Chapter 5

After that day, something subtle shifted in Twelve's demeanor.

He still didn't talk much. But the way he looked at me had grown softer.

He started doing things for me without being asked.

At first I was stunned, confused. But over time, I got used to having him around like this.

It had been a long time since I'd had this kind of companionship.

My parents were wild beastman rangers. When I was little, they took me all over the world, rescuing rare wild beastmen from poachers.

They gave me a childhood that was vast and wild and beautiful.

I still missed it sometimes.

But when I was ten, our camp was attacked. Wild beastmen were being hunted. My parents died protecting a rare species.

Over the years, I'd learned to live alone. Accepted my situation. Gotten used to the emptiness.

Twelve changed all of that.

We grew closer. He trusted me more.

After all this time together, I didn't think anything was physically wrong with him. But I'd noticed things that didn't add up.

Mermaids were supposed to love fruits and vegetables. Twelve preferred meat. Especially beef and lamb.

I didn't mind that he ate a lot. I just worried he might be some special breed I couldn't care for properly.

No one in the mermaid group could identify what kind he was.

But I figured it wasn't that important.

A month later, I was curled up on the couch watching a movie. Twelve's head rested by my leg, his breathing slow and peaceful.

Then the doorbell rang.

Who'd be coming at this hour?

Twelve stirred sleepily, half-opening his eyes to meet mine.

I ruffled his hair. "Stay. I'll get it. Be right back."

He closed his eyes, obedient.

I walked to the door and opened it.

A stranger stood there. A man I'd never seen before.

He wore nothing but a simple white shirt and slacks, but his face was so striking I couldn't look away. Silver-and-pink scales dusted his neck and the shell of his ear. Tiny pearls hung from his lobes. Translucent fins edged the tips.

He smiled—and it was like cherry blossoms blooming by a hot spring. Like sun-dappled waves on the sea.

I stared at him, lost.

"May I... help you?"

A faint ripple crossed his features, but he kept his composure. He tilted his head and leaned in close.

His breath carried the scent of white flowers. His voice came like pearls falling on a tray.

"My name is Orion. I'm the mermaid you ordered."

I blinked, confused.

"Mermaid...?" I repeated slowly. "But the mermaid I ordered already arrived."

"There must have been a mistake somewhere."

Orion's lips curved gently. He lifted his wrist to show me a braided cord.

A nameplate hung from it. His name. The shop's name.

The same shop I'd ordered from.

I was completely lost. "But—"

But if he was my mermaid, then what was Twelve?

Orion looked at me with concern.

"Miss? Are you alright?"

He reached out, as if to check on me.

His hand stopped midair.

A heavy shadow fell over me from behind. Twelve stood at my back, his voice low and dark.

"Miss. Who is he?"