Two bodies were wrapped in long kelp strips with shells woven into the plants. Rowan and Kaerius were last to arrive at the caves, and then there was a long and slow journey to the Thalassic Mortal burial ground.

The sky above was coated in thick stormy clouds, so the ocean floor was darker than usual.

Thalassic Mortals swam together. Mandy and Braiken held their brother, while Michael and Rowan held Wez's soulmate.

The swim to the nearest burial ground took hours. The sea creatures were very, very deep in the ocean when they saw arranged stones emerging in the distance. Kaerius and Laiken swam ahead to look for a spot for the Royals.

Thalassic Mortals helped clean an area and decorate it with pebbles and plants. Then, they dug. The sand wasn't too hard to move, and with a lot of hands, they dug a couple of feet down into the ground and made the grave big enough for both Wez and his soulmate.

Jaiker and Laiken laid them to rest. Thalassic Mortals crowded the graves, watching the sand cover Wez and his soulmate up, piece by piece.

Mandy and Braiken swam close, and once the graves were full of sand, they placed two flower crowns that they had made on land and weighted them with pebbles, so they didn't drift.

"I remember the first time I came face to face with a shark," Mandy said in the Thalassic Tongue. Kaerius translated the words for Rowan privately in their thoughts. "I was only about four years old, and I had wondered too far along the reef. I thought the shark would eat me, but Wez had followed to me and scared off the shark by slapping it with his tail and screaming. We were both terrified, but he showed me that he would do anything to protect me." Nobody could see her tears, though the whites of her eyes slightly pinked. "When our family was cursed and Wez hadn't heard from us for a while, he came on land to protect me. He stuck by my side for twelve years despite us drifting apart in our teenage years. Wez didn't deserve to die at the hands of hunters, I did." Mandy covered her eyes and sobbed.

Braiken's arm was around her the moment her voice had trembled. "Our brother was kind and good. My only regret is not connecting with him sooner," he said. "I will miss him every day and tell anyone I meet about him and his bravery. We got justice for you Wezarian. You can rest easy now, brother."

Each Thalassic Mortal placed a pebble around the grave, whispering words of an easy time after death.

The day was a daze for Rowan, and his emotions were strange and changed with every hour. He would get upset about Wez's death then laugh about his mother's funny memories of him, then feel a little anxious about his studies, and he was in disbelief that they had finally gotten through the battle with the hunters.

"It's weird down here, isn't it?" Kaerius thought. Rowan didn't hear him at first, but Kaerius successfully fished for his attention when he snaked a hand around Rowan's waist. "You feel the pressure of all that water, but so light too."

"Yeah." Rowan looked up. They were so deep; not even the sun could break through that much water. "No humans have ever been this far. That's pretty cool."

"Yes, and I don't think humans ever will. The earth will spit them to the moon before they have the chance."

"Pity. The sea is amazing." Rowan looked around, his Thalassic Mortal eyes seeing far in the deep dark water. Massive underwater cliffs rose for miles and miles. They had passed many shipwrecks on the way, and Rowan commented about the titanic.

Kaerius had seen the famous shipwreck and spent the day with Jaiker and Laiken, tampering with human technology that tried to look inside the boat.

Rowan knew there was a lot more to discover about Kaerius and his adventures.

"We're going to head back," Michael said, swimming to his son. "We're going to make dinner for Jaiker and Laiken and Braiken and his family. The werewolves might come too."

They swam back to land with lighter hearts and fond memories of Wezarian, the late prince of the sea.

Rowan surfaced next to the rocks by their home, and the warm sun touched his skin, and the air filled his lungs. He said goodbye to the group of Thalassic Mortals and one by one, their family climbed onto the rocks, air-dried their tails and made their way across the beach.

Jack and Jenya sat on the porch, waiting for them to return. "So many naked people," Jack grumbled and turned away as they entered the house.

Clothes were now always piled by the door.

Rowan dressed in black board shorts and a dark green jumper. Kaerius rather liked Rowan's black ripped jeans, so he wore those and Rowan's dark green hoody that made his purple eyes stand out even more.

"Ok," Kaerius said, rubbing his hands together. "I hungry."

"I'll cook you something on the barbecue," Michael said after he was dressed. "It's a nice afternoon. We should spend it outside."

Kaerius liked their garden. Plants surrounded the grass, along with a few red flowers that were still standing strong in the early autumn. He liked how grass felt between his toes and how the temperature changed when the sun peeked between the clouds.

"Rowan," Jack said before he followed Kaerius into the back garden. "Just so you know, I'll report you to the tutor if you don't come in on Monday."

