Aria's eyes fluttered open, and warmth cocooned her shoulders – a seaweed blanket that felt almost like her mothers embrace. She was tempted to sink into that sense of safety, but the hard ground beneath her dispelled the illusion. She was still in the cave. Only now, her head rested on something softer. Not truly soft, but gentler than the unyielding rocks.

Her gaze drifted upward, and her breath caught. Who was holding her? Kaelen? Or... was it the mermaid? She hoped desperately it was Sepiia, yet feared the green-eyed woman might only have been a fever dream.

But when Aria's eyes focused, she found herself looking into that same pair of bright green eyes. Relief washed over her, grounding her in the reality of Sepiia's presence. Sepiia was beautiful, even now, with her half-dry hair falling around her in dark, loose waves that seemed impossibly soft despite the saltwater. Aria had a strange, almost childlike impulse to reach up and touch it, to see if it felt as smooth as it looked. She lifted her hand, but her strength faltered, and it dropped back onto her lap.

"You're awake," Sepiia's voice broke through the silence, soothing and warm—a melody that seemed woven from the ocean itself. Aria's mind still felt clouded, her thoughts sluggish and scattered. Was she dreaming?

With Sepiia's help, Aria managed to sit up. Her thoughts were hazy, but one surfaced with clarity: I'm alive. Relief flooded her, followed by a darker realization – she could have died. She glanced at Sepiia, wondering if Kaelen would have truly helped her if her fever had worsened. Would he have taken her to the surface? Or would he have kept her here, regardless of the risk? She doubted he'd risk taking her back to the humans. She felt a pang of gratitude toward Sepiia, for doing what Kaelen might never have dared.

"Kaelen will be here soon; he'll be glad to see you're well," Sepiia said, her tone calm and steady, carrying a warmth that made Aria want to trust her.

But Aria was focused on something else entirely. "How is your hair so soft?" The question slipped out as she stared at Sepiia's dark, shimmering waves, ignoring the mention of Kaelen's return.

Sepiia laughed, the sound bright and lilting, filling the cave. She gently patted Aria's head, a comforting gesture that felt surprisingly natural. "Well, we use sea slugs and mash them up with whale oil. Then we—"

"Ew! Gross!" Aria recoiled, horrified, her strength returning just enough to express her disgust. "I thought it would be something like... shampoo."

Sepiia tilted her head, clearly intrigued. "Sham-poo?" she repeated, unfamiliar with the word.

"It's, um... a thing we humans use to wash our hair," Aria explained, waving her hands in a mimed washing motion. "We rinse it out with fresh water to keep our hair soft and clean."

"Well," Sepiia replied with a wink, "I suppose our mix is our version of 'sham-poo,' though it stays in, keeping our hair strong and protected."

Aria murmured almost to herself, "I'd like to try that..." She wasn't sure if Sepiia heard, but it didn't matter. She knew she wouldn't be staying long enough to need it. Not if she had any choice.

Sepiia's gaze softened. "Well, little human, I must go now," she said, her voice gentle. "But I'll see you again soon." She offered Aria a warm smile before diving back into the pool, sending a splash echoing through the cave. Water droplets rained down, and Aria shivered, dreading the chill. She couldn't stand the thought of getting sick again – it was a miracle she'd survived at all.

It wasn't long before Kaelen arrived. The moment he saw her awake, a smile lit up his face, and he swam to her, his tail flickering with excitement. Before she could even react, his arms were around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. His fin slapped the water, an unmistakable sign of joy.

Caught off guard, Aria awkwardly patted his shoulder, subtly trying to communicate her need for space. Fatigue weighed her down, but Kaelen didn't seem to notice her discomfort. His blue eyes sparkled as he gazed at her. "You're back," he murmured, his grin unwavering.

She realized then that Kaelen was handsome in his own way – strong, protective, and attentive. Qualities any woman might want.

Freedom, her mind reminded her sharply. She forced herself to remember that he was her captor, the reason she was in this cave, cut off from everything she knew. No matter how caring his gaze or gentle his embrace, she could not allow herself to see him as anything other than her jailer. Loving him was a luxury she couldn't afford, not when her freedom was at stake.

