My eyes widen. I clamor back from thethingthat just stepped out of the pool. What the ever-lovingfuckis that? I saw it briefly back at my cabin, but up close…
The shark-dog tips its head to the side, watching me with keen curiosity. Beneath the low light, I can make out more than his silhouette this time. It’s shaped like a dog, but with fins and a wider, rounder, more stretched out snout like a shark—although with a black nose at the very end like a canine.
It has the same coloring as one of the common octopus breeds in the area: cherry brown, with yellow along his snout, around his eyes, and like socks on his feet.
I find myself leaning closer, noticing the white dots on his stomach and below the fins on the backs of his legs. Are those…suckers?
A shiver rolls down my spine when I catch sight of its razor-sharp teeth. Between its maw is a greenish thing shaped like a ball.
My muscles lock when it steps forward. What are the chances I can outrun that thing?
Nil. Absolutely zero.
Looking it in the eye is a bad idea, but I can’t stop staring, brows stitching together. The creature is really quite fascinating. What did the kraken call him? Chad?
It isn’t quite staring back at me. I follow its line of sight to the coconut in my hand, and I glance at the teeth marks on the pile of husks beside me.
Oh shit. I’m playing with its toys.
My hand trembles, raising the coconut as an offering—no, bad idea. Don’t invite it closer.
Throat bobbing, I slowly—sovery slowly—lower it to the ground and roll the fruit its way, inching from the creature’s pile.
The green ball—another coconut—thuds onto the floor from his mouth. He looks up at me, and I hold my breath. Then, his piercing stare drops to the coconut I rolled his way. Up at me. Back to the fruit. Me. Coconut. Me. Back to the coconut. Me again.
It steps toward me, and I suppress every one of my instincts to jump back with a scream. It presses its snout to the coconut, making the cute aggressive sniffing sound like dogs do. Then, in a move that has me questioning everything I know about biology and animal behavior, its shark tail starts swishing side to side.
The good kind of tail-wagging.
I blow out a breath, feeling like I’ve passed a test I didn’t know I was taking. Before I can question my next move, it spinsaround and trots back toward the pool, leaping into the water in an unceremonious cannonball.
I blink.
What just happened? I’m hallucinating, surely. My attention drops to the coconut it left behind, the only proof I have that my interaction with a shark-dog took place.
I glance up at the hole above the pool and check the alcove with the bed of moss to make sure I’m the only one around. Whatever. It’s gone.
I blow out a breath.
It’s now or never.
12
Ordus
My bag flails against the current, the fish inside it no doubt trying to make their escape. I only caught four for Cindi, which is not enough variety to be worthy of someone as special as my mate.
The muscle in my jaw feathers. I should have searched for crab as well. Many humans enjoy eating it, and I could have fed her myself to avoid her getting hurt by its hard shell. It will take too long for me to swim far enough from my territory to hunt.
Every second away from her feels like my soul is ripping apart—even if it hurts just as much to be around her.
I was a coward for departing without a word. I can only imagine what she thinks of me for leaving her in our barren den. I couldn’t… It was too painful to listen to her rejection. I needed to clear my mind, to think about how to earn her forgiveness and accept me as her mate.
When she sees I have returned from my hunt with plenty of food, maybe she’ll realize I am a capable provider. I do not meanher any harm. I have already shown her my strength by killing five males for her. I… How does one woo their mate?
How do I get her to look beyond my appearance?
I wish Yannig were here so I could ask him what to do. He was my sole source of guidance when I was young. He helped me navigate the other kraken to make myself less…less. My sister may not have concerned herself with such trivial matters, busy studying and ruling our people, but she would know what to do as well. Her mate wouldn’t fear her, even though she’s the deadliest kraken to ever exist.