Rowan shook his head and chuckled. "I don't doubt that at all."

"You shouldn't," Jack smirked and patted his shoulder. "You did excellent the other night, but if your grandparents made it home, I would have cursed them. I know you're all big on second chances and stuff, but I wouldn't have been so forgiving."

"I knew you would do that, and I think they did too, which is why they chose to stay on the island. Either way, their lives were over."

"I can sleep a lot easier knowing that they're gone. You can deny it all you want, but I bet you feel the same." Jack guided Rowan outside. "Last day to have fun before catching up with our work."

"You know how to have fun?" Rowan pretended like he was shocked, and Jack pretended his scowl was real annoyance.

"With alcohol, I'm the life and soul of any party."

Rowan scoffed. "Now that... that I have to see."

They looked around for their soulmates, and their eyes stared to the same place. Michael gave Kaerius a beer, and he spat it out into the plant pot next to Jenya, who laughed until she had to hold her stomach.

"A drunk Kaerius... now that is what I'd like to see," Jack said and left Rowan standing on his own, grinning at his soulmate.

"Try mine," Jenya said, handing Kaerius a cup. "It tastes like uh- fruit."

Kaerius sipped it with a frown. That time, he didn't spit it out everywhere. Rowan took Kaerius's beer and slotted himself between his soulmate and Jenya, almost sitting on Kaerius's knee. "You know about alcohol, right?"

"Make human stupid?"

"Yes," Rowan chuckled. "Want some?"

* * * * *

When Rowan got back from university, Kaerius was still curled up in his bed, still nursing a terrible hangover.

"Are you alright?" Rowan asked, smothering his chuckling. Kaerius looked as rough as he felt with black hair sticking in every direction and eyes half-open. He looked utterly defeated.

"No." Kaerius sunk under the blanket. "Light hurt."

"Next time, don't refuse the water before you go to bed. You might have felt better today." Rowan climbed on the bed and curled up next to him. "It was a good night, though, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Kaerius thought. "It was nice to see everyone smiling."

"It's been a tough couple of months."

Kaerius rolled over, so he faced Rowan. "How were your lessons?"

"Boring. Jack didn't turn up, and I'll never let him live it down. I think he was more drunk than you last night."

Kaerius pointed a weak finger to Rowan's desk. "His glasses are still here."

"I stepped on them this morning and cracked the frames. I hope he has spares."

"Oh dear," Kaerius said and pulled the blanket down to kiss Rowan. Their noses touched as they glanced into each other's eyes. Kaerius brushed light fingers down his face. "Will I feel better tomorrow?"

"Yeah. You'll probably feel better by tonight. Can you handle any food?"

Kaerius abruptly shook his head to say no, then held his head until it stopped thumping. "I feel human."

"And I have a feeling this won't be the last time."

Kaerius lowly groaned, and Rowan snuggled closer, making Kaerius's face push into his shoulder. He softly played with the back of his hair until Kaerius started drifting in and out of pleasant dreams. Rowan preferred not to nap in the day, but with Kaerius in his arms, his eyelids were closing, and he couldn't stop them.

The last thought Rowan had was what his mother said to him when he was young.

Sleep is the biggest burden on humanity.

Rowan smiled to himself and closed his heavy lids.

Not a burden, he thought, feeling Kaerius's steady heart against his chest and his soft breaths against his neck. Sleep was a symbol of peace between two worlds living so close, yet so far. The supernatural world was the movement in the corner of your eye after sleepless nights and a secret among the tired.

As long as humans slept, the supernatural world would live next to humans in serenity. With Rowan as the god of the seas, he would use all the power he could to make it stay that way.

And with Kaerius by his side, Rowan Solar's strengths were endless.

The End.

My NEW werewolf story is OUT NOW on Wattpad! It's on my profile called:

Mate Massacres

And here we are, at the end of another crazy adventure! Feels like just yesterday that I was brainstorming ideas for this in my gross student room haha. A lot of the times, I'm growing and changing as a person during the lifetime of these characters. Each one holds a special place in my heart and will forever.

HUGE thanks to those of you who have left awesome comments, added this to their reading lists and supported this story! Every bit of support helps, no matter how small. Simply giving the book a chance in the first place is good enough for me. You guys have made me smile, given me happy tears, and the courage and motivation to carry on, even when things get a little tough. I know that some of you say how my stories sometimes help you through dark days, but reading your comments and seeing the love you have for my characters has honestly kept me going.

I have this burning desire to tell stories and everyone who is reading this has been fuelling it, and making it stronger. With all my heart, I love you guys, and whatever you celebrate this holidays, have a fantastic time!

Your Author, Sian.