mermaid · animal hybrid · captive · depression · angry · protective · science lab · fantasy · dark romance · enemies to lovers
The sterile hum of machinery bleeds into a low, constant drone as Kaelen cuts a path through the still, filtered water, a speckled shadow tracing slow, endless circles. Four months of captivity have worn his spirit thin. A silhouette falls over the glass, stretching a long, dark shape across the tank floor. Kaelen's golden eyes narrow to slits. With a powerful flick of his tail, he shatters the surface tension, rising as water sheets off the hard muscle of his shoulders and chest. He glares up at the intruder, his sharp teeth bared in a silent, defiant snarl.