Nerina's POV
The sound of the waves had changed. No longer soft and calming, they pulsed against the rocks below like a heartbeat—strong, urgent, alive. I sat by the narrow window of the chamber Kaelen had locked me in, trying to piece together the madness of the last twenty-four hours.
I had drowned. I was sure of it. The pull of the sea had been too strong, the weight of water too heavy. But instead of death, I had awakened in a place that shimmered like a dream—part ruin, part beauty. The scent of salt lingered in the air, but it wasn't the ocean I'd known. This sea was ancient, magical, watching me.
Just like him.
Kaelen.
Even thinking his name sent a strange flutter down my spine.
He'd stood in the doorway earlier, watching me in silence. There was something dangerous in his stillness, like he was holding back… something wild. Something dark.
I couldn't decide if I wanted to run or touch it.
A knock at the door broke my thoughts. Before I could answer, it creaked open. He stepped inside.
His black hair was damp, as if he'd just come from the sea. His shirt clung to his chest, and I hated how my eyes lingered there. I hated that he noticed.
"You're awake," Kaelen said, voice low and edged with something unreadable.
"No thanks to you," I snapped, standing quickly. "You kidnapped me. You—"
"I saved you." His eyes flickered to mine. "If I hadn't pulled you out, you'd be lost in the deep now. Or worse."
I swallowed hard. "Then why lock me up?"
"Because you are not ready to know the truth." He walked closer, the distance between us shrinking like the air itself had thinned. "And because... I didn't trust myself."
I felt the shift in him—subtle, but real. Like a current turning beneath the surface.
He raised a hand, brushing a strand of hair from my face. I should've flinched. I didn't.
"You have no idea what you are, Nerina."
"Then tell me."
Kaelen hesitated, his jaw tightening. "You were born of the sea, but cursed by time. A prophecy was made before your first breath—that if you lived your first eighteen years in the ocean, you'd die. So you were hidden, sent to land. But now... you're back, and the sea is starting to remember you."
I stepped back, overwhelmed. "That makes no sense. I'm just—"
"You're not just anything," he said firmly. "You're the Daughter of the Deep. The waves obey you. The storms protect you. And..."
His voice dropped lower, rougher. "And I'm bound to you."
"What do you mean?"
Kaelen stepped closer again. This time I didn't move. I couldn't.
"There's a mark," he said, reaching for my arm. I let him. Slowly, he turned it over and brushed his thumb over the wave-shaped birthmark. "This mark links us. It's ancient. Binding. I was born to guard you... and maybe," he looked into my eyes, "to love you."
My heart slammed against my ribs. "You don't even know me."
His lips curled into a slight, knowing smirk. "Not yet."
And with that, he turned and walked away, leaving me breathless and aching with questions.
But one thing was certain—this wasn't just a rescue.
This was a beginning.