Chapter 2

Natasha

The sky is dark and starry—perfect for navigation. Tonight, I won't get lost at sea, and Roger won't have a reason to bully me at home.

Roger, my adoptive father, likes to point out that I'm not a full-fledged pirate princess yet. According to him, making it home without a map is something every pirate should know.

"I will be home in no time!" I toss my stolen goods into my motorboat and climb in, ready to hit the ocean. I'm not supposed to be parking here, and I better leave before there is a ticket.

"Fuck this man!" A man grumbles from the bridge leading to all the parked luxury boats. Yachts are bobbing on the water surface, and it seems the voice is headed there. "We shouldn't have taken him!"

My curiosity gets the best of me, and I silently watch the policemen carry Hayden Archer into their police ship equipped with sirens.

Most of the world is underwater, and some countries no longer exist, while new islands have popped up here and there—boats are the primary means of transportation these days.

"Agreed—he is one heavy bastard," one of the men complains. They are all panting and sweating in the moonlight while carrying the ridiculously ripped CEO, whose face I would like to forget. "Are we taking him to the headquarters?"

His colleague is quipping for air, probably exhausted from having to carry a beast of a man. "Yes, the boss told us to put an electrical collar on the bastard and have him locked up."

"Yikes! The merman won't enjoy wearing the collar—he won't be able to shape-shift. Come to think of it, how did one of the monsters manage to become a wealthy CEO for a human company?"

"Oh-my-god, who cares?!" The leader of the policemen snaps. He is fitter than the rest, and I find it amusing how he is wearing his branded, dark shades at night. "All I know is that the world is a safer place with this bastard behind bars! Did you hear about this guy sinking an entire cargo ship—he is crazy dangerous!"

Hayden sunk a ship by himself?

"Not to mention enormous!"

My heart ceases to pound, and I realize this island isn't safe.

The policeman has every right to fear Hayden Archer. Mermen are massive whale-like creatures. I shudder as I let the reality of the situation sink into my head. The gala I attended tonight was a close to death scenario—I can't believe I made it out alive with a merman being there among the crowd.

CEO or not, Hayden Archer is a man I don't wish to meet again. I bet he eats the girls he doesn't enjoy having sex with, or worse—drowns them out at sea without them being able to fight back.

Fear swirls through me, imagining Hayden killing people, and I smile in relief when my boat's engine roar to life. I'm getting the hell away from here, and fast!

I have a hideout on one of the islands a few hours from here to get some rest from this crazy adventure. I'm tired and don't wish to spend any minute longer than required around Hayden Archer.

Suddenly there is a splash, followed by the policemen creating drama among each other.

"Hey, you idiot! What the hell did you do?"

Oh no.

I lift my chin at the voices of the policemen, and it's as though someone poured gasoline onto the spark of fear in my belly.

Without needing confirmation, I can tell the merman escaped.

An unnatural glow colors the entire water lime green, and I'm far away from feeling inner peace when a being unlike anything I've ever seen swims right below my boat.

The creature I'm staring at isn't like Scylla—this one wears an expression way too human and intelligent, which stops my heart. Am I observing a man or a wicked monster?

Cold, green eyes and a sullen face that belongs to a man longer than the yacht focuses on me with his gaze so intense I suddenly imagine my boat is made of glass.

There is nowhere to hide.

Hayden is a leviathan, easily big enough to grab my boat and flip it around like a toy to make me drown.

"How the hell do we catch the merman now? The guy shape-shifted into a whale-sized creature!" One of the policemen yells at the other two. "We ain't catching that thing—it's huge!"

"Well then, how about we take the girl instead?!" Another policeman suggests. "Boss wouldn't want us to show up empty-handed, and she was carrying stolen goods out of the event!"

I know I should flee the scene, but I'm frozen to the spot. My fear of monsters has been fashioned into a knife, making every breath come out like a strained cry for help.

And the merman doesn't seem interested in leaving—he is staring at me with hunger written into his features.

"Uh... Hello?" I'm not sure what to say in this situation. "You're a good merman, right?"

The merman is on his back, floating like seaweed without moving his giant, scaled fin. He seems to be observing me for the hell of it, although I'm not sure why, and then he smirks.

A giant fin breaks through the surface, sending the police boat flying while I scream at the top of my lungs. My boat lifts from the water, then flops around like a pancake.

"No!" I gurgle and flail with my arms after I'm thrown overboard. The water is super cold. "I can't -..."

I swallow saltwater while items, canvases, pencils, silverware, and a bunch of other things bobble around me. Swimming isn't a talent of mine, but I'm desperately trying to keep myself afloat since the creature beneath the surface is scarier than a shark.

"Ugh!"

Somehow, I make it to the surface and gasp for air while exhaustion takes hold of every single limb of my body. By now, I've more or less accepted my survival rate is slim to none.

"So tired..."

My eyes flicker, and my kicks become weaker. It's as if my legs are in heavy shackles, and someone is trying to drown me.

"No..." My arms reach for the moonlight illuminating the surface, but I'm disappearing into the wet darkness.

I don't possess enough strength to prevent myself from sinking. My lungs burn from the lack of oxygen, and overwhelming dizziness keeps me from thinking straight. I'm fading, and the world is turning black.