Chapter Seven: Fire and Salt
The shore was quiet again. Too quiet.
The boy stumbled onto the sand, wings heavy, sword dragging. His cloak was torn, his body marked with cuts. Each breath was ragged. The sea behind him still frothed with blood.
And then she came.
The mermaid pulled herself onto the rocks, shifting as she climbed. Scales melted, tail split, legs unfurling pale and strong. By the time she reached him, she was fully human — naked, dripping, her glowing eyes dimmed but still alight with hunger and something more dangerous.
She stood before him, trembling from battle, her chest rising and falling. For a long moment, neither spoke.
Then she whispered, almost broken:
"I killed my own people for you."
The boy's throat tightened. He lifted his hand, hesitated, then touched her cheek. Salt and blood slicked his fingers.
"You protected me," he said hoarsely. "Even when I didn't deserve it."
Her lips parted. For once, her fangs did not show. She leaned into his hand like a starving creature finally given food.
The Taste of Fear and Want
Her eyes flickered down to his neck, where a vein pulsed. He felt it — her hunger, raw and sharp. Her fangs grazed his skin. His heart thundered.
"You're afraid," she murmured.
"Yes," he admitted.
"Good." She smiled faintly. "Fear makes the blood sweeter."
His pulse jumped. He thought she would bite. Instead, her lips pressed to his throat, warm and lingering. Not a feeding. A kiss.
He exhaled shakily. For the first time in his cursed life, his red eyes closed — not in shame, but in surrender.
The First Claim
She pressed him down into the sand. Her hair fell around him like a dark curtain, droplets sliding from her skin onto his chest.
"Do you know," she whispered, straddling him, "what it means for a beast to love?"
He swallowed hard. "No."
Her glowing eyes softened, almost painfully human. "It means we never let go. Not even in death."
Her mouth captured his. Salt and iron mingled with heat. Her kiss was hungry, clumsy, dangerous — and yet it was real. For the first time, she was not devouring prey. She was holding him.
The boy gripped her waist, pulling her closer. His wings unfurled instinctively, curling around them both like a shield.
For a moment, the world was only fire and salt.
Between Beast and Human
Later, when the tide crept up to cool their skin, she lay against his chest, half-asleep, her body half-shifting in dreams. One leg human, the other shimmering with scales.
The boy ran a hand through her wet hair, unsure if she would wake and bite him, or wake and kiss him.
"Why me?" he asked softly, not for the first time.
Her answer was muffled against his skin, tender, fierce.
"Because your curse sings to mine. Because we are both monsters. And monsters deserve love too."
Chapter Eight: The Salt of Desire
The fire he had built on the shore was almost dead, embers glowing faintly beneath the driftwood. The boy sat cloaked in shadow, wings folded tight, his sword beside him.
And she came out of the surf like a vision.
Her armor was gone. Her trident leaned abandoned against the rocks. She walked barefoot across the sand, human in shape, water dripping down her pale skin. The moon painted her curves silver.
Her glowing eyes never left him.
"You still resist me," she said softly. "Why?"
The boy swallowed, heat crawling up his throat. "Because I don't know if you'll love me… or kill me."
Her lips curved, but the usual cruelty was absent. She stepped closer, kneeling before him, placing his trembling hands against her waist.
"Then let me show you," she whispered.
The First Embrace
Her kiss came slow this time, not wild like before. Her lips lingered, tasting him as though memorizing his soul. His wings trembled, unfurling as if to wrap her in shadow.
The boy's breath caught as her body pressed against his, warm and fragile in its human skin. Her heartbeat drummed quick and uncertain, as if she feared him just as much as he feared her.
"Do you feel it?" she murmured, guiding his hand to her chest. "My heart. It beats for you."
The boy's red eyes burned. For the first time, he wanted the curse. He wanted to be what she saw.
Fire and Water
Their clothes fell like discarded armor. The sand was cold, but her body was heat and salt. She clung to him, whispering words he did not know, half in her tongue, half in the language of the sea.
And when he entered her, she gasped not like a predator — but like a woman undone. Her nails dug into his back, her teeth grazed his throat, and he let her, even when blood welled.
For a moment, they were not cursed boy and beast of the sea. They were just two souls, burning together under the moon.
