Rowan had the most pleasant dream that night. When his mind surfaced, he couldn't remember the content of the dream, but he felt happy. A soft smile was on his lips when he pushed his head into the pillow.

Rowan would have drifted back to sleep if he didn't feel another hot breath against his cheek. Rowan didn't have to open his eyes to remember that there was someone else in his bed. He only had to move an inch, and his body felt another body pressed against him.

Sure enough, when Rowan opened his eyes, another face was inches away from his. Kaerius was so close. A Thalassic Mortal slept by a human's side all night, and Rowan wanted to freak out and pin himself to the other end of the room. As much as he would've liked to coward away, his body refused to move. Rowan was warm, comfortable, and felt like he had the best sleep of his life.

He knew he shouldn't feel that way. His soul craved for another with so much intensity, they had to be together to sleep. To humans, soulmate bonds were unnatural. Rowan didn't like needing someone. It felt as though his independence was leaving him like blood gushing from a deep wound. Surely, Kaerius felt the same.

Rowan couldn't help himself as he stared at Kaerius's face. Now that he was very close, he could stare at his thick lashes and the black rim around his eyes. The two lines that were usually in between Kaerius's eyebrows had relaxed. The Thalassic Mortal was vulnerable and allowed himself to fall into that state because he couldn't put up with the pain. Rowan was glad that Kaerius got the rest he clearly needed.

Rowan's gaze travelled down Kaerius nose, then to his cheeks. His skin looked perfect and smooth. Not a single pimple threatened to break above the surface, unlike Rowan's face. Rowan assumed it was the result of living underwater for all of his life or the fact that Kaerius's skin was different from a human's despite it looking the same.

Rowan's eyes were avoiding looking at Kaerius's mouth, but they settled there eventually. He studied the sea creature's lips. The thought that hadn't yet crossed his mind was suddenly all he could think about. Rowan felt his cheeks heat up as he wondered what it would feel like to kiss him. Kaerius's lips looked like human lips, but would they feel the same?

Rowan quietly cleared his throat and moved his head back a few inches. Regardless of the noise being soft, it had separated Kaerius from his dreams, and he started to wake. Rowan wanted to hold his breath when the Thalassic Mortal moved against him.

Kaerius, before he even opened his eyes, noticed how sore his throat felt. He moved his fingers and noticed how dry and tight his skin felt. Panic zapped through him. Had he washed up on shore? His eyes ripped open. Kaerius expected to see sand all around him. Instead, his eyes met bright green ones who studied him with caution.

Rowan stayed silent as the sea creature's eyes darted around the room. Seeing the purple colour up close was spectacular. Kaerius's eyes were a darker purple around the pupils that blended into a beautiful lilac. They were as vibrant as being in front of a field full of lavender.

Kaerius's gaze fell on Rowan, and his heart loved how close they were. Kaerius's brain however, didn't. He shot up and crawled to the end of the bed. He held his throat and gripped his legs. "Need ocean," he said, and his deep voice sounded raspy. "Need water."

Rowan then noticed Kaerius's teeth and how they were no longer sharp and pointy. They looked just like human teeth. The sea creature's gills had closed, resembling three small scars on either side of his neck.

The sun was only just starting to rise. Rowan checked the time, and it was 5:30 in the morning. "My mum will be downstairs," he said quietly. "She might be able to see you, so I'll have to sneak you out of the house."

Kaerius could hear the waves crashing on the shore. He nodded and climbed off the bed but fell over when his imposter legs buckled underneath him.

Rowan jumped out of bed and hurried over to him. "Do you want help?" he asked as Kaerius gripped at the bedpost to heave himself up.

"Body need ocean," Kaerius said and pointed to his legs. "Need tail. Now."

Rowan stepped closer, and the sea creature ushered him back. Kaerius wanted to walk by himself, but as soon as he stepped without support, his legs collapsed. Rowan jumped closer and caught him before his knees hit the wooden floor.

Kaerius gripped Rowan's shoulders with his gloves on and was pulled against Rowan's body for support. Their chests pressed together, and their faces were once again close. The boys stared, both feeling the sudden rush of excitement from the physical contact.

"Ocean," Kaerius said quietly, biting the inside of his lip, so he focused on the pain, rather than the affection.

Rowan didn't say anything, he merely forced himself to look away and started walked with Kaerius attached to his side. His arm was around Kaerius's waist, and Kaerius's arm was around his shoulders. It was strange for Rowan to be so close to a stranger and feel so comfortable in their presence.

