Page 35

EPILOGUE

Vasz

“Ordus. Ordus. Ordus.”

He’s not listening to me, holding on to Cindi as she stares at a…

tomb? Boot? I don’t know what the thing is called.

She just yells at me whenever I get it wet.

“Ordus. Ordus. Ordus.”

His face twitches, but he’s still not responding.

All his focus is on cradling Cindi—and not me, which is highly offensive.

The sun is out, the sand is between my toes, and the waves are calling me.

No kraken has dared come near the Island in a long, long, long, long, long time.

They are no threat. Why does Cindi and Ordus want to sit beneath the trees and do nothing?

It’s so boring.

I stomp my feet to get their attention.

More rejection.

Whimpering, I step forward to nudge Cindi’s arm so she’ll throw the stick, but one of Ordus’ tentacles picks me up and moves me further away.

He moves too quickly for me to bite him for such an insult.

Why would he deprive our Queen Mate of something she enjoys so much?

She loves throwing the stick—which I find odd.

It must be a human thing.

I keep having to bring it back to her so she can chuck it again.

It gets tiresome very quickly, but it is my duty to keep her happy.

If I must catch the stick all afternoon to please her, then that is what I will do.

Ordus hasn’t been letting me be around Cindi as much since her stomach became big and round—sometimes it moves like there’s something trapped inside—another human thing, maybe?

My child? Her scent has changed.

There’s a faint kraken smell to her.

I don’t like it.

She never goes out on her surfboard anymore.

She hates me.

She must.

Why else would she not throw the stick?

Why else would she spend all her time with Ordus now?

At night, he even banishes me from the den to do something to Cindi—I’m not sure what, but I’m pretty sure he abuses her in there, and I can do nothing to make it stop.

All I can do is put myself between them and try to protect her from enduring such pain.

He doesn’t even take me to the mainland anymore because the hunt is closer, and I don’t get to see the loves of my life unless I swim out there alone.

He must hate me too.

I whimper, stomping my feet.

The Goddess must hate me too if she has cursed me to an existence where I am ignored.

My ears perk up when she holds her hand out.

“What have you got there, baby boy?”

Oh, she does love me.

Cindi loves me very much.

She called me baby boy.

Panting and wagging my tail, I ignore Ordus’ scowl, picking up the stick to drop it into her hand.

But it falls right back out of my mouth when something pushes her stomach from the inside.

It’s moving again. Why is it moving?

Is my child hurt?

Without heeding Ordus’ warning, I rush over to her, sniffing her belly.

“Speak to me. Do you need help?” I say to her stomach, nuzzling my face right up to it to hear its response.

Cindi looks up at Ordus.

“He’s kicking again.”

My eyes widen.

Is the child hurting my human?

Is this Ordus’ fault?

He rumbles his approval and places his hand over her stomach, purring when he feels the baby move.

Will he take her to the mainland by boat again?

To be seen by the dock tore again—whatever that is?

Why is no one answering me?—

Cindi scratches the spot right behind my ear that—oh yes.

That’s what I’m talking about.

Right there. My back leg starts kicking, and every horror in my life vanishes.

“Ugh,” she complains, disregarding my pouting when she stops petting me and tries moving to her feet with Ordus’ help.

“Yannig’s pushing against my bladder. I need to pee.”

I huff, skulking away toward the trees that have only gotten bigger and more colorful since the Curse was broken.

Maybe I need to find a better stick.

No, I need to go to the mainland to get a coconut.

It has been so long since I’ve gotten a new one.

What if the coconuts have forgotten about me?

What if I’ll never be able to experience that type of love again?

If I can just get one, everything will be alright again.

There will be no more sadness, pain, loss.

Cindi will be awed by my prowess and my ability to hunt them down for her.

There is still much room in my cave for another.

Perhaps I will go to the mainland today to stock up.

But it is so far, and I do not want to go alone.

I mustn’t leave the island unprotected; what if someone tries to harm my child Cindi is keeping from me?

What if Ordus does something to upset her?

Who will be there to keep him in line?

I am so very busy. I do not have time for the things I enjoy.

It’s like the Goddess is punishing me for working so hard.

Yes, I get the pats, and Cindi calls me a good boy, but the love of my life is still out there, waiting for me to bring her home.

I nose the ground, eyes darting to every fly that buzzes past.

Something hits the ground beside me.

I yelp, skittering away from my attacker as I bark at it to show I am not scared.

No, not at all.

The warning growl cuts off.

Is that— no , it can’t be.

But how?

I glance up at the sky before dropping my gaze down at the beautiful, round, green fruit in front of me.

A coconut . I sniff it just to be sure.

A coconut from the forbidden coconut that glows at night.

Oh, she’s perfect. Ripe and green, untouched by harsh seawater.

It’s like a newborn coconut.

But how is this possible?

My tail wags harder and thumps against a tree.

Another coconut falls from the sky.

Is this a blessing from the shark-doggopus Goddess?

I am being rewarded for all my sacrifices.

That must be it. Just as Cindi recognizes my brilliance, so does the Goddess.

My tail hits the tree several times, and another lands on top of the pile.

Am I…am I magical? I simply thought it, and it appeared.

I’m a witch.

Yes, that must be it.

I snatch the coconut off the ground and sprint across the forest in search of Ordus, skittering to a stop when I find him tying something around a tree.

My eyes narrow as I set a curse upon him to do everything I order.

There is only one king on this island.

And that king is me. The End.