All Chapters of Tidebound Heart: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I was furious. I immediately called the seller, ready to tear them apart.However, a cold, automated voice answered instead. "The number you have dialed does not exist."A deal like that was never meant to be clean. Black market transactions didn't come with customer service. I swallowed my anger and accepted the loss.I reopened the promotional video on my phone.The merman in the video was soaking in a clear, sparkling pool. His face was perfectly shaped and sharp, and his deep eyes seemed to pull you in. Water ran down his strong abs, catching the light.His lips were pressed together, his expression cold and distant. He looked unreal, like a beautiful man who had stepped out of a movie.Just looking at him felt worth the money.Then I glanced at the one lying in my apartment.He was painfully thin, skin stretched over bone. His spine jutted out so sharply it looked like it might tear through his skin. His scales were dull gray, without a hint of shine. A chunk of his tail

Malcolm should eat more nutritious food.Getting leftover food from the kitchen wasn't difficult. Besides, most of the dishes were barely touched.Take that Crimson lobster, for example. The guests only nibbled the broccoli garnish and a bit of the meat. It barely looked any different.My coworker grinned, holding a takeout box."Grace, if you don't want it, I'm taking it home!"I hurriedly grabbed a plastic bag. "Share half with me!"By the time I finished work, it was exactly 11:30 p.m.The neon lights still flashed outside, but down in the sewers, rats poked their heads out.People like me always lived in corners the light didn't reach, like the rats in the gutter.Now I had Malcolm with me.We would probably be relying on each other for a long time.I packed the food and brought it home. When I saw Malcolm, I noted that most of his injuries had already healed.Mermen healed fast. If someone didn't deliberately keep reopening wounds, the scars wouldn't be this bad. I did

Malcolm pressed tightly against my back, his body burning hot. His breath hit the side of my neck, warm and wet, carrying a strange, salty-sweet smell of the sea. I held the suppressant in my hand, the sharp corner of the box digging into my palm."Grace... don't go." His voice was muffled, trembling with a hint of crying, like an abandoned little animal.My heart skipped a beat, and the grip on the box loosened. With a soft clatter, the five-hundred-dollar suppressant slipped from my hand and rolled into the shadows under the bed.Forget it. I'd been alone for too long. Might as well let myself indulge this once.I turned around and met his bright, fiery blue eyes. Gone was the usual teasing, cold look. Instead, they were full of need and trust. He leaned in carefully, his nose brushing against my cheek, as if checking something."You... you're not going to push me away?"I didn't speak. I raised a hand and gently stroked his sweat-damp hair. That simple touch seemed to flip a s

He was a snow fox beastman. Fluffy white ears peeked out from his perfectly styled black hair, swaying slightly as he moved.He pointed to the dishes on my tray. "I didn't order this." I quickly checked the order. "Sir, this is definitely for table eight.""I said it's not, so it's not." His smile didn't change, but his tone brooked no argument. "Replace it."This was pure nitpicking. I'd dealt with guests like this before. They were usually in a bad mood or just showing off. I gripped the tray so hard my nails dug into my palms."Of course, sir. I'll replace it right away." I forced a professional smile and turned to leave."Wait." He called after me again. "What's your name?""It's on my name tag," I replied, annoyed.He chuckled lightly, studying me with interest. "Quite the temper. How does someone like you end up in the kitchen instead of the front of house?"His words stung, and I clenched my fists and told myself to hold it in. For the job, for the rent, for the person

That ten thousand dollars was starting to feel like a crazy expense."Stop wiping," I said, my voice a little hoarse. "It won't dry completely. Let it air dry overnight."Malcolm froze and looked up at me. Stray damp strands of hair clung to his forehead, making him look a little messy and a little sexy."I'll cook tomorrow," he announced.I raised an eyebrow. "Do you know how to?"He shook his head, then nodded again. "I can learn from my phone."I glanced at that ancient phone, the kind that could barely display a single pixel without glitching, and seriously doubted it.-The next morning, I woke up choking on the smell of something seriously burned.I rushed into the kitchen and saw Malcolm standing helplessly in front of a pot belching black smoke. Two pieces of charred bread sat on the counter, just barely recognizable as toast."Are you... brewing potions?" I exclaimed, rushing to turn off the stove and switch on the exhaust fan.He turned to me, a smudge of soot on h