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I put my arm around Penny as we stride back into the cooking area. She smiles up at me warmly, filling my heart with joy.
“Was this all just a ploy to get out of eating vegetables?”
“Of course not, Penny,” I say slyly. “It may have been an ancillary effect, but I got the coral to please you.”
“Ancillary effect my ass.” Penny snorts good-naturedly. “Well, I suppose your strategy worked, but I’m not giving up. I will teach you to eat more than fish, one way or another.”
“There is one way I can think of…” I say, trailing off suggestively.
Penny only laughs richly, putting her arm around my waist. We chat our way through the rest of the dinner preparations, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. An hour or so later, everything is prepared, so Penny and I head to set the table.
Our dinner table is a massive stone, smoothed by years of erosion and propped up on two smaller rocks below it. We sit on chairs made from driftwood and light candles we got from the elven market.
A few minutes later, our stone table is covered with a lavish feast. All kinds of fish and shellfish decorate the table, along with Penny’s accursed vegetables. We also have a small cask of elven wine, purchased with pearls we scavenged from the ocean floor. We don’t steal everything, after all.
Penny and I enjoy our dinner together for several long hours, talking, laughing, eating, and drinking until we can hold no more. And even then, we stay at the table for a long while, basking in each other’s presence.
“Why don’t we swim up and catch the sunset?” I suggest after we’ve had more than our fill.
“That’s a lovely idea,” Penny responds warmly.
We grasp each other’s hands and walk lazily toward the exit into the open water. With a laugh, I shove Penny into the water and then jump in after her. Penny responds immediately, shoving me playfully once I’m in the water with her.
We push and shove each other for a moment. Then, laughing, we grab hold of each other and kick up towards the surface of the water. We breach the surface a moment later, water streaming down our faces.
Arms wrapped tightly around each other, we turn to face the sunset, our bodies bobbing gently on the surface of the water. The sun is a fat orange ball, half hidden behind the horizon. A beautiful orange haze floats over the water, coloring the world in a soothing glow.
Penny lays her head on my shoulder, and we both let out a soft sigh of satisfaction, knowing in our hearts that we could never be happier.
THE END.
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PREVIEW OF MONTER’S MATE
The Worlds of Protheka is a vast and growing world. Check out one of the books, Monster’s Mate
Monster’s Mate
By Anne Hale & Celeste King
Available on Amazon here!
TANEM
The night is almost as dark as I am.
Almost.
Maybe nothing is darker than I am. I don’t know. I have lived a very long time.
Somewhere in my memory, maybe I can find something as dark as I am.
But I have no interest in searching through my memories for something that doesn’t matter.
What matters is that I am darker than night, and I shift and ripple with the shadows of Eelry.
I am not trying to hide. Not really. I am hunting, and maybe I should hide. Be stealthy.