She shook her head. No. She wouldn't go there. Not now, not ever.

~

The day passed slowly, with Kaelen lingering in the cave beside her. Kaelen spoke of his life in the ocean, weaving stories of his childhood and the wonders of his home, Neridia. Each tale was tinged with a quiet longing, a desire for her to see it, to meet his family, his friends.

He described his younger years, catching shrimp with his friends along the coral reefs, racing through the dense kelp forests, and laughing as he evaded the watchful gaze of the older Neridians who patrolled their territory. His voice grew softer as he recalled his mother's lullabies, sung in a lilting melody that seemed to echo through the waves, guiding them home when the night turned dark. Aria listened, her mind forming images of his underwater world: vibrant reefs bursting with color, seagrass swaying like silk in the currents, the sapphire depths of Neridia lying serene beneath a turquoise sky.

Something in his voice was almost enchanting, and for a brief moment, she let herself drift, caught up in the beauty of it all. A part of her wanted to ask him to tell her more, to share the secrets of this hidden world she might never have known existed. Maybe if things were different...

After a pause, Kaelen turned to her, his gaze intense and unwavering. "I want you to see it," he murmured, reaching to brush a lock of hair behind her ear. The small gesture made her stiffen, but he seemed oblivious, his eyes alight with a quiet yearning. "There's so much beauty down here. Everything is connected, bound together by the sea. We don't have walls or cities like humans; we have freedom. You'd understand if you saw it for yourself, Alaria."

Freedom, she thought bitterly. How could he speak of freedom when he was the one keeping her here, hidden from her own life? But Kaelen's words had a strange pull, something she couldn't quite resist. Did he really believe she would see this place as some kind of paradise, as if she'd simply choose to stay?

She cleared her throat, trying to shift the conversation away from the future he seemed so determined to imagine for her. "Why did you bring me here, Kaelen?" Her voice was soft, yet it carried a hint of a challenge. She needed to know. She needed him to understand that her world, her home, was above the waves, not beneath them.

Kaelen's eyes shifted, a flicker of something unreadable passing across his face. He didn't answer immediately, as if weighing how much of his true intentions he could share. The silence stretched on, and Aria was beginning to wonder if he would ever answer.

Finally, he said, "Because I wanted you here." His voice was soft, almost tender, but there was a dark undercurrent that made Aria's skin prickle.

"You wanted me here?" She echoed, her brows knitting together. She shook her head, trying to make sense of it. "You don't know anything about me, Kaelen. You saw me once, and—"

"—and that was enough." His gaze was intense, unwavering. "I saw you on the shore that day, looking out at the water. You felt it, didn't you? That pull towards something greater, something... beyond your world."

Aria shivered, remembering the strange sensation she'd felt on that hike, the brief but inexplicable tug on her senses as she stood by the shore, mesmerized by the shimmering surface of the sea. She'd felt something, a simple moment of awe of the beauty of the sea. But hearing him speak of it now unsettled her.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, her tone sharper. "I was just taking a hike! I wasn't looking for anything, let alone you. And the next day, you just... took me?"

His jaw tightened, and for the first time, she could see anger flash in his eyes. "You were on my shore, in my waters," he replied, his voice dropping to a low growl. "You felt it, and I saw it. I knew you belonged here. With me."

Aria's eyes widened, a chill creeping up her spine. "With you?" She took a step back, the realization settling like a stone in her chest. "Kaelen, I have a home. I have family, friends – a life. You can't just pull me down here and expect me to... to live underwater with you! That's insane!"

He took a step forward, his expression growing colder, his gaze sharper. "You don't understand. You were meant to be here. The surface world doesn't deserve you. It never could. They could never truly know you, not like I can."

Aria's heart pounded against her ribcage, fear and frustration building inside her. "You don't know me, Kaelen. You don't know anything about my life, about me. I don't belong down here. I belong with my family, where I can walk on land, feel the sun on my face, breathe without... without feeling like I'm drowning!"

At her words, Kaelen's face twisted with anger, his calm façade cracking. "You belong here," he snapped, his voice a harsh whisper. "With me. You're mine, Celestara Alaria. I saw you; I chose you, and that is all that matters.

