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"I hate the water."
Jayna clung to the sides of the boat, her complexion the greyish-green of the sea. I stretched one leg to release the kink in my knee; her fingers tightened upon the wood, digging her nails into the grain, as the boat swayed and tipped. Dark shadows danced all around, turning bare branches into grasping arms, jumping fish into flickers of danger.
The silvered moon was a mere glimmer of a crescent high above us. It was almost time.
"I'm sorry, love. There's no other way." I held my voice low and soothing, whispering across the way between us.
Her answering smile was one of gritted teeth clenched tightly. "I know. That doesn't mean I have to like it. But I will do what must be done. For you."
I risked tipping the craft again, setting it in motion as I leaned forward to touch her cheek. She sat stiffly, turning only her head to press her face into my hand. My voice was gentle. "I love you." My thumb brushed her lips. "Remember that."
I let the engine die and the boat coasted to stillness upon the brackish water. Only Jayna's hoarse breath, shaking with each slow pull of air into her lungs, broke the silence. No waves rocked the boat; no movement unsettled us. Inch by inch, moment by moment, Jayna relaxed.
Her hands rested loosely on the sides of the boat, still holding but no longer clinging for dear life. She managed a shaky smile. I inched forward, taking care not to jar the boat back into motion, until I knelt before her.
"Is it time?" She tried to swallow the quiver in her voice.
I took her hands in mine, clasping them together over her bent knees. A faint croaking echoed nearby, like a depth of frogs sounding at once. I looked up, my gaze meeting hers. "It is."
Pleasure lit her face, clearing the grey into soft peach and roses, her dark gaze melting with her love. She leaned down cautiously to kiss me, tasting me as I slid my hands up graceful limbs to pull her into my arms. "I love you," she whispered, breath tickling my lips. "I'm glad you'll be my first... even it must be here."
Her blouse parted beneath my deft fingertips, falling open to bare her skin. I kissed the cleft above her collarbone, the skin warmed by passion, blood thrumming beneath the surface. I leaned back to pull her over me, cradling her as I murmured words into her hair. One hand slipped beneath her blouse to tease her desire as my voice called to the depths.
The hoarse bellow came all around us, as if contained in a bubble that burst through the tepid, graying water. Jayna started, almost stood. I twisted her around in a strong embrace; she melted against the comfort I offered. I used the rocking to carry us both to the floor of the boat as I twisted her neck in my hands until I felt sharp resistance.
I cried out to It; energy swelled within me. One twist further, and the bones popped in my grasp.
"For you." I pushed her over the side, a gift to the shadow that rose from beneath the yellowing depths. The maw opened, drinking in water with her body, and I clung to the sides as I prayed the boat would not capsize and sacrifice my own life as well.
Yet I knew it would not. The beast and I had an understanding more than a decade long. I brought the virgin's blood, the sacrifice to beg for safe harbor and plentiful fishing. The sailors would be protected and my village would prosper for another year.
The shadow sank beneath the surface, returning to its home beneath the sea. I started the motor again, interrupting the tranquility of the sea as I turned my boat towards home.
Until next year, when I would return to give my love to the beast.
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