When they reached his door, Rowan's actions slowed as he realised that his bedroom door was slightly open. He curled his fingers around the side and pulled until he had a view of the hallway. He stopped to listen, and when he heard nobody close by, Rowan moved to the stairs. Kaerius gripped his shoulder when they took the first step down.

"Hold the railing," Rowan whispered as they took another step. Kaerius really struggled on the stairs, and by the time they reached the ground floor, Kaerius was deteriorating quickly.

"Rowan?" a voice said from the kitchen, and Rowan quickly moved down the corridor. The kitchen door was slightly ajar as Rowan passed by.

"I'm going to the beach," Rowan replied. His stress rose as footsteps hurried to the kitchen door. In a panic, Rowan turned and shoved Kaerius into the living room.

Kaerius stumbled and fell into the living room, landing heavily on his back, just as Rowan's mother entered the corridor. Rowan froze like a dog who had been caught stealing treats.

"It's 5:30 in the morning," Mandy said, checking her watch twice. Her dark blonde hair was scraped into a tight ponytail. It seemed uncomfortable enough to keep her eyes open.

"I know. I just need the fresh air," Rowan said without moving a single muscle. He was so flushed he couldn't make himself sound less surprised.

"At 5:30 in the morning?"

"Yeah."

Mandy sighed and shrugged. "Alright."

For once, Rowan was thankful that she didn't care. His mum turned and entered the kitchen, slamming the door behind her.

Rowan released his breath and hurried into the living room to help Kaerius who had managed to get himself into the kneeling position. "I'm so sorry," Rowan whispered. Kaerius's scowl made him nervous, but he wrapped an arm around him anyway and pulled him to his feet. "I didn't know what else to do."

Kaerius didn't respond. He focused on moving his human legs with one goal in mind. The ocean.

When Rowan opened the front door, the sea air made Kaerius's mouth water. The sight of the sea motivated him to work a little harder. Getting down the sand dune wasn't easy and moving along the flat sand was even more of a challenge. Kaerius's legs ached by the time they got to the rocks.

Carefully, Rowan guiding him alone to the edge and when they were close enough, Kaerius pushed himself away from him and plummeted directly into the water. Rowan watched Kaerius go under until he faded into the darkness of the deep sea.

He stared until the ripples Kaerius made started to settle. The water was almost back to its calm state until a pair of shorts surfaced. Rowan smiled to himself and got on his hands and knees to reach for them. A webbed hand snatched them first. Rowan sat up as Kaerius surfaced and threw the shorts at him. They slapped against Rowan's chest.

Two gloves then hit Rowan in the chest before Kaerius waved his tail and splashed Rowan with freezing cold water.

"Hey!" Rowan gasped, rubbing his face dry with the back of his hand. "What was that for?"

Kaerius shrugged and grinned, flashing his pointed teeth. He dipped back under the water, and Rowan sat down. He crossed his legs and squeezed the water from his t-shirt. The sun was slowly rising. The fresh air felt nice in Rowan's lungs, but he shivered from his wet clothes.

"I should go back. I think I need a few more hours of sleep," Rowan admitted when Kaerius resurfaced.

"Okay," Kaerius said, and Rowan thought he felt a glimpse of disappointment.

"I mean, I can stay for longer if you want me to."

Kaerius sank into the water until only his mouth and upwards was visible. He stared at Rowan, the human boy who he had slept next to all night. Kaerius caught himself wanting to stay, but he wasn't supposed to want to be with him.

"No," Kaerius said blankly and submerged himself underwater, forcing his body to swim away.

Rowan was left to sit by himself on the rocks. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't a little sad that Kaerius didn't stay. Though, now that he was left to think, Rowan's heart dropped through his body when he remembered about what happened with his father.

Kaerius stopped swimming when his heart was crushed with heavy sorrow. "Rowan," he muttered and turned back to face the rocks. Kaerius felt himself being pulled to the human like a strong current. Kaerius needed to see his uncle and whether Laiken had found information on breaking bonds.

Wanting to go back to Rowan was a sign that the bond was getting more powerful every day. Kaerius used all his strength to continue swimming deeper into the ocean. He couldn't let the bond win. He had to persist for as long as he could. Then maybe he could finish living a life in the sea instead of planning his future around a land mortal.