Page 15 of Drown Me Gently

His siblings had all taken mates by his age, had built lives, and formed families. Auren had been propositioned more times than he could count. By noble Mermaids, bold warriors, even one of his sister’s old flames, who claimed they could make the palace less boring together.

But none of them ever stirred anything inside Auren. None of them made him feel like the world paused just to make space for his heart.

He’d started to lose hope that such a connection would ever find him. Started to think maybe those feelings would never come. Maybe his bloodline made him too different, too untouchable. Or maybe he was broken in some irreparable way.

Then Elias had looked at him like that.

And suddenly, Auren wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

Not his duty.

Not his future.

Not the promises he’d been born into.

Only the silver scarf in his hair, and the memory of sky-colored eyes that made him feel completely seen.

But seven days of court depravity were enough. He couldn’t do it anymore.

He slipped past the guard under the cover of night, heart pounding with every swish of his tail. The city wall loomed, and Auren could practically feel the cooler waters outside its border. Cool and quiet. The kind of quiet Auren craved.

Another day of court nonsense still clawed at the back of his skull. Hollow words and passive threats. Future obligations and necessary protections.

As if all of it wasn’t a noose tightening around Auren’s throat.

The idea of being tethered to the depths, of being cut off from the surface forever… his chest went tight just thinking about it. He needed open water. He needed freedom. He needed to leave.

And he was nearly to the wall when a familiar pressure rolled through the current.

“I was wondering how long you’d last,” came the low rumble of Ulric’s voice behind him.

Auren cursed under his breath and spun in the water. “I’m not going to the surface.”

“Then why sneak out under the cover of darkness?” Ulric asked as he drifted over. “Why slip your guards? Again?”

Auren growled. “Because I needed to get out. I can’t—” He faltered, his chest tightening again. Gills refusing to work.

“Can’t what? Bear the responsibility?”

“No, I⁠—”

“Can’t handle the task of scribing a few meetings? Honestly, Auren, it’s like you’re not even trying⁠—”

“I can’t breathe in there!” Auren shouted, his voice echoing through the water.

Something in Ulric’s expression shifted, just slightly. The stern crease between his brows eased.

“I don’t have the strength for a lecture,” Auren muttered, and hated the way his eyes stung. “Drag me back if you want. I’m not in the mood to fight.”

Ulric was silent for a long moment. Then, unexpectedly, he said, “Go where you need to go.”

“You’re not going to take me back?”

Auren watched as Ulric wrestled with his better judgment and forced the words out through clenched, shark-sharp teeth.

“If you need space, you need space. Just tell me where you’re going and when you’ll be back.”

Auren blinked, thrown. His shoulders eased a fraction. “There’s a bioluminescent storm over the western reef tonight,” he said quietly. “I’ve missed it three years in a row. That’s where I was going.”