That evening, as the sun went down, Rowan and Kaerius were still with each other on the rocks. They had to be together until it was time for Rowan to go home. Otherwise, their night would feel horrific. Neither Kaerius nor Rowan knew what would happen to each other while they slept. They didn't know how long they could last apart.

Kaerius was thankful that water and land separated them. Developing feelings was too natural and staying away ensured that he wouldn't be tricked by his own emotions. He had offered Rowan his tail when the human was upset. Kaerius couldn't believe how much he let his guard down without realising it. As much as he wanted to convince himself that the bond was manageable, he knew he was only lying to himself. It wouldn't take long for either of them to get used to each other's company. Kaerius only hoped that Laiken and Jaiker could find a way to stop his soul from craving Rowan's before it got too late.

"I should go home," Rowan said quietly. The water was calm, the beach was empty, and the sun only just poked from the top of the horizon, ready to leave that side of the world for another night. Rowan's arms wrapped around himself. He was only in shorts and a t-shirt because the days were still hot, but the nights were chilly.

Kaerius stopped flicking the water when Rowan spoke. He was starting to feel tired too. "I sleep," Kaerius said while rubbing his eyes. He wanted to curl himself around the kelp and dream of playing in big waves.

"I guess I'll see you in the morning, and we can figure this mess out," Rowan mumbled, climbing to his feet. His legs felt stiff. As he turned, Kaerius said his name and his spine shivered. He eyed the Thalassic Mortal who had already started moving away from the rock.

"No cry," Kaerius said before dipping under the surface, leaving nothing but a rippling effect behind.

At the reminder of why Rowan felt so upset, he breathed in and out as calmly as he could and hurried up the beach. He had spoken to his mother by text, so she hadn't come looking for him. Rowan didn't know if his father had told her what happened. He hadn't spoken to her since he denied her offer of having dinner.

"Rowan?" Mandy said when he walked through the front door.

"No, it's an intruder," Rowan replied and left his flip flops by the front door. His stomach tightened and growled with hunger. He didn't have the energy to eat and wanted to curl up on his bed and watch things on his phone to distract himself.

Rowan barely made it halfway through the hallway before his mother left the kitchen and stood in his way. "You look... terrible," he said with honesty. His mother looked pale from sickness and exhausted from lack of sleep.

"You still look ill. Are you sure that sitting on the beach all day was a good idea?"

"I'm fine," Rowan sighed and tried to edge around her, but Mandy remained in his way.

"There's something off about you," she said, looking him up and down. "You seem tense." Mandy then sighed deeply and crossed her arms. "I have a whole night to kill. Should we talk about what happened to you last week? I'll let you tell me how you really feel. You might feel better by shouting. I know I do when I see Michael."

Rowan softly shook his head. It throbbed like he banged it against something hard. "No. I'm just tired and need sleep."

"I know we don't have that mother and son relationship, but I know when something's bothering you, so tell me because you look like you've found the hole to hell and almost fell in," Mandy said and tried to take her son's arm, but Rowan backed away. "There's food in the microwave. Do you-"

"Mum, just leave me alone!" Rowan said more forcefully than he wanted. Though it worked, and he successfully passed her in the corridor and hurried up to his room.

As soon as Rowan shut his bedroom door, the silence reminded him of how lonely he was starting to feel. Rowan rushed to the window and opened it. The noise of the waves released a small percentage of his tension as he collapsed onto his bed.

It was almost 9pm in the evening, and Rowan made a mental note to himself to remember that time. If he was to understand the bond and how it would make him feel, Rowan had to study himself as time went on. His soul would get tired of fighting to be with Kaerius. Rowan knew that it would harm him. He had to write down symptoms of having a distressed soul.

As he thought about sitting at his desk and doing anything that required effort, it made Rowan reluctant to move at all. Before he knew it, his eyelids were drooping shut, his body was relaxing, and his thoughts were drifting. Rowan was mentally exhausted. His brain needed a lot of rest.

He turned over and curled himself up in a blanked his grandfather had made him many years ago. It was turquoise and made of thick wool that would keep him warm with the window left open. Rowan buried his head into his pillow and found it too easy to fall asleep. In no time at all, Rowan was breathing deeply and lost in his dreams of purple eyes glistening in the sunlight.

* * * * *

Kaerius discovered rather quickly that he couldn't make it to the underwater caves and back to his uncle. The further away he travelled, the more lethargic and sicker he felt until he threw up the contents of his stomach, which disturbed a lot of the fish.