The Change
But then, as the tide rose, her body shifted. Her legs shimmered, split, and lengthened into her turquoise tail. Scales slid beneath his fingers. Her kiss deepened, more desperate now, as though afraid he would pull away.
The boy froze. Half of him screamed to recoil, to run. But the other half — the darker half — pulled her closer, wrapping his wings around them both.
"Even like this…" he whispered raggedly, "…you're still mine."
Her eyes widened, tears glowing faintly blue in the moonlight.
"And you," she breathed, voice breaking, "are finally mine."
The Salt of Blood
She bit him then, hard enough to draw blood. He cried out, but did not push her away. Her lips drank, trembling, as though she could not stop.
When she finally tore herself back, red stained her mouth. She kissed him with it, sharing the taste of himself. He kissed her back, shuddering, his own fangs grazing her lips.
The fire died completely. Only moonlight, blood, and salt remained.
Chapter Nine: Shadows Beneath the Tide
The boy woke to the sound of waves.
For a moment, he thought he was alone. His cloak was damp, his sword half-buried in the sand, wings aching from how they had curled protectively around them through the night.
But then he felt her.
The mermaid lay across his chest, half-human, half-beast. Her tail shifted lazily with the tide, scales catching the dim light of dawn. Her face was peaceful, her glowing eyes closed for once, fangs hidden. She looked almost… human.
Almost.
He reached up, brushing wet strands of hair from her cheek. She stirred, lips curving into the faintest smile.
"You're warm," she murmured, voice still thick with sleep.
He swallowed hard. "So are you."
The Promise
She lifted her head, eyes piercing into his.
"Do you regret it?" she asked suddenly.
The boy froze. "What?"
"Giving yourself to me." Her tone wavered, sharp but trembling beneath. "Loving something… like me."
He met her gaze, red eyes steady despite the exhaustion, despite the curse that had followed him since birth.
"I regret nothing," he said. "Not even the blood. Not even the danger."
Her lips parted, trembling. "Then… you're mine."
"I've always been yours," he whispered back.
The Omen
The tide surged violently, pulling higher than it should have. The mermaid's head snapped toward the sea, her pupils narrowing to slits.
"No…" she hissed under her breath.
"What is it?" the boy asked, reaching for his sword.
She slid from his chest, tail slapping against the wet sand as she straightened. Her glowing eyes burned with sudden fear.
"They know."
"Who?"
"My people. My kin. The sea itself." Her hands clenched, claws threatening to show. "They've felt it — the blood I spilled, the bond I claimed. They'll come."
The boy rose, wings spreading wide, cloak snapping in the sea breeze. His hand tightened on the sword's hilt.
"Then let them," he said. "I'll cut down anyone who tries to take you."
She turned, staring at him in silence. Then, slowly, a wicked smile curved her lips.
"You'll fight the sea itself for me?"
"I already have," he replied.
The Beast's Heart
Without warning, she kissed him hard — not gentle, not tender, but fierce, devouring, as if he were her lifeline. Her fangs grazed his lips, but she did not bite.
When she pulled away, her voice was hoarse, shaking with emotions she rarely let free.
"Then I'll fight your world for you. Humans, beasts, gods — I'll kill them all if they try to take you from me."
Her words were a vow, as sharp as her blade.
The boy smiled faintly, blood still on his lips.
"Then we're cursed together."
The sea roared in agreement, as though promising to test that vow soon.
Chapter Ten: The Sea Comes for Its Beast
The night broke violently.
Storm clouds churned above, lightning lashing the sky in jagged veins. The tide surged unnaturally, clawing at the beach with waves tall as towers. The boy knew this wasn't weather. It was a summons. A judgment.
He stood at the shoreline, cloak whipping in the wind, sword drawn. His wings unfurled like shadows made flesh.
Beside him, the mermaid shifted in the foaming surf, her body between two worlds. Her turquoise tail gleamed, scales glowing faintly with sea-light, while her upper body stayed human — save for her glowing blue eyes and the savage curve of her fangs.
Her voice was a low growl.
"They're here for me. For us."
Kin of the Abyss
The sea cracked open, and they rose.
Her kin poured out from the depths — armored in shells and seaweed, scales glistening like oil. Their weapons were coral-forged, jagged and cruel. Some rode monstrous eels with snapping jaws, others sat astride sharks whose fins cut the waves like blades.
Their voices boomed together, a chant carried by the storm:
"Traitor… Beast… You have forsaken the sea."
