It would never be long enough.
The trees feellush and full beneath my coils in a way they haven’t for a long time. The Dead Lands’ trees were always sparse and lacking, the rot within them too thick to make them perfect. Now, with magic back in the land and Cora leading the realm, the trees no longer rot.
The world no longer suffers, it thrives, just like us monsters, and it’s all because of her.
“How long are you going to slither through the branches?” she calls up, laughing at my clear excitement. It’s been so long since I’ve felt good trees, I can’t help myself.
I’m sure she can only catch a glimpse of me every now and then, my pearlescent white scales standing out when the sun catches them. I playfully drop down in front of her so my torso is even with her face, startling her.
“Boo,” I tease, my fangs appearing when I smile.
Her answering laughter and the brightness in her eyes makes my stomach flip. I love this human far more than I’ve loved anything in my life. Cora is glorious, a true queen, who barely understands how important she is not just to her mates, but to the entire realm. Even now, the inhabitants of the new world speak nothing but happy things about their new queen. She’s everything a queen should be.
She’s everything to me.
“I got you something,” she purrs.
Dropping down completely from the tree, I wrap my coils around her, bringing her in close. “Ah, yes, the mysterious gift Bracken said you got each of us. I’ve been waiting.”
Her smile turns into a scowl. “That incessant gossip can’t keep a secret.”
“In his defense, he didn’t tell me what it is, only that you have a gift for me, though I did see his dagger.”
She pushes her blonde hair away from her face and smiles at me. “Well, at least there’s some surprise then.” Pulling a package from her bag, she holds it out in front of her. “For you.”
I gently take the package from her hands, making sure not to snatch it like I’d like to. I’ve never been given a gift before, and my excitement nearly overcomes my manners. Still, I don’t realize I’m shaking until her fingers curl around mine affectionately.
“I hope you like it.” She worries her bottom lip between her teeth, as if she’s nervous about my thoughts.
I’m certain I’ll love it no matter what it is, but I can hardly form the words to tell her that. Instead, I carefully unwrap the parcel and stare at the items nestled in the silk. Tiny lilac blue gems, her favorite color, are arranged in two golden settings. I blink at the jewels, realizing she bought me earrings to replace the ones I already wear.
Her mark. Her color.
“Our initials are in the backs of them,” she says softly. “See? There’s C and an N.” I open my mouth to answer, but nothing immediately comes out, and her face falls. “You don’t like them.”
“I love them,” I say hastily, holding them up to the light. “Just as I love you.”
I remove the studs I’ve worn for years and replace them with the newer, more meaningful pair. “How do they look?”
Her eyes crinkle as she takes them in. “Perfect.” She stands on her tiptoes and presses a chaste kiss to my lips. “Now, catch me if you can, snake boy.”
She takes off running with a giggle, and I stare after her for a few seconds, amazed by my good fortune. I never thought I would find someone like her. I never thought I could be so loved. I touch my fingers to the jewels in my ears before I give a whoop and take off after her into the forest, hunting her once more.
* * *
Her legs kickin the water as I swirl around her, churning up the sea in my kraken form. I am careful not to sweep her too far beneath the waves for fear that I will accidentally drown her, but I know, even if I made that mistake, her magic would kick in and save her. Sometimes, it is easy to forget that my beautiful human is capable of far greater things than most.
She leans back and floats on the surface as my tentacle reaches up and braces her, making sure she doesn’t sink. I let her soak for a few minutes before I transform and tread water beside her, letting the salt from the sea soak into my skin. The ocean is no longer as dark as it used to be, and far more inviting now, but there are still dangerous creatures in these waters. Luckily for us, most of them fear me, so we remain unbothered.
I wear the bracelet she gave me around my wrist. The rose gold chain is intricate in its design, but not as much as the tiny kraken charm on it. She laughed as she gave it to me, but I was ecstatic to see a small pearl beside the kraken. I thought of it as representations of us, a way to immortalize us both so that I’ll always remember. It’s now my most prized possession.
We do not talk, not because we do not want to, but because we relax in companionable silence, letting the sea wash away any troubles.
There sits a pile of clothes on the shore—a pair of pants, some boots, and her pale yellow dress—and on top of it all perches a dainty golden crown.
My heart swells so large, I know I will never be the same without her.
So I will not be.
