Page 10

Hope was swiftly cut short as a burning pain gnawed at my stomach and chest. This was no dream—this was a nightmare. As the pain shot through me, it held an odd sense of familiarity and an unknown ache I’d never felt before—an insatiable and unbridled hunger. But this hunger was not for food. No, this felt different entirely.

I gasped at the intensity as it roared within me. My eyes bulged, expecting to suck the briny water into my lungs, but instead, I breathed it in as easily as if it were air.

Shock spread across my face as I brought my hands to my mouth, but paused as I noticed how foreign my limbs now felt. There was a weightlessness and unfamiliarity to them, and the texture was anything but human. My stomach dropped as the reality of everything sank in, and I remembered what had happened. This was not a dream, nor a nightmare even—this was real.

I ran my hand along my body, feeling the slick drag of scales beneath my fingers, much like the ones I’d leave the docks covered in. But these were larger and covered my entire body. Again, the pain stabbed at me as if it were a screaming child who needed its mother’s attention, but I became distracted by a voice that seemed to emanate from all around me.

You must feed on their darkness, Evelyn Graymore.

The words echoed in my mind, and I felt an intense pressure as they squeezed my skull. I knew that voice. It was the voice of the man whom I’d agreed to do anything for, in exchange for what I now had—whatever that was exactly. Whirling around, I pushed myself through the water, surprised at how agile I now was. I looked around for the source of the looming voice—the muscled man I had seen before, shrouded in darkness, or the glowing golden eyes that seemed to have burned themselves into my mind, but there was nothing there.

“Where are you? Who are you? What's going on?” I yelled into the void of the water, hoping for who or whatever it was to answer me back once more.

A quiet laugh echoed softly behind me, and I whirled around, my eyes searching amongst the cloudy shadows that bloomed in front of me. The shrouded man in shadows from before appeared briefly, then dissipated into nothing. His laugh lingered in my ears.

“Now, now, princess…don’t you remember, you wanted this?” His voice echoed around me as the billowing shadows began to encircle me, as if I were prey being hunted by a wild animal.

Princess? I died at the hands of a complete misogynistic asshole, only to be mocked by another one upon death. Fantastic.

I balled my fists, wincing as my newfound claws dug into my palms, almost drawing blood. “Stop playing games,” I shouted, as the anger grew within me. “I SAID COME OUT!” I screamed. The words left my mouth in a layered, echoing tone that seemed to hum with an intoxicating, commanding force.

Before I knew it, I was surrounded by swarms of marine life—salmon, halibut, seals, oysters, and other fish I didn't recognize, even with all my years working at the docks.

The shrouded man appeared from within the cloud of murky shadows, golden eyes gleaming at me as he clapped his hands in slow applause. “My, my, my—you’ve already caught on so quickly, darling, but that little trick doesn't work on me.” The shadows clung to his face, obscuring his features, but I could still make out the rest of him amongst the inky mass. He looked tall but not as monstrous as he had appeared before, with a lean frame. Every curve of muscle looked like it was carved from stone. His shirtless body was pale against the dark canvas of shadows, deep scars marred his body, and black veins snaked across his chest and shoulders.

I drew back, confusion creeping across my face. His look felt both unsettling and magnetic in equal measure, like an otherworldly beauty woven with an undercurrent of menace. I wasn't sure what I had made happen, but with the eyes of the shadowed man and sea-life’s gaze upon me, I felt anything but comfortable.

“W-What just happened? Who are you? What the hell is happening to me?” I demanded, trying to keep my voice calm and in control to assert myself. Something about this man exuded authority, but I wasn’t going to let him think he could run over me.

Before I could even blink, he disappeared into a cloud of shadows, reappearing behind me, slowly twirling a floating lock of my hair around his finger. “So many questions,” he whispered, the warmth of his breath caressing my neck, despite being underwater. “My name is Layne Murrows, and we made a deal, remember? You wanted power and vengeance,” he said, as he slowly circled me. “And I, being so gracious, gave you that.” I couldn't see through the shadows that clouded his face, but I could feel the devious grin that was held there.

Layne reached his hand out through the shadows and caressed my cheek.

“Get away from me!” I screamed, lurching back, thrusting my hands outward in a desperate attempt to put some distance between us. But instead of pushing Layne away, a raging torrent of water propelled itself towards him, nearly colliding with his chiseled chest. However, it was met with a plume of shadowy murk as he faded out of view, effortlessly dodging the onslaught of aquatic magic.

I stared at my hands in awe, a look of shock and delight spreading slowly across my face. How had I done that? The questions continued to mount in my mind as I spun around towards Layne’s laughter that had slowly crept up behind me once more. I could tell he really enjoyed doing that.

Layne finally emerged in full clarity, his face no longer shrouded by the veil of darkness that had undulated around him. “Ah, you’re catching on quite quickly, it would seem.” He smiled devilishly, his tousled, jet black hair swaying like tentacles around him, as if searching for prey. “And yes—to be clear, you do have those abilities because of the deal we struck. You’re welcome.” He bowed as he twirled his arm forward, the motion both mocking and courtly, his golden gaze never leaving mine.

I struggled to find the words, unsure if I should start with the magical abilities, the fin-like tail, or the fact that I felt like I could devour everything in sight. And it wasn't food that I seemed to crave.

Before I could even ask, the burning within me flared again, and I doubled over, writhing in pain. Clenching my jaw, I forced the words out between the surges of pain. “What….what is this, what’s happening…to me...”

Layne appeared beside me, resting his hands on my shoulders, as he whispered in my ear. “That, my dear…is hunger and you need to feed.”

I would have told him to get off me, but it didn't appear that listening was his strong suit. I couldn't tell what was worse, the pain gnawing at my insides or this creep. Unfortunately for me, he was right—I was ravenous.

Layne propelled himself away at an incredible speed, leaving behind a dust cloud of silt that lingered around me until finally settling back into the seafloor. He leaned back as he stared at me, a devious grin spreading across his face, and his eyes narrowed into a focused gaze. “If you’ll give me a moment…I’ll just make myself comfy.”

He waved his hand, and a conjured cloud of shadows and golden light that pulsed with power appeared within his grasp. He pressed the conjuration of magic into the seafloor as I looked on in awe. The water around him rippled, and the magic spread out, coating the ground in veins of darkness. A whirlpool of silt, water, and shadows spun itself into being, finally slowing and leaving behind a dark throne in its wake.

Layne sat down, his gaze sweeping over me and the sprawling ocean laid out before him, as if it were his own kingdom, and I wondered if maybe it was.

He clearly had a flair for dramatics, but regardless, he didn't need to convince me of anything. I felt the power surging off of him, and it stirred something within me that I didn't understand, but something I knew I needed.

The gnawing ache of hunger snarled at me again, but it wasn't food that I craved. No— I needed something different. I couldn't quite place it, but as I looked at Layne and the swirling darkness emanating around him, I realized what it was that I desired. I wanted to devour him. Or at least, something about him.

“I can't–this hunger, it’s–I’m starving.” I winced, clutching my stomach.