The mermaid gripped her trident tight, water swirling violently around her. She bared her fangs.
"I have forsaken nothing," she roared. "I chose him!"
Gasps rippled through the army. One warrior hissed back:
"Then you will die with him."
The First Clash
The boy's sword gleamed as he lunged forward. Wings flared, he cleaved through the first attacker, splitting the creature's head in a spray of dark blood. Spears rained down, but his feathers hardened into a shield, deflecting each strike with metallic clangs.
The mermaid surged past him, riding atop her shark. She speared an enemy clean through the chest, ripped the trident free, and laughed — a chilling, wild sound that echoed across the storm.
"COME THEN!" she howled. "Your blood belongs to the tide tonight!"
The sea itself answered. Waves crashed, crimson foam mixing with salt as corpses floated back into the dark.
The Hunters Arrive
But the battle did not belong to the sea alone.
From the cliffs above, torches flared. Dozens of human hunters appeared, cloaked in black, bows drawn and swords gleaming. Their leader stepped forward, raising a blade etched with glowing red runes.
The boy froze. His red eyes widened.
"No…" he whispered.
The mermaid slashed another kin across the throat, snapping her head toward him. "What is it?"
He gritted his teeth, wings trembling as the rune pulsed in answer to his curse.
"They know who I am."
Between Two Worlds
The hunters loosed their arrows. Black shafts screamed down into the sand. One pierced the boy's cloak, grazing his shoulder. Another struck the mermaid's shark, sending the beast thrashing in blood.
She screamed, a sound of rage and grief, and dove into the water, summoning a wall of waves that rose like a hand to smash the hunters back.
Her kin pressed harder from below, shrieking as they lunged for the boy. He cut them down one by one, his sword glowing faintly as though drinking their blood.
The storm became a battlefield of three armies — sea kin, humans, and the cursed lovers.
The Vow in Blood
The mermaid leapt back to him, landing in the sand with her trident dripping red. Her eyes burned with fury, but when they met his, something softer broke through.
"They will never stop," she panted. "Neither sea nor land. They'll hunt you until the world ends."
The boy's chest heaved, blood trickling from his lip. He smiled faintly, defiant.
"Then let them," he said. "As long as you fight beside me."
Her lips curved in a savage grin. She kissed him there, in the middle of the carnage, blood staining both their mouths.
And then they turned together, back to back — wings and trident raised.
The sea roared, the hunters screamed, and war swallowed the shore.
Chapter Eleven: The Tide of Blood
The storm split the sky in two.
Arrows screamed down from the cliffs. Spears tore upward from the waves. The boy and the mermaid fought between them, back to back, their shadows painted in blood and lightning.
The sand was slick with corpses — scaled kin torn apart by the boy's sword, hunters drowned by her waves. Still, more came. The sea itself had no end. Neither did human greed.
The Boy Unleashed
A spear pierced his wing. Pain exploded through his body. The boy roared, ripping it free, his red eyes blazing brighter than fire.
Something inside him snapped. His wings spread wide — not just feathers, but jagged blades of shadow, slicing through the nearest warriors like scythes. His sword hummed, glowing as though it had been waiting for this blood.
Hunters faltered on the cliffs, whispering:
"The cursed one… the prophecy…"
The boy did not hear them. His curse had become his weapon.
The Mermaid's Wrath
Below, her shark bled out, its body sinking into crimson surf. The mermaid's scream shook the waves themselves. Her trident flared with bioluminescent light, and the ocean obeyed.
She summoned a whirlpool beneath her kin, dragging them down into the abyss. Eels snapped and were crushed. Scaled warriors clawed at the surface, screaming, before vanishing beneath the tide.
"You dare touch what's mine?" she roared, eyes glowing blue like fire beneath the waves. "I'll feed you all to the dark!"
She rose atop a wall of water, riding it like a queen of storms.
The Breaking Point
But for every foe they cut down, ten more came. Hunters' rune-blades sliced through his feathers. Her kin's enchanted spears pierced her scales.
The boy staggered, blood slicking his cloak. The mermaid dropped to her knees beside him, clutching his arm, snarling at anything that dared approach.
"We can't hold forever," he rasped.
Her eyes burned with fury and fear. "I won't let them take you."
"They'll take both of us," he said, coughing blood. "Unless we run."
