Prologue and chapter 1

content warning Descriptive torturous deaths and talk about rape

Prologue for my side story of the famous underworld poet

As I let the water rush over me, bringing me down to its deepest depths, masking the tears on my face. I began to ponder. How many times have I felt the unbearable pain of losing my mate? Two hundred? Five? No, it must be closer to a thousand years by now.

As I became one with thy ocean again, the last stanza of my ballad was nurtured into being.

Never the last life

Always the last breath

I pray to see you again

Hoping its not the last death

I wade in these waters

waiting to see you my belove Seth

My hibernation began once again. Waiting for my mate to be reborn, hoping this wasn’t goodbye.

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ch.1 The Reason

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As my sisters and I sat on the rocky seashore singing our song, the ship drew closer to us. Another bunch of idiotic humans were sailing right to their deaths. "Okay ladies, and brother, on the count of three we make a dive for it." Desi spoke low enough to not break the enchantment we had over the sailors.

I anticipated the next part with glee. "One". When bodies littered the water. "Two". When you see their life leave their eyes while we feed on them. "Three".

We all dove into the water to avoid the debris of the ship, while our meal came to us freely.

One after another they plunged into our waters. Peels of laughter rang through out, as my family and I all raced towards our meal. Allowing our instincts to take over, I pounced on the human that was closest to me, not wanting to fight for my food today. I grabbed hold of this beefy morsel that should keep me fed for at least a fortnight. I looked into his blue eyes, that were glazed over from our song. Stroking his blonde beard, I kissed him full on the mouth, breaking part of the enchantment.

I savored the change in his eyes. From the confusion, to realization and then turning into fear when he saw my grin full of small sharp teeth. As I slowly descend my mouth on his neck, his heart beat quickened. Oh how I loved this part.

"Come now brother, stop playing with your food". One of my sisters voice barely broke through my senses. I looked towards the voice, with a growl in my throat ready to fight for my meal. Realization flitted through that the threat to my full belly was gone.

I turned back towards him and dug my claws deep in his chest, breaking bones to get to his heart. I squeezed the beating life source until the light left from his eyes. Quickly I sunk my teeth into his neck and after tasting the red liquid, the bloodlust took over, devouring my meal without recalling the rest.

Once the feeding frenzy was over, we left the rest of the sailors to the next round of protectors who will relieve us for the week. On our way home, laughter and play echoed off of coral reefs due to the satisfactory patrol.

Penelope snuck up from behind, her long seaweed coloured hair tickling my face. "I saw that, baby brother. If you keep breaking the rules, father is going to ban you from leaving, and you will be stuck in that boring tower for all eternity". She kissed my cheek well wrapping her arms from behind me. I could hear the grin in her voice while she talked nonsense.

I shimmied out of her grasped by becoming one with the water for a moment. Turning in her direction, I gave her a slight glare. "The only way he would find out is if someone tells him. I know none of you will, so I'm safe." I stared down each of my sisters one by one, daring them to say differently.

My eyes settled on the youngest of us with a scowl. Edina had one of those weak pathetic creatures with her again. I scoffed in disgust. "Edie , why are you bringing back one of those filthy things? I keep telling you to breed with the males back home." I advanced ready to dispose of it.

Her face went feral, she was in between me and the limp body in an instant. Protecting what’s hers. "He is mine, back off."

''Those things are no good, Edie. Either you break the enchantment and let him drown or eat him." I growled back, bearing my teeth. Knowing it would make her angry enough to hopefully cloud her protective nature for a more savage one. I gave a toothy grin and said, "besides, your not suppose to play with your food. What would father say when he heard you weren't listening to your brother."

Her eyes went translucent. All I needed was one final push to tip her over the edge. I advanced like the king of the ocean, the orca, which were very strategic in their hunts . I lured her in by letting her see I was going to enchant her human. That was the final push needed for her to lose composure. She left him behind to attack me. I let her chase me, like a fun game of tag, until she was far enough away from him for me to become one with the water. I was swift enough that by the time Edie's senses returned to her, my upper body was already solidified. I wrapped both hands around his throat making sure he died within seconds. Squeezing the life out of him, feeling bones being crushed between my hands was so satisfying. I tossed the limp dead body at my sister. "Here, if you haven't fed yet then do it now, otherwise figure out a way to dispose of him. It's your mess so you have to clean it up."

Eight of us went home, while the other four helped the sulking Edina dispose of him.

The coral reef was beautiful, as was the silence, that unfortunately didn't last before one of my sisters decided to nag me. "Don't you think you were a bit harsh on Edina, brother? She isn't even a half century old yet." Adelaide voiced in her soft whisper that matched her equally soft, off white, long hair. small calm waves reflected in her eyes. "We all have been known to breed with a human or two, she is not doing anything wrong."

I matched her calm demeanor with my own. While hers were like waves on the shoreline. Mine were that of a dead calm. “Yes, you do and I don't agree. When I rule Aquata, it will be forbidden." Hugging her slight frame. I stroked her hair, with the intention of comforting her. "Humans, are filthy, selfish creatures, who either want to eradicate us or sell us for a fortune. No human should be invited past the reef. Edina might be young but it was a tough lesson she needed to learn. We can't risk everyone’s lives, by letting them live to tell about us."

I kissed her on the cheek and spun her, hoping to lift her spirits. It worked. we all headed back home giggling and laughing.

I didn't realize then, that I was the only one putting everyone in danger from the hate that consumed me.