I… My throat bobs.

If I had one, there’s nothing left of it. I got rid of it for the sake of keeping my heart beating. Is that why I don’t feel the pull toward him, or am I entertaining the ramblings of a species different to my own?

The waves brush my feet, sending cool splatter up my thighs. I focus on it to keep myself from spiraling, reliving everything that happened over the past five years.

This would be a good surf spot. I’d have the whole beach to myself, decent waves, silence, an aquatic lifeguard.

My brows knit together as I watch Vasz bustle out of the sea, drop something on the beach, then hack up liquid like he’s a typical dog who thought drinking saltwater was a good idea.

Fucking Vaseline.

We both watch as he picks up the round thing he dropped and coats it with his slobber before trotting over to us, tail wagging, ears flopping, paws pitter-pattering on the ground. He disregards Ordus, coming to a stop in front of me. The coconut thuds as it hits the sand, and he noses it toward me, growling when the waves move it back to him.

I blink at the green-yellow item. A coconut.

Wait.

I hesitate when I reach for it. “Is it for me?” I swing my gaze between the two creatures.

Vasz chuffs a noise that sounds eerily like “Duh.”

I snatch the coconut off the ground before he can change his mind. I use more of my energy reserves to turn the fruit around to search for major cracks. There are holes from his teeth, but they haven’t punctured very deep.

“The knife.” For the first time today, a flutter of hope starts in my chest. “Get me the knife,” I repeat to Ordus.

He leaves without question, saying something to Vasz in a language I don’t understand. The shark-dog rolls his eyes then fixes his focus on me, tipping his head side to side. I study the fruit, praying to every god and goddess it’s not filled with seawater.

I look around the beach for a solid surface and pull myself onto my feet to stumble for it. I’m panting from the minute walk it takes to reach the stone.

Ordus returns soon after, handing me the weapon with no care that I might use it to kill him. I stare at the blade for a moment. It’s different to the one I stabbed him with.

Grabbing a fistful of my dress, I clean it as best as I can. I’ll just need to accept that food poisoning is my other greatest threat.

Taking a deep breath, I balance the coconut on the stone and raise the knife above my head. Here goes nothing. I use the force of gravity to plunge the blade into the upper half of the fruit before taking it out.

Liquid sputters and spurts from the gap, foaming around where the thin hole is. I repeat the process three more times, careful not to crack the husk. Each stab takes more energy than the last until I’m buckling over, my injured hand splayed out to hold my weight as a wave of lethargy hits me.

I can feel the two creatures watching me—a quick glance at Vasz tells me he thinks I’m committing sacrilege.

There are better ways to be doing this, but I don’t trust myself not to fuck it up and waste any juice that might be inside.

I rock back on my heels, inspecting the banged-up square I’ve made, wedging the pointed edge to dislodge the lid so I can peek inside. It smells like coconut and the sea, and I can’t for the life of me figure out if the liquid inside will kill me or not. I don’t know jack shit about what the inside is meant to look like. I only know what it looks like in a can, plastic bottle, or a glass mixed with rum and pineapple.

Giving up, I bring it to my mouth without hesitation, ignoring the fact that I swear I can taste Vasz’s slobber. The first drop of liquid hits my tongue, and my eyes drift shut. Sweetness explodes over my taste buds. It trickles down the back of my throat. A moan builds deep in my chest, and I’m out of fucks to stop it.

I might as well be drinking the elixir of the gods.

It’s the best thing I’ve ever had.

I can’t think about pacing myself. I drink every last drop, tipping my head back and shaking the coconut until nothing else comes out.

I grab the knife and chop the top off with renewed energy, scraping the flesh before I put that baby right into my mouth, nibbling at the meat I’ve never dared to eat before. I try stripping the skin off instead to savor all I can.

By the time I’m done, the sun has fallen beneath the horizon, and I learn what a shark-dog looks like when he’s mortified.

“Good boy,” I say without thinking, patting his head.

My stomach is full, my throat doesn’t feel like sandpaper, and I think I could cry from such a simple joy.

I scratch the back of his ear, muttering, “Good job, Coco. You’re so good. You’re such a good boy.”

His eyes light up, and his tongue lolls to the side like he’s in heaven.

“Coco? Yeah? That’s a better name for you, huh?” I coo. “Can you get me more coconuts?” Hope is alight in my tone.

He yips and runs back into the water, faster than I’ve seen him move.

Maybe I won’t die after all, and it might all be because of a shark-dog named after petroleum jelly.

OceanofPDF.com

16

Vasz

I am brave. I am strong. I am fearless.

I have traveled across the sea in search of the most special coconut for my queen. A coconut worthy for my mate—whatever that is. Ordus keeps using the word. I assume that’s what human females are called.

She tasked me, and only me, because I am the best soldier in her arsenal. A good shark-doggopus.

I have not rested for eight days. I feel the exhaustion in my bones. My queen needs me.

I am a good boy. The best boy. She said so.

The stone door rolls to the side, and I swim with all my might, keeping the…twelve coconuts in my mouth, careful not to bite too hard so my queen can—I don’t know what the human did to it. It looked wrong, dangerous, to defile such a beautiful thing in a horrifically gruesome matter. The love of my life was being tortured right before my eyes, and I could do nothing but sit and watch. It was agonizing.

Still, I live to serve. Cindi bestowed upon me a coconut the night she arrived. I gave one to her in return. It was a fair trade. But her words… They spoke to me.

Yes, I am a good boy.

A very good boy.

It’s about time someone acknowledged it.

Bubbles curl around me as I breathe hard, pushing myself through the tunnel. I break past the surface of the water to find Cindi leaning against the wall with Ordus—a very, very bad kraken—nearby.

“Mine,” I pant around the coconut, dragging my feet over to her.

“No, not yours,” the stupid, loud, ungrateful beast growls.

“Mine.”

“Be nice,” she snaps at Ordus, and I give him a smug grin. “What have you got there, buddy?” Cindi rocks forward onto her knees.

Buddy. Me. Her buddy.

A sick thrill ripples down my spine. I am her bestest, most loyal buddy.

I drop the coconut at her feet. “My Queen Mate is fierce,” I heave, collapsing onto my side in front of her, tongue lolling out of my mouth.

“You don’t even call me king,” Ordus complains. “And she isn’t your mate.”

“Silence, peasant. The Queen is—” Stars explode behind my eyes when her small human hand rubs my belly. My back leg kicks out and starts sprinting without me meaning to.

“Good boy,” she praises.

I did good. I did very good.

Cindi asked for coconut. I brought her coconut.

Now, she is rewarding me.

This is how I should’ve always been treated. The stupid pest of a creature needs to learn from my human.

“Vasz, come here,” Ordus growls.

“No, not Vasz.” I stretch my shoulders out, rolling onto my back to give her more belly surface to rub. “I am Coco now.”