The Retreat
She hesitated only a moment before slamming her trident into the surf. A wave surged upward, wrapping around them like a cocoon. Hunters shouted, arrows flying uselessly into the wall of water. Her kin screamed as the sea pulled back violently, dragging them all into confusion.
The boy wrapped his wings around her as the tide carried them away, swallowed by storm and night.
In the Deep
Darkness. Silence. Only their ragged breathing.
She clung to him beneath the waves, half-dragging, half-holding him against her chest. Her glowing eyes softened, even as blood seeped from wounds across her arms.
"You're mine," she whispered fiercely into his ear. "Even if I have to kill the whole world to keep you."
The boy's red eyes met hers, heavy with pain but blazing with devotion.
"Then kill the world," he said weakly. "I'll burn it with you."
She kissed him underwater, salt and blood sealing the vow.
Chapter Eleven: The Tide of Blood
The storm split the sky in two.
Arrows screamed down from the cliffs. Spears tore upward from the waves. The boy and the mermaid fought between them, back to back, their shadows painted in blood and lightning.
The sand was slick with corpses — scaled kin torn apart by the boy's sword, hunters drowned by her waves. Still, more came. The sea itself had no end. Neither did human greed.
The Boy Unleashed
A spear pierced his wing. Pain exploded through his body. The boy roared, ripping it free, his red eyes blazing brighter than fire.
Something inside him snapped. His wings spread wide — not just feathers, but jagged blades of shadow, slicing through the nearest warriors like scythes. His sword hummed, glowing as though it had been waiting for this blood.
Hunters faltered on the cliffs, whispering:
"The cursed one… the prophecy…"
The boy did not hear them. His curse had become his weapon.
The Mermaid's Wrath
Below, her shark bled out, its body sinking into crimson surf. The mermaid's scream shook the waves themselves. Her trident flared with bioluminescent light, and the ocean obeyed.
She summoned a whirlpool beneath her kin, dragging them down into the abyss. Eels snapped and were crushed. Scaled warriors clawed at the surface, screaming, before vanishing beneath the tide.
"You dare touch what's mine?" she roared, eyes glowing blue like fire beneath the waves. "I'll feed you all to the dark!"
She rose atop a wall of water, riding it like a queen of storms.
Whispers of Desire
On the cliffs, the hunters saw him clearly in the lightning flashes — the dark-haired boy with red eyes, wings torn but still burning with shadow.
Some of the hunters hesitated. They knew the stories. They had heard the gossip of kingdoms.
"He's the one…" one whispered.
"The cursed heir… the warrior no princess could tame."
It was true. Before this night, his beauty and mystery had drawn many. Daughters of kings, princesses cloaked in silk, and noble maidens draped in jewels had all whispered of him, longing to be the one to melt the curse behind his crimson gaze.
They had offered him gold, kisses, even kingdoms.
But he had turned them all away.
Their "love" was shallow. They desired the shadow, the danger, the wings — not him.
Only here, drowning in blood and salt, had he found a love that saw his curse and did not flinch.
Only here, in the arms of a beast, did he feel human.
The Breaking Point
But for every foe they cut down, ten more came. Hunters' rune-blades sliced through his feathers. Her kin's enchanted spears pierced her scales.
The boy staggered, blood slicking his cloak. The mermaid dropped to her knees beside him, clutching his arm, snarling at anything that dared approach.
"We can't hold forever," he rasped.
Her eyes burned with fury and fear. "I won't let them take you."
"They'll take both of us," he said, coughing blood. "Unless we run."
The Retreat
She hesitated only a moment before slamming her trident into the surf. A wave surged upward, wrapping around them like a cocoon. Hunters shouted, arrows flying uselessly into the wall of water. Her kin screamed as the sea pulled back violently, dragging them all into confusion.
The boy wrapped his wings around her as the tide carried them away, swallowed by storm and night.
In the Deep
Darkness. Silence. Only their ragged breathing.
She clung to him beneath the waves, half-dragging, half-holding him against her chest. Her glowing eyes softened, even as blood seeped from wounds across her arms.
"You're mine," she whispered fiercely into his ear. "Not the princesses, not the nobles. Me. Always me."
The boy's red eyes met hers, heavy with pain but blazing with devotion.
"I never wanted them," he said weakly. "I wanted the one who could love a monster."
