Lucian is a merman. A cold, breathtakingly beautiful merman. He also flat-out rejected me. His main issue? We aren’t the same species. I had a meltdown. "What do you mean we're not the same? We both have big tails, don't we?" He let out a cold laugh. "Is that really your logic? I'm a merman, Sienna. You? You're a snake." He looked down at my tail. It’s pink. Soft, long, and currently swaying back and forth, trying to wrap around his torso. Lucian swatted it away like it was a pest. "Stop clinging to me. Go find your own kind if you're that lonely." It was a lightbulb moment. So, I did. I found myself a snake-shifter boyfriend. Later, I ran into Lucian by chance. He stared at me and my new guy, his expression complicated. I ducked my head shyly. "You were right. Sticking with my own kind is actually pretty great." 1 I didn't actually know I was a snake-shifter until I was older. When I was tiny, I got hurt bad. Like, bleeding-out-on-the-side-of-the-highway bad. Julian, the head of the Vance family, found me and took me in. The Vances are Shifters—beastkin hiding in plain sight within human society. Because I grew up surrounded by merfolk, for a very long time, I was absolutely convinced— I was a fish, too. I mean, we all had long tails. It wasn't until Julian told me he had to go out of town for business that things changed. He said Lucian would be watching me while he was gone. "Yes! Oh my god, yes," I nodded furiously, eyes lighting up at the name. Julian chuckled. "Are you really that excited? You know his temper is terrible." Is it? I never noticed. Usually, I was too busy staring at his face or getting hypnotized by that gorgeous tail of his. After Julian dropped me off at the estate, I finally saw him again. In the open-air infinity pool. The water surface rippled with an electric blue glow. Lucian was leaning back against the pool's edge, his tail fully transformed and looking arrogantly perfect. He splashed water onto my foot with a flick of his fin. It was freezing. "Why are you just standing there?" Lucian opened his eyes. "Oops!" Splash. I slid into the pool. Okay, it was obviously on purpose. My pink snake tail, acting "panicked," immediately wrapped around his waist. "Lucian, I'm scared." He didn't even lift an eyelid. He just scooted two feet away. "You're slimy. Back off." I am not. Aren't our tails basically the same— Wait. No. I hadn't really compared them side-by-side before. Now, under the direct sunlight, the difference was brutal. His scales looked like translucent blue crystals, refracting starlight with every movement of the water. My pink tail, while flexible and soft, had a matte, foggy finish. Like a cheap plastic bead thrown into a pile of diamonds. The realization was depressing. But I was in denial. I told myself mine was just pruney from the water. I touched it. Still smooth. "Lucian, let me touch yours." "Touch what?" "The tail." He glanced at me and didn't say yes. I pouted. Okay, maybe Julian was right about the temper. But then I remembered—Lucian's tail had been injured once. Of course he wouldn't like being touched. It happened three years after the Vance family adopted me. I was playing by the coast when a storm hit. I hate the cold, so I curled up in a sea cave, shivering. When the tide started rising like crazy, it was Lucian who shielded my head with his scales, dragging me back to shore against the waves. Because of that, the most beautiful blue scales on his fin were scraped off by the rocks. It bled a lot. I was terrified, crying my eyes out. Julian comforted me, "It's okay, they'll grow back. They'll be even harder than before." I was skeptical. I used to sneak peeks and try to touch the scar. Whenever he caught me, he'd swat my hand away. I guess he still hates it. But that's fine. I can compromise. After getting out of the pool, Lucian shifted back to human legs. I didn't. I kept my tail out, drying it on the lounge chair. "Lucian—" I dragged out his name, looking at him with puppy-dog eyes. "Touch mine instead. It's super smooth right now." In my head, this was an act of intimacy. He frowned. "Stop it." "What does it matter?" I didn't hide my crush. "We're going to be together eventually anyway. We might as well get used to it." "Who says we're going to be together? We aren't even the same species." I froze, my tail halting mid-air. "What do you mean? Don't we both have big tails?" "Is that your only criteria?" He scoffed. "I am a merman. You are a snake." My world collapsed. No wonder our tails looked nothing alike. I really was the impostor. I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could process it, the staff announced that Julian was back. 2 Julian brought a girl back with him. Another mermaid. But she was covered in bruises and cuts. Rumor had it a new trafficking ring was hunting Shifters. The prettier you were, the more likely