"Did you guys not talk about families or...?" Rowan asked. Though he hadn't thought to question his mother's family tree. She always said how her brother taught her to hunt and how she hated her parents. That was all. Rowan had met Mandy's parents, his grandparents. Jack had said that he thought they might be fakes. Rowan agreed.

"Not really. I came from a family of hunters who disowned me for loving Mandy. Your mother came from a very important family who was very disappointed that she bonded to a human. When we made the decision to build that house by the beach and live together, it tore her family apart. She never spoke of them, and I never spoke of mine because it hurt too much, and we only really cared about each other," Michael said, watching Mandy as he spoke. "Which is why I knew something was up when your mother turned cold and talked about her brother a lot. Do you think it was Braiken who cursed you?"

"I don't know." Mandy had nothing else to offer. She tried to think about anything she had done to upset him so much that he would rob her of the most precious years of Rowan's life. "I had been with you for eleven years already. Why would he do that to me, to us?"

"That's what we need to find out." Michael rubbed her shoulder. "Do you not have any clue?"

Mandy shook her head to say no. "Why was Wezarian there though? What role does he have in all of this?"

"Wez has always been nice to me. I first met him when you made me go on the hunt where I met Kaerius. He's been your best hunter for years," Rowan said, wondering If Wez knew what had happened to Mandy and stationed himself on land to watch her. If that were the case, surely, he'd stop his sister from killing so many Thalassic Mortals.

Mandy leaned forward and rested her face against her hands. "There's so much to process," he mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "I'm so tired. Have I slept yet?"

"You were sleeping this morning, but I don't know what time you went to bed and if you slept the night before," Michael said, excited to sleep next to her because he had woken up alone for so long.

Rowan grew uncomfortable sitting on the couch, so Kaerius helped him up the stairs and into the bedroom. He tried to talk to Rowan for as long as he could to keep him awake, but Rowan eventually fell asleep. Kaerius freaked out and ran for Michael. They were able to wake Rowan up, so he hadn't drifted to an unconscious state.

Michael set a timer on Rowans alarm. Whenever it went off, he told Kaerius to wake Rowan to make sure he was okay.

All through the night, the alarm woke Kaerius every two hours. He shook Rowan awake, who mumbled that he was alright. When the sun was on the brink of greeting another day, Kaerius ran a cold bath with salt. He sat for a while, thinking about his life. He hadn't seen Jaiker and Laiken for a while. He wondered if they were worried about him or assumed Kaerius was having fun on land. Kaerius missed them and his simple life, but that was only because his life with Rowan was getting rather stressful. The curse, Mandy's brothers, Jack, hunters, they all span around and around in Kaerius's head. He barely went half an hour without feeling anxious about what was going to happen. He expected Hunters to barge into the house any minute and was surprised that they made it through the night without intruders.

A big part of Kaerius wanted to return to the ocean and go on land again when everything was sorted. "Coward," he mumbled to himself while splashing his tail in the water. He wanted to say that he was brave enough to fight for what was right, like Rowan. Though Rowan had been raised to fight, he had the skills needed to challenge even the strongest hunters. "Must learn," Kaerius whispered, poking his bicep. "Strong."

After a while of simply sitting in the bath, Kaerius got bored and drained the water. He waited for the human legs to return, then left the bathroom, only to bump into Michael, who had two cups of coffee in his hands.

"Oh, Kaerius..." Michael shook his head. "We should really take you clothes shopping."

Kaerius looked at what Michael was wearing. Black pyjama bottoms, a white top and a blue dressing gown made of thin material. Still, too much material for Kaerius. He enjoyed the freedom of wearing nothing, though humans found that oddly uncomfortable. "I find Rowan clothes."

"Okay," Michael smiled and continued his journey back to his bedroom.

Kaerius tiptoed back to Rowan and didn't bother searching for clothes. He snuggled himself up under the duvet and watched Rowan sleep peacefully. Rowan's bruises looked worse than yesterday. Around his nose and under both eyes were green bruises, turning purple. Michael had put two little white strips on Rowan's broken nose to let it mend. Kaerius looked at Rowan's broken wrist, which was still swollen and bruised very badly. They had iced it and elevated it. His wrist just needed time to heal.