She kissed him underwater, salt and blood sealing the vow.
Chapter Twelve: The Cave of Whispers
The tide carried them deep, past reefs jagged as teeth and shadows where beasts stirred. The mermaid guided them into a cavern hidden beneath the cliffs, a place where the sea hummed low and secret.
Bioluminescent algae painted the walls with eerie green light. Stalactites dripped like fangs from above. The boy staggered as they surfaced onto a jagged rock shelf, his wings dripping water and blood.
He dropped to his knees, sword clattering beside him.
"Stay still," she snapped, catching him before he collapsed fully. Her hands were slick with his blood, but her grip was steady. "You've lost too much."
She tore cloth from his cloak, pressing it hard to his wound. He hissed, but did not push her away.
Intimacy in Wounds
Her eyes glowed faintly in the cave-light, softer now than they ever were in battle. She leaned close, breath warm against his neck.
"You fight like a god," she murmured, voice trembling with pride and fear. "But even gods bleed."
His lips curved faintly despite the pain. "And beasts love."
She froze, her glowing eyes searching his. Then, slowly, she kissed him. Not wild like the battlefield, not hungry like the shore. But slow. Tender. As though afraid he might vanish if she let go.
When she pulled back, she whispered:
"I'll protect you. Always. Not like those human girls, parading in silks, chasing your shadow. They never saw you. I do."
His red eyes softened. "That's why I chose you."
The Royal Curse
But their moment of stillness did not last.
A low hum filled the cavern. The boy stiffened. His sword — lying on the stone — glowed faintly, the runes along its blade pulsing red. His wings twitched painfully, as though remembering something he did not.
The mermaid's gaze darkened. "It's your blood. The sea reacts to it. Even the stone knows your name."
"My name?" he rasped.
"Yes." She touched his chest, just above his heart. "You're not just cursed. You're royal. The last heir of a line that once ruled the surface and the sea alike. The witches cursed your birth so no crown could rest on your head."
He staggered back, horror twisting his face. "That's why the hunters chase me. Why the nobles' daughters pretended to love me. They want the blood. Not me."
The mermaid gripped his chin, forcing his red eyes to meet her glowing blue ones.
"Then let them want it. Let them bleed for it. You are mine. Not theirs. Not the crown's. Not the sea's."
Salt and Blood
The boy trembled, torn between rage and despair. But she kissed him again, harder this time, biting his lip until blood welled. She licked it away, her voice husky, deadly.
"Your blood may belong to the world," she whispered. "But your heart belongs to me."
He pulled her against him, wings curling tight around her, his voice hoarse with devotion.
"And I'll burn the world before I let it take you from me."
The cave seemed to shudder at their vow, the tide outside rising as though listening.
Somewhere in the depths, something old stirred.
Chapter Thirteen: The Stirring of the Deep
The cave was silent, but not still. The sea whispered through cracks in the stone, carrying secrets older than kingdoms. The boy lay against the jagged wall, wings folded tight in exhaustion. The mermaid sat close, her tail curled beneath her, trident across her lap. She never stopped watching the entrance.
Her eyes were sharp, glowing faintly in the dim. But beneath the warrior's mask, her hands trembled against his skin. Every rise and fall of his chest was a fragile reassurance.
"You've lost too much blood," she whispered.
"I've lost worse," he rasped, a faint smile pulling at his lips.
Her jaw clenched. "Don't joke."
The Murmurs of the Sea
From the tide outside came a low thrum, like the heartbeat of some colossal beast. The boy stirred uneasily. His sword — lying on the rock — pulsed with faint light.
The mermaid's gaze darkened. "The ocean moves. Something stirs beneath us."
He lifted his head, frowning. "Your kin?"
"No. Older. Hungrier." Her voice dropped. "You awakened it. Or perhaps… we did."
The Shadow of the Past
He leaned back, red eyes narrowed. "Always the curse. Always something chasing me."
Her fingers brushed his jaw, surprisingly gentle. "Not chasing you. Fearing you."
"Fearing me?" He gave a bitter laugh. "The cursed child, the monster with wings. What's there to fear?"
She leaned closer, lips ghosting his ear. "Because you are more than a monster. You're the key. The last thread of a throne that tied land and sea. If you claim it, the oceans themselves will bow… or break."
His blood chilled.