you’d get snatched. Exotic Shifters fetch a high price in the Underground auctions. This mermaid, Stella, had gotten hurt trying to save one of her companions. Apparently, she and the Vance family went way back. When Lucian saw her, he looked genuinely shocked. And nervous. "Stella." I barely caught her name before Julian ushered me away. He said the smell of blood was too strong. I hate the metallic scent of blood, but I couldn't help looking back. Lucian—always so cold, so detached—was carefully cleaning Stella’s wounds. His voice was low, raspy. "This is going to sting. Bear with it." I was so distracted watching them that I walked smack into a wall. I looked up. It was Julian. "They're the same age," he explained softly. "They grew up together." I paused, my gaze drifting back to Stella. Even battered and bruised, her tail was mesmerizing. I unconsciously shuffled a step closer. "Don't come over here," Lucian suddenly snapped. I froze. "Your venom... your scent," he corrected sharply. "It agitates her wounds." Julian sighed, patting my shoulder. "He's not targeting you, Sienna. Merfolk have a natural defense mechanism against reptilian Shifters. It's biological." That's when Stella finally noticed me. She looked over, confused. "Who is...?" "The little snake the family adopted," Lucian said dismissively. Stella looked at me with curiosity. By then, I had already shifted my tail back into legs out of shame. Stella quickly lost interest and turned back to whisper something to Lucian. Once Julian and I were outside, I asked immediately, "Can I stop being a snake? I want a fish tail too." Julian burst out laughing. "Since when do you hate yourself?" "Fish tails are prettier." My voice dropped to a whisper. "Lucian doesn't like snake tails." Julian's smile faded. He looked at me with serious eyes. "Sienna, listen to me. You are who you are. Changing it means losing yourself, and besides, you can't change your genetics." I thought about it. "But I heard there are doctors in the Underground who do cosmetic mods." "Who told you that?" Julian's face darkened. "That's black market nonsense. It's dangerous scams." I shrank back. "I just... Googled it." Julian sighed. He gave me a lecture about not believing rumors. But he was still worried, so he ordered his bodyguards to keep a close eye on me. The guards liked to tease me. "Hey little snake, show us the tail." "No." "Lucian shows his off. Why are you so stingy?" one of them laughed. "Even if he came here, I wouldn't show it." He thinks it's ugly anyway. "Dream on. Lucian doesn't have time for you. He's glued to Miss Stella's side." I pretended not to hear. But that night, I went to find Lucian. Some things just need to be said out loud. Just like how I told him I loved him a thousand times. I needed to pour out the confusion rotting in my chest. If he truly hated me, if he loved Stella, then I would stop chasing him. But to find Lucian, I had to go through Stella. I followed my memory to the guest wing where she was recovering. I pushed the door open, but Lucian wasn't there. There was just a massive glass tank in the center of the room. Moonlight filtered through the glass, casting a ghostly blue glow on the water. I held my breath and crept closer. When I saw what was inside, my blood turned to ice. Stella was floating in the water, hair splayed out, tail limp. And at the bottom of the tank... a cloud of blood was blooming. I screamed. Bang! The door was thrown open. In seconds, the room was swarming with people. Someone roughly grabbed my wrist and dragged me out. I heard the whispers. "Typical snake... cold-blooded." "She was probably jealous of Miss Stella." ... Lucian rushed back just in time to hear the gossip. He looked at me. And he left me with one sentence. "Even if she died, her tail wouldn't transfer to you." My mouth fell open. I forgot what I was going to say. It took a long time to remember I had come with a question. But I guess I just got my answer. 3 While chaos consumed the manor, I left. Not just because I knew I was unwanted, but because they had guessed my darkest thought. I was jealous of Stella. I wanted a beautiful tail like hers. I wanted to be looked at by Lucian with that kind of reverence. I wanted to be accepted. I didn't plan on going back. