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“Thank you for the leaves. I appreciate you too,” she admitted, stroking his forehead like she had Draco, who was now walking into the sea, happy with her praise. I wasn’t sure how I knew he was happy, but that brought a feeling of happiness to my chest too.
Vyper remained before us, waiting for Evie to say more. When she didn’t, he made his discontent known by stomping on the sand, face scrunched up in disapproval.
Evie rolled her eyes. “Stop being a brat, Vyper. I don’t have to praise you every time I recognize something good your brother did. He thought about helping before we even asked him, you however, were busy stuffing your belly. If you want us to praise you more, then think of others too, not just yourself.”
Huffing, he stomped while turning to give us his back. His body slumped on the ground, lifting his tail to us as a retort. Humor travelled through me when he looked at us over his shoulder, narrowing yellow eyes, then continued eating the green leaves.
“He did fly to save you without hesitation when I asked for his help,” I vouched for the green Dragon and Evie smiled, nodding.
“Yes, he’s fearless,” she admitted, and Vyper looked back at us again, that time pleased by her words, though he didn’t fully show it. He was standing his ground. “Because he never thinks of the consequences,” she whispered the last part to me, shaking her head as though he still had much to learn. “And he believes he can take on anything and anyone. He always jumps headfirst into things.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Can you help me lay down now?” Evie’s distressed tone brought my attention back to the present.
“Yes, I’m sorry.” Carefully carrying her, I knelt on the makeshift bed and gently lay her on her back. Small whimpers left her, but she rearranged her body so she wouldn’t feel so much pressure on her ribs. Unfastening the armor from my arm, I pulled the belts that held it together off my body, and placed it on the rock behind me. “I’m going to see if there is anything around here that we can eat. You need food, and so do I.”
“Thank you. Those trees give an oval, yellow and green-colored fruit that is edible. You’ll also see a round white one that is bigger. It appears harsh but it’s actually soft. It contains sweet water we can drink.”
Standing, I walked to where she had pointed, entering the small jungle that bled onto the beach. Maybe it wasn’t her first time on this island. Immediately, I saw the trees she spoke about and my mouth curved into a pleased smirk. Mangos. The oval fruit she had described were mangos. After collecting a few of those, I brought them back to her side and walked towards the palms that lined the shore, stopping on a couple next to where Vyper sat.
They bore large, round white balls where the coconuts should be. Unfortunately, I was going to have to climb them to get the water, so I gripped the tall trunk, and began to climb, getting nasty flashbacks to PE class. Snickering, after the third time I slipped and fell on my ass, Vyper lifted a fist to the trunk and punched it. His side-glare said it all as the water fruit fell from the palm, one of them landing on my head.
“Ouch!”Asshole. Mumbling the curse under my breath, I picked up the strange coconuts and headed back to Evie. I found her biting her lip as she tried not to laugh, a hand holding her injured side. “Sorry,” I mumbled again, but she just shook her head.
“He’s such an ass,” she croaked, clearly in pain.
Kneeling close to her, but facing a cluster of flat rocks behind us, I ripped apart the mangos to find that instead of a large seed covered by the meaty fruit, those actually held several bulbous bits inside—as a tangerine normally would. Popping one into my mouth, the sweet and slightly tangy flavor of the mango inundated my tongue and I hummed in pleasure. It was plump, seedless, and delicious.
Tearing at the soft coconut’s top next, I opened a hole big enough for us to drink, realizing the inside was exactly like the ones we had on earth—with refreshing water and white meat around the husk. Why couldn’t these fruits be like that in my world?
Gently lifting Evie’s head, I fed her a few mango bulbs, and then gave her some of the water. Draco surfaced from the ocean then, holding something between his fists and made his way to us, throwing it on the rocks near me. A long fish that resembled a salmon jerked against the rocks for a few moments, finally becoming still. I felt bad for the fish, but I was glad Draco had brought it to us. It was a great source of Omega-3 and vitamins, so it would nurture us more than the fruit alone.
Reaching for a long and sharp shell I had seen near, I began to slice the belly of the fish and pulled all the gross stuff out of it. My face scrunched up at the idea of eating it raw, but it was better than nothing. Fruity sushi anyone? Opening it wide, I squeezed some juice out of the mango bulbs and threw them on top, then poured some of the coconut water on it too.
Before I could slice a piece of meat, Draco’s hand lifted, shielding me from something. He spewed fire at the rocks, engulfing the fish for several seconds. When flames stopped and his hand fell, I found the fish had cooked over the rock, its skin crispy but the meat inside seemed golden and even a bit creamy with the juicy and now roasted fruit on top.
A full smile captured my features. Evie was right, he was very thoughtful.
Turning away, he returned to the water, coming out a few moments later with both fists packed with fishes and threw them between Vyper and himself, taking the spot across from him on the grass. They began to eat the fish together.
Glancing at Evie, I found her smiling too. I picked up a piece of the cooked fish and fruit, feeding it to her, then took a full bite myself. Holy hell, that was so good.
We became quiet as we ate, until there was nothing left of the large meal, but the scattered bones on the rocks. My gaze once more searched the beach, trying to find something to cover her. As stunning as she was naked, it bothered me that she was bare to the elements, and I didn’t even have a T-shirt she could wear. Though, it didn’t seem to be a nuisance for her. Then something else occurred to me.
“Are there any predators on this island I should be aware of?”
Evie shook her head. “Not on land, but don’t get in the water just in case. It’s dark and certain sea creatures might confuse you with food.”
My eyes went to the crystal-clear sea. There was nothing under the water from what I could see, but I wasn’t going to risk it. Helping her drink some more from the coconut, I placed the husk within her reach. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to see what else I can find for us to shelter for the night.”
With her nod, I stood, and began to walk along the shore, scanning the area for anything that might help us. A pearlescent bunched up material called my attention near some washed-out trunks, and I reached for it, realizing it was some sort of fabric. No. It wasn’t fabric. Yet, I couldn’t really decipher what it was. It was soft but resilient, not ripping when I tugged at it. One side was almost leathery, but silky smooth on the other. It resembled fish skin somewhat, in a white pearlescent hue, but with a color changing shimmer under the moonlight.
I didn’t have the slightest clue of what it could be, but as I stood and shook it in the wind, it uncurled to reveal a substantial length. That would work perfectly to cover us both tonight.
When I returned, her eyelids were fighting to stay open, though her face still showed the grimace of pain. Cleaning everything out of the way, I pulled off my jeans, and placed them with the armor and my shoes. Remaining only in my boxer briefs, I lay next to her, covering us both with the makeshift blanket I had found.
“Hold me…” she murmured with her eyes closed, and leaned into me, cringing with the movement.
More than happy to oblige, I carefully brought her into my side, shifting her a bit so she rested more on me than on her own body. Hopefully, that would relieve some of the pressure off her ribs.
“Thank you.” A tiny smile curved her lips with relief, and I brushed my mouth over hers, kissing her softly.
“Goodnight, baby…” The endearment left me before I realized it, and the smile grew on her lips.
Without another word, she rested her cheek on my chest, finally letting sleep sweep her away in my embrace.
