me everything she had.

She was staying beside me through the worst moment of our lives, refusing to abandon me even when doing so might save her.

I could not let her down.

Not after finally winning her heart.

I forced myself to keep moving.

Every stroke became a battle.

Selene continued pulling me.

Together, using the last strength remaining in our bodies, we fought through the waves.

Then my feet finally touched something solid.

For a moment, I thought the fever had made me imagine it.

But the next wave pushed us forward instead of dragging us into deeper water.

Sand.

We had reached the island.

Selene dragged herself forward with me until the ocean loosened its grip on our bodies.

We stumbled onto the shore.

The instant her feet touched dry land, Selene released a long breath filled with relief.

“Lucian, we made it!”

I looked at her.

She was exhausted, soaked and barely standing, but she was alive.

That was enough.

I managed to smile.

Then the world disappeared.

Everything turned black.

My body collapsed onto the beach.

Selene’s POV

“Lucian!”

One second, he was looking at me.

The next, his body dropped onto the sand.

My relief vanished instantly.

I rushed toward him and fell to my knees beside his body.

Lucian lay motionless on the beach. His handsome face had turned deathly pale, his eyes were tightly closed, and the only movement I could see was the heavy rise and fall of his chest.

Fear gripped me.

After everything we had done to reach this island, I could not lose him now.

I immediately placed my fingers beneath his nose.

For several terrible seconds, I waited.

Then I felt it.

His breath.

Weak, but present.

Air left my lungs in a shaky rush.

He was still breathing.

That knowledge calmed me slightly, but only until I touched him.

His skin was burning.

I quickly pressed my hand against his forehead.

The heat frightened me.

His temperature was far too high.

The wound on his arm had been soaked in seawater for hours, and the infection had clearly become worse. Then he had pushed his body beyond its limits while fighting that giant fish and swimming toward the island.

Now he was paying for it.

I had to lower his temperature.

I had to cool him down and do something about his condition as quickly as possible.

“Lucian, you’ll be fine. I’ll save you.”

I grabbed his hand tightly and brought it toward my lips, pressing a kiss against it.

He had protected me so many times.

Now it was my turn.

I reached for our supplies and pulled out one of the precious bottles of mineral water.

Then I sat down on the sand and carefully lifted Lucian’s head onto my lap.

“Lucian, have some water now.”

I opened the bottle.

He did not react.

His eyes remained closed.

“Lucian?”

Nothing.

My heart tightened.

“Lucian, wake up!”

I raised my voice.

Still, he gave me no response.

I stared at the water in my hand.

He needed it.

After everything his body had endured, dehydration would only make his condition worse.

“Lucian, here, drink some water.”

I carefully parted his lips and slowly poured a small amount into his mouth.

It did not work.

Lucian remained unconscious, and instead of swallowing, the water trickled from the corner of his mouth.

“No…”

I stopped immediately.

I could not waste our limited fresh water, and I certainly could not keep pouring it into his mouth when he was unable to swallow properly.

I needed another way.

I looked down at him.

His face was still pale, and his lips were dry despite the seawater around us.

An idea came to me.

I took a small sip of water and held it in my mouth.

Then I leaned down.

My lips touched Lucian’s.

The heat startled me.

Even his lips were burning from the fever.

For one second, the sensation sent a strange warmth through me, but I pushed the feeling aside. This was not about romance.

Lucian needed water.

I steadied his head between my hands and carefully transferred the water into his mouth.

His body reacted faintly.

A weak sound escaped him as though he instinctively wanted to reject the unfamiliar sensation, but I kept his head secure and made sure the water did not spill out.

“Come on, Lucian,” I thought desperately. “Swallow.”

For a few frightening seconds, nothing happened.

Then I saw movement in his throat.

His Adam’s apple shifted.

My eyes widened.

He swallowed.

Relief rushed through me so strongly that my eyes almost filled with tears.

Finally.

Things were going well.