Aria took a shaky breath, her fists clenching at her sides. "That's not how it works. You can't just decide that I'm yours and expect me to fall in line! I'm a person, Kaelen, not some... some treasure you found on the ocean floor."

A dark glimmer flickered in his eyes. "It doesn't matter if you understand now. Spending time here, with me, you'll come to see. I'll know you better than anyone else ever has or ever will. That's all I need to know. I don't have to understand your past – only your future."

She swallowed, anger flaring hot inside her. "My future? Kaelen, I already have a future, one that's not down here, trapped in this cave, where I can't even breathe properly!"

"Then maybe you'll learn." His voice was icy now, each word laced with barely suppressed fury. "In time, you'll adapt. You'll learn to breathe as we do, to live as we do. I can show you things you'd never dreamed of. You'll forget about the life you left behind. That world, that so-called 'home' you cling to – it was never meant for you."

Tears pricked at Aria's eyes, her voice trembling with a mix of rage and sorrow. "It is my home, Kaelen. It's where I belong. My family, my friends, they're all up there, probably worried sick about me, thinking I'm... I'm dead."

Kaelen's face darkened, his eyes narrowing. "They'll move on. They'll forget. It's better this way." His tone was resolute, as though he were stating an unalterable truth. "You're here now. With me. That's all that matters."

A bitter laugh escaped her, though it was tinged with despair. "You keep saying that, but that doesn't make it true! You can't just keep me here because you decided I'm yours. That's... that's not love, Kaelen. That's obsession!"

He flinched, but the anger remained in his eyes, burning hotter. "Obsession?" He echoed, his voice low and dangerous. "You think this is just... obsession? I saved you from a world that doesn't deserve you, that could never truly see you for who you are. Here, you can be free. We can be free, together."

"Free?" She spat. "How can you call this freedom when you are holding me captive? I don't want to be here. I don't want to live underwater, I don't want to see your world, and I certainly don't want to be with you!"

His face twisted with fury, his fists clenching at his sides. "You'll see Alaria."

"My name is Aria!" She spat out, only to be ignored as Kaelen continued.

"Once you see my world – Neridia – you'll understand. You'll come to see it as your home, as our home. And you'll be respectful. You'll appreciate the beauty I'm showing you, the future I'm giving you."

She stared at him, her throat tightening with fear and frustration. You can't force me to love this, Kaelen. You can't force me to... to want any of this."

But he didn't seem to hear her. His eyes gleamed with a strange, possessive fire, his voice growing colder, harsher. "Tomorrow, we'll go to Neridia. You'll see the life you could have; the life you will have with me. You'll be delicate and gracious, a fitting companion at my side." He leaned closer, his gaze hard and unyielding. "You'll make it your home, whether you want to or not. Because you are mine." A soft growl sounded as he spoke the final word, causing a shiver to run down Aria's spine as she stared at him wide-eyed.

With that, he turned sharply, disappearing into the water with a flick of his powerful tail, leaving her alone in the dim, echoing silence of the cave.

Aria slumped against the cold stone wall, her body trembling with the weight of their confrontation. Tears spilled down her cheeks, hot and unrelenting. She buried her face in her hands, her sobs muffled. How had it come to this? How had she gone from a quiet life on the sore to this dark, suffocating prison beneath the sea?

Her heart ached at the thought of her family, of the life she'd been forced to leave behind. She could imagine them searching for her, calling out her name, wondering where she had done. Most likely suspecting her dead. And here she was, trapped in a world she barely understood, held by a man – no, a creature – who seemed determined to make her forget everything she'd ever know and submit to him.

As she sank down against the rough stone, a single separate thought echoes in her mind.

How can it be my home if I can't even breathe underwater? He said I would adapt but humans physically cannot breathe underwater.

The tears came hard, her breath hitching in sobs that shook her entire body. I don't want to see his home. I don't want any of this.

But she knew her cries and wishes went unheard. Tomorrow, like it or not, she could be dragged deeper into Kaelen's world, into a life she could barely imagine – a life she feared might one day consume her entirely.