Kaerius slowly made his way back to the rocks, observant of any boats that might be lurking on the surface. He found a place underneath where Rowan usually sat. It was a hole big enough to fit Kaerius if he curled his tail around himself like a cat would do when they slept. He had to fight a crab for space, but Kaerius won and slotted himself in the hole until he felt snug enough to close his eyes.

The water moved gently. Kaerius would never usually sleep so close to the surface, but it was the closest he could get without feeling like he was going to burst. The bond was strengthening, which troubled the sea creature enough to keep him awake for an hour longer. Every time he started to drift, he would see Rowan's bright green eyes against his tanned skin. His heart would elevate, and Kaerius would remember that he had limited time to get rid of the bond. His body would then want to start swimming and do something.

Eventually, he fell asleep, but it was only for a few hours. While Kaerius had slept, the water started moving as if it was irritated. The force of the waves that crashed onto the rock threatened to suck Kaerius out of his hiding spot, then smash his back against the rock.

After twenty minutes of hitting his head off the hard surface, Kaerius uncurled himself and swam back and forth with annoyance. His chest felt as if a line of jellyfish was attached to Rowan and himself, and every time he moved, the line would strain and shock him with their sting.

"I cannot live like this," he grumbled in the Thalassic Mortal tongue. Kaerius lifted his head above water and was hit with a powerful wave, and he crashed into the rock. Kaerius allowed the water to push him further onto the rock as he gripped at the seaweed and heaved himself along until the sea couldn't reach him.

Kaerius's skin looked like human skin, but it was more stringent, and the rocks barely left a mark. Kaerius rested his tail out in front of him and shook the water from his hair. Rowan had read from his file that if Kaerius airdried, he would be able to walk on land.

The thought made the Thalassic Mortal want to throw up again, but he couldn't sleep, he was in pain, and he couldn't stop thinking about the human. Kaerius had to be close to Rowan in order to rest. He didn't want to be the one to reach out first, but Kaerius had no choice. He could feel that the human was sleeping. Through all the aching, there was an undertone of tranquillity. Kaerius knew Rowan was relaxed, and he felt jealous and pleased at the same time.

The wind helped dry Kaerius quickly. He figured that it was most important for his tail to dry, so he laid on his stomach, so the wind could reach all of him. He felt nervous. He was turning himself into a land mortal just so he could sleep by another land mortal who attracted his soul.

Kaerius muttered under his breath at Laiken for dragging him on the hunt. Kaerius also wished that he pulled back when Rowan impaled his uncle's tail. Then he would never have touched Rowan's skin and sparked the bond in the first place.

Kaerius frowned when the bottom of his tail felt the rough surface of the rock more than what it usually did. His scales blocked out textures of things, but now, Kaerius could feel every bump and all of the slimy seaweed underneath him.

The Thalassic Mortal turned and what he saw made him yell out loud. He scurried backwards clumsily until his back pressed against the rock. He stared in horror at the two legs that had replaced his beautiful turquoise tail. His tail would shimmer in the moonlight, but these legs matched the skin on the rest of his body; pale and all one colour. The toes moved at the end, and the feeling made Kaerius's stomach a little tender. He wanted to faint.

"No, no, no," he breathed to himself before flinging his body back into the ocean. The water submerged him as he gulped in its salty fluids. The imposter legs kicked furiously against the water, both moving at random times and speeds. Kaerius couldn't believe how weak they were.

It didn't take long before they fused together, and his tail emerged in seconds. The transformation was oddly painless compared to the aching in his chest. Kaerius spun around and around, checking his tail, stroking it, and apologising to it.

When his heart calmed down, Kaerius held onto his fins and allowed himself to float against the current, looking like a dog who had finally caught his tail and refused to let go. Getting to Rowan wasn't going to be as easy as he thought. Kaerius cherished the saltwater travelling in and out of his gills, knowing that he would have to try again. It wasn't safe for a Thalassic Mortal to be so weak and tired at night. He would be safer with Rowan until the morning, and he would be in a lot less pain.

Kaerius started to psych himself up, staring at the surface to where the land waited for him to transform into something he wasn't. Kaerius grimaced and aimed for the rocks, telling himself to be strong. He had to stay calm for long enough to break into Rowan's house and be by his side until the sun rose again. He couldn't do that if he was freaking out. Kaerius had to be brave. He had to be a courageous Thalassic Mortal, the Thalassic Mortal who could ride even the biggest of waves, fight off whales, catch huge fish, dominate the seas, and hopefully, dominate the land.