The Vow in Shadows
He turned away, shaking his head. "I don't want crowns. Or kingdoms. I don't want shallow kisses from princesses who see only a prize. I don't want power."
Her lips curved into a smile that was equal parts fierce and tender. She leaned in, her forehead resting against his.
"Then you'll take nothing," she murmured, "except me."
Their lips met again, harder this time. The cave around them pulsed faintly with bioluminescent glow, as though even the stones answered their union.
The Stirring Becomes Roar
But the kiss was broken by a tremor that split through the cave. Rocks tumbled from above, splashing into the water.
The sea outside roared as though alive, the waves thrashing violently. From the depths, an unearthly bellow rose — neither beast, nor storm, nor god, but something that had slept since before men walked.
The boy staggered to his feet, clutching his sword. His wings spread, dripping, torn, but defiant.
The mermaid spun her trident, tail slapping against the stone, her glowing eyes locked on the darkness at the cave mouth.
"It's awake," she whispered. "And it wants you."
Chapter Fourteen: The Leviathan's Call
The cave mouth split with thunder.
A wave crashed inside, flooding the stone floor. The boy braced himself, sword raised, wings spread despite the pain. Beside him, the mermaid coiled, her trident gleaming with eerie sea-light.
And then it came.
The water bulged outward, rising as though the ocean itself drew breath. From the blackness surged a body vast as mountains, scales jagged as stone, eyes glowing like lanterns in the abyss.
The Leviathan.
Its roar shook the cavern walls, deafening, primal.
Blood and Salt
The mermaid slammed her trident against the stone, summoning a wall of water to push it back. But the beast struck with a tail like a collapsing tower, smashing the wave apart and sending her sprawling.
The boy leapt forward, wings straining, blade slashing at the Leviathan's snout. Sparks flew, but the strike barely scratched its armored hide.
The monster's maw opened wide — rows of teeth like spears. It lunged for him.
"NO!" the mermaid screamed. She surged up, knocking him aside just as the jaws snapped shut. Water exploded, rock shattered, the cavern trembling.
She clutched him fiercely, eyes blazing. "It's not here for me," she growled. "It's here for you."
The Curse Awakened
The boy's chest heaved, blood dripping down his arm. His sword pulsed, the runes glowing brighter, almost in rhythm with the beast's roar. His wings trembled, feathers shedding like sparks of shadow.
"It knows me…" he whispered. "It's bound to my blood."
The Leviathan's eyes locked on him, unblinking, ancient. The hunters' whispers echoed in his head: The cursed heir… the prophecy…
Lovers Against the Abyss
The mermaid grabbed his chin, forcing his red eyes to hers. Her voice shook with both fury and love.
"Then we kill it together."
He managed a grin, sharp and defiant, even as blood stained his lips. "That's the first thing you've said tonight that I like."
She kissed him hard, quick, fierce, then shoved him aside as the Leviathan struck again. This time, they were ready.
Wings of shadow slashed through the air, carving into the beast's eye. The Leviathan bellowed, thrashing. The mermaid hurled her trident with supernatural strength — it pierced the beast's gill, a geyser of black blood spraying across the cave.
The cavern shook, rocks falling, waves surging.
The Leviathan recoiled into the deep with a roar that promised it would return.
In the Aftermath
The boy staggered, dropping to one knee. His sword dimmed, his wings trembling. The mermaid rushed to him, clutching his face in both hands, frantic.
"You fool," she hissed. "You'll tear yourself apart."
He smirked weakly. "Better to break beside you than bow to anything else."
Her lips pressed to his, salty, desperate, a kiss born of blood and survival.
Above them, the sea raged. The world had heard the Leviathan's call. Nothing would ever be the same.
Chapter Fifteen: Echoes of the Deep
The cavern lay in ruins. Saltwater pooled on the stone floor, glowing faintly with the blood of the Leviathan. The boy sat slumped against the wall, wings ragged, his sword dull in his lap.
The mermaid knelt before him, her hands running over his chest, checking wounds with a tenderness she showed to no one else. Her lips pressed to his shoulder, his jaw, the edge of his throat, desperate to reassure herself he was still alive.
"You fought like death itself," she whispered.
He gave a tired smirk. "And you… like the storm that drowns gods."
A Lover's Vow
Her glowing eyes softened. She cupped his face, pressing her forehead to his.
