Kaerius woke to a weight on his shoulder. The pressure felt like a million crabs pinching him directly on the bone. These were not just ordinary crabs; they were crabs on fire. He groaned and turned onto his good shoulder to shift the pain. His chest clashed with someone else, and Kaerius forced his heavy lids to open.
Bright green eyes were staring right at him. They looked just as surprised as Kaerius felt.
"Sorry," Rowan whispered. Kaerius felt his breath against his face. Exploring different elements other than wetness on his skin was always strange. "The pain in my chest was hurting a lot. I just needed to lie next to you."
Kaerius's skin tingled at the sound of his voice. "Need water," he whispered, ignoring the fizzing feeling around his heart. His soul seemed to screech with happiness whenever Rowan looked at him, was close to him, and admitted that he needed Kaerius to feel good. "Need ocean."
"I can fill the bath with cold water and salt?"
"Bath?" Kaerius asked. His eyes locked on Rowan's mouth. His legs wanted to wrap around Rowan's because Thalassic Mortal's hugged that way. When Rowan moved back and stood up, Kaerius felt the disappointment and wanted to punch his soul.
"I'll show you." Rowan offered Kaerius a hand and the sea creature didn't think twice about taking it. Kaerius still wore the leather gloves and wished that their skin would touch, just for a moment.
Rowan tried to drop Kaerius's hand when he was on his feet, but Kaerius didn't unleash his grip, it only tightened. Rowan assumed he was feeling unstable and needed help, so he did nothing more to pull away.
Rowan guided Kaerius to the bathroom, and Kaerius said nothing. He was too surprised by his lack of ability to separate himself from the human. Could the bond be strengthening quite that quickly? Were Kaerius's thick walls temporarily destroyed because he was injured?
Rowan pried his fingers out of Kaerius's grip and started filling the bath with cold water. There was a large box of sea salt in the cupboard under the sink. When his mother went on hunts, Rowan would need to throw saltwater over her when she returned. Sometimes, when a human was poisoned by a Thalassic Mortal, getting paralysed wasn't the only symptom. Sometimes, the poison drove the victim insane. Rowan covered his mother in saltwater because he wasn't sleep deprived enough to see her black veins. The saltwater revealed her lack of sanity, then Rowan would know that she had been poisoned and he could help her.
Kaerius watched the salt drop into the water and Rowan's hand swish around, mixing it. The muscles in his legs twitched. His sea creature soul longed to submerge himself in the water. He had to feel the cold numbing every inch of him, and Kaerius had to block out the noises with the water that filled his ears. Kaerius longed for the tranquillity and started pulling off his gloves and shorts.
Rowan stopped the water when the bath was almost full. He turned towards Kaerius who stood on wobbly legs. He was once again naked.
"Why do I have a feeling that I should get used to seeing you like that," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Rowan swiftly aimed for the door, and when he stepped into his bedroom, he heard a plunk like a large stone was dropped into a pond.
Rowan looked back enough to stare from the corner of his eye. He turned in time to see a turquoise tail flop over the side of the bath. Curious, Rowan returned to the tub. He knelt on the tiles and peered into the water. The bath was unusually large enough for most of Kaerius to rest wholly covered. The sea creature, with his eyes closed, smiled to himself. Sharp teeth pressed into his lower lip. Kaerius's hands gripped the sides of the bath, and his webbed fingers had returned.
Rowan's attention absorbed Kaerius's tale and his scales. They sparkled against the light above, changing from turquoise to green to mint to blue to teal to turquoise. The shine and the colours and the perfection of each scale made Rowan forget that he was looking at a creature of the sea. His eyes moved down to the two large fins at the end. They were light blue and transparent, curling at the bottom. They were imprinted with strange little swirls and lines, and they even shimmered from a glittery texture.
Kaerius opened his eyes when something warm traced his tail and tickled his fins. He watched Rowan from underneath the water. Rowan's soft fingers felt welcomed, but stroking his tail was as personal as running a hand down a human's thigh.
Kaerius sat up quickly, splashing water onto the floor. He grabbed Rowan's wrist before he had the chance to jump away. Kaerius yanked on his arm and forced Rowan's face close enough for Rowan's cheeks to redden.
The bond will make you weaker, don't give in, Kaerius thought and really wished that he knew more English. "Bond make human weak. Stop being weak."
"I-I just..." Rowan really wanted to touch the scales like they were calling his name and pulling him closer and closer. It was just his soul trying to get close to Kaerius's soul. The sea creature was right. It was weakening him. "I'm sorry. It's just so hard." Rowan's eyes flicked to the poison-filled fingers hurting his wrist. "Please don't scratch me."
Kaerius let go, and Rowan scuttled away, pressing his back against the wall. His soul might want to be close, but Rowan's rational thoughts screamed danger when Kaerius's ferocious gaze burnt him.
"Um," Rowan said to calm his nerves. "How is your shoulder?" The wound had scabbed over while Kaerius slept. The sea creature had only slept for 4 hours. The injury was still red and sore and fresh.
"Stronger than human, even with damage," Kaerius said and crossed his arms, ignoring the grinding feeling his bones made. He scowled at Rowan, who raised a brow.
"You're not that stronger than me."
"Yes."
"You might be a stronger swimmer, but I'm a stronger runner. I guess we're both strong, just in different ways."
"No," Kaerius said, knowing that Rowan was proud of his words. "I stronger." He smirked when Rowan rolled his eyes.
