Y/N's thoughts echo, drifting in and out of focus. Her mind swims.

Where am I? What happened?

She feels hard ground beneath her. Cold and smooth. The air is cool with a salty undertone.

Salt. Seawater?

And then she remembers. Her family. The monster.

Pain is what Y/N feels next. Her thigh aches from where the venom was injected into her, and her throat is dry and hoarse. Her other wounds, however, are strangely quiet.

Y/N's eyes begin to flutter open, but she quickly closes them again, feigning still being unconscious.

She listens intently to her surroundings, searching for a sign of the merman. Water drips faintly around her, making small splashes as the droplets fall.

No sounds hint at the creature's presence.

Knowing he could still be there, just silent or asleep, Y/N hesitantly opens her eyes.

A dark cavern greets her. Its high, jagged walls stretch upwards, forming a rough dome. Glowing fissures in the rock shine a faint blue light across the cave, illuminating it enough for Y/N to get her bearings.

She shudders, wondering how far underground she is.

Y/N suppresses a groan as she slowly pushes herself up into a seated position.

A dark lake covers almost the entirety of the cavern floor. She sees that she is laying on one of the few rocky outcroppings dotting the edges.

Her E/C eyes scan around her for any sign of an exit. Perhaps a tunnel, or even a crack in the rocks for her to squeeze through. But nothing.

She is trapped.

Then, to make matters worse, a certain feeling returns—that of being watched.

Y/N turns to look back at the lake. There, inky eyes now hover above the water's surface, unblinking, fixed intently upon her.

The creature glides forwards, his long tail slicing easily through the water.

Just as he is about to cross the shallows before her, Y/N crawls backwards.

"D-don't come any closer!" she yells out, heart hammering in her chest as panic begins to take over.

In an instant, the creature is upon her. Powerful arms grip her, dragging her into the water. Y/N begins to scream, thrashing about, but he holds her tight in a powerful embrace.

He sits now in the shallows, cradling her to his chest. Tears pour freely down her cheeks.

"Hush, now," he whispers, caressing her cheek, "All of this could have been avoided if you hadn't resisted me."

"What did you do?" Y/N sobs, her mother's broken form flashing before her eyes, "Take me back."

The merman grabs her chin, forcing her to look into his dark eyes.

"I don't want you to think about those people anymore," a low, guttural snarl emanating from his throat.

"Those people? You mean my family?" Y/N tries to turn her head away, but he won't let go.

"I am your family now," he flashes his pointed teeth in an ungodly smile, "I am all you will ever need."

His smile falters as he spots the red, angry mark on Y/N's thigh, still sensitive from the remnants of the venom.

"I am sorry I hurt you," he says with a hesitant pause, "but it was necessary. You wouldn't listen."

Seeing Y/N's mistrustful expression, he tries to reassure her, "I healed your other wounds."

Wounds that you caused.

Y/N thinks to herself, finding it awfully convenient that he left that little detail out.

Silence reigns, and then the merman breaks eye contact, looking intently at something.

He gently strokes the patch of scales on Y/N's hip. She quivers at the touch.

He glances back up at her, overwhelming longing in his eyes.

"You belong with me," he murmurs, pressing a tender kiss to her lips.