"I told you before," she murmured. "You are mine. Not the princesses who offered you crowns. Not the nobles who chased your shadow. Not the sea. Not even fate."
His red eyes burned, softer now, wet at the edges. "And you are mine. Even if the world tears itself apart around us."
Their lips met again — not frantic, not desperate. Slow. Certain. A kiss that was both vow and surrender.
The Ripple of Fear
Far above, the world felt the tremor.
On the surface, hunters pulled their ships ashore, whispering in terror of the roar that shattered the waves. "The Leviathan wakes," one muttered. "And with it, the cursed heir."
In kingdoms of stone, nobles trembled. Princesses who once pined for the boy shivered at the thought of his red eyes and black wings. Some still dreamed of binding him to their beds, claiming his bloodline for their thrones. Others whispered of killing him before he rose.
Beneath the sea, the mermaid's kin gathered in fear. Some called her traitor for fighting against them. Others hailed her as queen of storms, bound to the warrior who could rival the abyss itself.
The Weight of Destiny
The boy stirred, his voice hoarse. "They all want me. For blood, for crowns, for power. None of them… for me."
Her lips brushed his ear, her voice low and fierce. "Then let them come. We'll bleed them dry. Feed them to the dark. I'll never let them take you."
He chuckled weakly. "You sound jealous."
She smiled, sharp and deadly. "I am. And gods help the fool who tests it."
He laughed, then winced, blood trickling anew. She caught it with her lips, kissing him as though to seal the wound.
The Sea's Answer
But the ocean had its own vow. From the depths came another tremor, fainter but rising, as if the Leviathan's retreat was only the beginning.
The boy tightened his grip on her hand. She pressed her trident against the stone, eyes narrowed toward the dark waters.
Neither spoke. They didn't need to. The sea had awakened, and destiny was coming with it.
Together, they would face it — blood, storm, and love.
Chapter Sixteen: Schemes Above, Shadows Below
The sea calmed, but the world did not.
The Council of Hunters
In a stone hall lit by oil lamps, the hunters gathered. Their armor was scarred from the storm, their faces pale with terror.
"The Leviathan," one spat, slamming a fist against the table. "It woke. And not by chance."
Another leaned forward, voice low. "The boy. The cursed heir. His blood calls to it."
Murmurs rippled. Some wanted his head. Others wanted his wings cut and chained. But all agreed on one thing: he could not be ignored any longer.
A captain sneered, pouring wine into his goblet. "Let the kings send their daughters again. Dangle soft flesh and sweeter lies. He'll break, same as any man."
But no one noticed the shadow in the corner — a cloaked noblewoman, lips curved in a secret smile.
Princess of Silk
Far away, in a chamber of gold and silk, a princess stood at her mirror. Her fingers traced the memory of his face: the red eyes, the cruel beauty, the wings like a fallen angel.
She whispered his name like a prayer and a curse.
"They say you belong to the sea now. To a monster." Her reflection smiled bitterly. "Then I will make the monster bleed."
Her maids shivered at the venom in her voice.
Beneath the Waves
In the hidden cave, the boy stirred awake, body aching, wings twitching as though haunted by the Leviathan's roar.
The mermaid was already awake, sitting guard with her trident planted in the stone, eyes glowing faintly in the dark.
"You should rest," he murmured.
She didn't turn. "And let you bleed out while I sleep? Never."
He pushed himself up, hissing, then smirked. "You sound like a wife."
That made her glance back, a flush of blue light flickering in her eyes. "And you sound like a fool."
But she moved closer, curling against his side, tail brushing his legs. Her hand slid to his chest, pressing against his heartbeat.
"You're mine," she whispered again. "Not the princesses. Not the hunters. Not the sea."
His red eyes softened. He tilted his head, fangs brushing her lower lip. "Then claim me."
Her lips crashed into his, rough and desperate, the cave filling with the sound of waves hammering the rocks.
The Whisper in the Deep
But even as they kissed, the sea whispered. The water in the cave stirred, glowing faintly with bioluminescence.
The boy froze, pulling back. "Do you hear that?"
The mermaid's eyes narrowed. She rose slowly, trident raised.
The voice came from the water itself, low and ancient:
"Heir of wings. Bride of storm. The sea is coming for you both."
The tide surged, spraying across the stone.
The world had begun to move.