"I would definitely beat you if we had to run anywhere."
"No."
"Kaerius, you can barely walk," Rowan chuckled, and Kaerius sank, so his mouth was under the water to stop himself from smiling at such a pure sound. "Fine, hide from the truth."
For almost an hour, Rowan sat on the bathroom floor, and Kaerius rested in the bathtub. He occasionally turned around and sat up to submerge his fins. He splashed water at Rowan sometimes. It was amusing for Kaerius to watch humans squirm, especially when the sea splashed them on stormy days.
"Now that you're rested, do you want to maybe get Jaiker and ask how to get rid of the bond?" Rowan asked, standing up and stretching his legs and arms. Kaerius didn't look like he was going to be sick anymore. The wound had healed enough that he could bear the pain.
Kaerius nodded, so Rowan pulled the plug from the bath and watched the water drain.
"I'll dry your tail and you-"
"No. carry Kaerius to ocean."
"But-"
"Now!" Kaerius roared. He had time to reflect on his behaviour. He was softening when around Rowan. He couldn't let the bond win. If he had to be tough for the next week, then so be it. Though the fear on Rowan's face hurt more than getting impaled by the spear.
Rowan slotted an arm under Kaerius's armpits and one underneath his tail. His skin was like ice. Rowan was a big guy and strong enough to lift him, but Kaerius was also a big guy, and his tail was much heavier than legs.
Travelling down the stairs with the Thalassic Mortal was no easy task. Rowan had to take each step one at a time.
"Hurry," Kaerius demanded, and Rowan wanted to drop him on the floor and tell him to get himself to the ocean.
"You know, the kinder you are to people, the less reluctant they are to help you when you need it," Rowan said, stumbling down the corridor. He looked nervously into each room. Still, there was no sign of his mother.
When they made it to the rocks, Rowan had the pleasure of lunging Kaerius into the water. The tide had risen, so the water was mid-thigh when he reached the edge of the rock.
Kaerius winced when his shoulder slapped against the surface.
"Oh! Sorry, I forgot-"
Kaerius ignored him and used his tail to push himself deeper under the waves.
Rowan backed away from the edge. The sea was a little rough, and the ripples from the waves rose to his belly button.
He climbed up part of the rock and sat, staring at the view he had grown up with. The ocean had always felt like a second home. Now, it was like looking at a stranger. He didn't feel in sync with the tide. He wanted things to go back to normal. Rowan wanted to study for a degree and ignore his mother's strange life of hunting. He wanted to meet up with his dad and go out for lunch together. He wanted to swim in the sea until the sun started to set. Rowan wanted to the bond gone just as much as Kaerius. He had to live a normal life. If not, then fighting against his mother's wishes for so long would have been for nothing.
Rowan started to feel cold when Kaerius came back with Jaiker. They looked around for him until they spotted him sitting high up on the rocks.
"Human, come, I tell you how to kill bond," Jaiker said. He watched with interest as Rowan climbed down the rock and hesitantly stepped into the water that reached his waist. It was a little more intense, so he stuck to the side to stop each wave from washing him back to the shore.
Kaerius tensed his jaw when he had to swim against each wave. His shoulder hurt a lot.
"How?" Rowan asked. His teeth were chattering. The sun would have made all the difference. The grey sky didn't look like it was going to part for him.
"I tell Kaerius." Jaiker knew he could explain it better that way. He had waited until they were by land to say it because the adventure would begin on the sand. "Listen well," he said in the Thalassic tongue. "To end a bond, you must find every supernatural creature, taking something that makes them supernatural and an element they love. For example, from us, you must take a scale and a few drops of the ocean. From a werewolf, you must take a claw or fur, then something charged by the moon. Understand so far?" Kaerius nodded. "Once you have done this, they must mix together to make something you can consume. You consume it Kaerius, then choose another Thalassic Mortal to be your soulmate and make them consume it too. Each supernatural kind on this earth has soulmates to some extent, which is why you get nothing from humans as it's not a natural part of their existence."
"Okay. That seems like a lot of effort, but it'll be worth it," Kaerius said, already planning what to do first.
"There's a horrid price, though," Laiken warned after Kaerius dipped under the water to smooth through a passing wave. "If you and another Thalassic Mortal consume the... the mixture, the transition from soul to soul will be too powerful for the human."
"How powerful?" Kaerius asked, glancing at the human who watched with patience and hopeful eyes.
"The transition will kill Rowan." Jaiker paused to let his words sink in. "I'm not here to make the decision for you, but is that the price you want to pay, just to make your life a little easier?" Jaiker asked, studying Kaerius.
Kaerius froze and stared at Rowan. He stared intensely enough to concern him.
"What is it?" Rowan asked. "Is it too hard? Is it impossible? Please tell me we don't have to go to another country or something. My bank account won't like that."
Kaerius breathed deeply. Was death worth a lifetime in the ocean? Was a human life worth spending half of his life on land? A few weeks ago, they had both tried to kill each other. Kaerius's mouth dried up from the guilt heating his insides. "It possible," he said, feeling Jaiker's eyes stabbing the side of his face. He couldn't look at him as he said, "We do it." The light that brightened within Rowan started burning Kaerius's heart. "We kill bond," he said.
Jaiker's mouth curled with sadness. Kaerius had a good heart, but he was blinded by the judgement that came with loving a human. Rowan didn't deserve to die. Jaiker only hoped the veil would lift before it was too late.