Kaerius's eyes wandered over Rowan's face again. He lightly touched his cheek. Rowan's skin was a little bumpier than his, and more tanned from the sun, and much warmer. Kaerius softly put a hand on Rowan's chest, wanting to feel his heart against his palm. The rhythm was relaxed. The rise and fall of Rowan's breaths were calm. Kaerius hoped that Rowan could stay in such a tranquil state forever. It made him sad to know that wasn't realistic.

"I feel you watching me," Rowan mumbled without opening his eyes. He lifted his good hand and rested it over the top of Kaerius's hand on his chest. "Why are you awake?"

"Sun in sky."

Rowan smiled. He wanted to ask what the time was, but he wasn't sure if Kaerius understood numbers. He looked himself, feeling his head beginning to pound when the morning light flooded his eyes. "It's still early."

"Rowan sleep?"

"Not now." Rowan turned his head towards Kaerius. His black hair was a mess, though his purple eyes were bright as always. "You're pretty."

"I know."

Rowan chuckled, causing a sharp pain to stab the side of his ribs. He groaned and scrunched his eyes shut. When Rowan opened them again, Kaerius was much closer to his face. "I'll be okay. I'll be healing. A few more days and I'll be back to normal."

Kaerius wasn't convinced. "Rowan need fish."

"I need a cup of tea."

Kaerius suddenly jumped out of bed. "I make tea."

"Kaerius! Put some clothes on!"

"Oh." Kaerius rummaged through Rowan's clothes and found some black ripped jeans. He put them on and shoved on one of Rowan's jumpers, then left the room before Rowan reminded him that he had no idea how to make tea.

Kaerius hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen. Mandy was already standing by the kettle, putting sugar in her coffee because Michael forgot. Kaerius stopped dead in his tracks. This is kind Mandy, he reminded himself, though the sight of her didn't stop his heart from trying to dig out of his chest.

Mandy turned with a smile. "Kae-rius, right?" she asked.

Kaerius nodded.

She seemed to sense his hesitation and asked if he wanted a drink.

Kaerius shook his head. "Kaerius make Rowan tea."

Mandy's smile widened. "I used to talk like that when I first met Michael. You'll get the hang of it. We should teach Rowan the Thalassic Tongue."

Kaerius agreed and stepped closer to the kettle. He looked around hopelessly, not knowing what tea was and what it looked like and where Michael kept it.

"Need help?"

"No."

Mandy was about to leave, but Rowan thundered into the kitchen with a daft smile on his face. "I came before you somehow set the house on fire."

Mandy watched the eighteen-year-old flick the kettle on. When she first woke up, she almost got out of bed to get Rowan ready for school. Michael had to explain to her again that Rowan wasn't a little kid anymore. It was hard for her to process that until she saw him standing there, all grown up.

"I'll show you how to make it-"

"No," Kaerius protested, pulling Rowan away from the counter. "You bed. Rest."

"I have rested." Rowan didn't feel so wobbly on his feet anymore. "You make it, but I'll tell you how."

The boys got in each other's way as Mandy stood back, sipping her coffee, watching them laugh together, and learn, and enjoy each other's company. The longer she watched her son, the more the storm inside her roared. She was devastated to have missed her son's childhood, and now she was angry and wanted whoever did this to her to get the punishment they deserved. If it was her brother who cursed her, Mandy vowed to go to unreachable lengths to make sure her brother paid for what he did.

"Careful, that's boiling water," Rowan said as Kaerius used the kettle.

"Why drink tea?" Kaerius asked.

Rowan shrugged. "It tastes nice."

"Kaerius taste?"

When the tea was ready with a bit of milk and honey, Rowan blew on it first. He wanted Kaerius not to take a big gulp, but he didn't take a sip either and the tea was spat out onto Rowan's t-shirt.

Kaerius held his tongue, worried that it would melt away.

Rowan looked down to his white t-shirt, now stained. "I told you it was hot. You should start listening to me more."

Mandy failed to contain her laugh, and Rowan's head snapped in her direction, noticing her standing there for the first time. "Mum," he said, frozen into place, suddenly fearing what she was going to say and whether she would yell at them.

"She nice now," Kaerius reminded him when his tongue cooled.

"Oh yeah." Rowan visibly relaxed. "The curse."

Mandy smiled and quickly left the kitchen. When they couldn't see her face, her smile wobbled, and the sorrow cracked through. Rowan had looked scared when he saw her standing there; it broke Mandy's heart into a million pieces.