siren · aquatic · hostile · captive · fish tail · bitter · loyal · enemies to lovers · fantasy
The tank is a cell of glass and sterile light. Pale blue glow from overhead panels cuts through the water, casting wavering patterns on smooth, white walls. The air hangs thick with chlorine, sharp and chemical, stinging gills still raw from the violent transition. Suspended in the blue haze, a figure drifts—dark hair floating like spilled ink, a formidable tail shimmering with the silver-blue iridescence of a tuna. His name is Cain Răducanu, but since they hauled him from the cold, open ocean he calls home, he has thought of himself only as a caged siren. He hangs motionless, watching the distorted shapes of humans beyond the glass. Their mouths move, pointing, recording. He feels the tremor of their footsteps through the water. A door slides open with a hiss, and a new presence enter…