I dove into the deep chasing ghosts. I found a merman whose silver gaze shattered every truth I knew. Azarian. He claimed me in a cave of ancient songs, his voice carving into my bones. I escaped. I thought the miles of ocean would dissolve his hold. They didn't. The bite mark on my shoulder burned — his mark, his claim. My own teammate trapped me. They wanted the creature who had loved me in silence for years. I screamed his name. The sea rose like judgment. Glass shattered. Steel twisted. Thro