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of a clinic in the Underground—the "Downlow." I heard there was a doctor named Silas here. He could modify Shifters. The door opened. A young man stood there, looking down at me. His pupils were vertical slits, rimmed with a faint gold. Cold, yet hypnotic. "What do you need?" My throat was dry. "Can you modify a tail here?" He stared at me for a few seconds, then let out a light chuckle, stepping aside. "Come in." "You're a snake-shifter, right?" he asked. I nodded. "Have you made up your mind? Once you accept the modification, your legs will be permanent. You'll never shift back to your beast form." I blinked. He misunderstood. "That's not what I meant. I want to change my snake tail into a fish tail." He paused, looking surprised. "You misunderstood me, too. The modifications I do... I turn Shifters into humans. Completely. They ask for it so they won't be auctioned off or treated like freaks anymore." Oh. So my request was too weird even for the black market. Depressed, I turned to leave. But Silas called out to me. "Why do you want a fish tail?" "It's prettier," I answered without hesitation. As I said it, my snake tail popped out, sliding anxiously against the floorboards. "Don't you think?" He didn't seem to hear me. His gaze dropped to my tail, and those cold eyes suddenly lit up. "It's so cute." His voice was much softer now. I froze, then whipped my tail in annoyance. "Don't patronize me just to make me feel better." "Patronize?" He raised a brow. "I'm not taking your money. Why would I need to comfort you?" "Then why..." "Have you ever seen those sugar-frosted gummy candies? The pink ones? Your tail looks exactly like that. How is that not cute?" My face burned. My tail instinctively curled back. But he was faster. His long fingers hovered over my scales, just an inch away. "Can I touch it?" It was a question, but his hand was already so close I could feel the cool aura from his fingertips. I hesitated. Finally, like I was surrendering, the tip of my tail wrapped tentatively around his finger. "Fine. Just once." He gently squeezed the tip of my tail. A shiver ran down my spine, like a small electric shock. Suddenly, footsteps pounded outside. Voices shouting—searching. Silas froze. He let go of my tail and walked to the door. Knock, knock, knock. A voice came from the other side. Cool, crisp, but with an undeniable urgency. "Did you treat a snake-shifter with a pink tail?" I knew that voice. But I didn't make a sound. I was afraid of bad news. I was afraid he was here to punish me. "No," Silas said flatly. "But I smell snake on you." Silas: "That would be me." Silence stretched for a few seconds outside. Then, the footsteps faded away. Once it was quiet, Silas closed the door and turned back, looking thoughtful. "That guy... was a merman, wasn't he?" "High quality, too." "For a merman of that class to be in a dump like the Downlow... that's dangerous." I looked up, staring at him. "Why did you say you smelled like a snake?" He didn't answer immediately. His vertical pupils locked onto mine. "You tell me." It clicked. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. A feeling I couldn't describe surged in my chest. I think... I think I just found one of my own. 4 It was late when Lucian returned to the manor. He stood in the empty hallway, rubbing his thumb against his palm. There was a lingering, faint scent of snake there. He had guessed she was in that clinic. But when the door opened, he was met with the hostile glare of a male snake-shifter. So the scent might not have been hers. He lost her. And the smells of the Underground were too chaotic to track her further. A dull ache throbbed in his chest, like something was squeezing his heart. But when he pressed his hand there, he felt no wound. "Where did you go?" Julian's voice came from behind. Lucian didn't answer. He deflected, asking about Stella instead. "Same as before," Julian paused. "You know she's injured and anything could happen. Why did you speak so harshly to Sienna?" Lucian's expression shifted. Why? Probably because he already found her annoying. He hated how she stared at him with those big, sparkling eyes. Hated how she kept coming back no matter how cold he was. He hated how she tried to shove her tail into his hands like it was some precious treasure. He hated her saying, Lucian, I like you so much, you like me too, right? when she knew she’d get no response. "I dislike her," Lucian said. "You saved her life once." "She was just a kid then. Too weak to swim back. I pitied her." Was it just pity? He wouldn't fall in love with a dull, matte snake. Merfolk and snakes don't mix. It's biology. It's common sense written in their blood. His future partner would be someone like Stella. Same species, same shimmering scales. But when he tried to picture a future with Stella, his mind was a blur. All he could see was a pink snake tail, swaying gently in the back of his memories. Find her first. Lucian spent days leaving early and returning late. He came back smelling of the city's grime. Finally, Stella stopped him. "Are you... looking for that snake?" she asked softly. Lucian nodded. Stella grabbed his wrist. "Are you really that obsessed with her?" "She was never meant to live with us. She's not our kind. Snakes are treacherous. What if she hurts people?" Stella's voice rose to a shrill pitch she rarely used. "I almost died saving our kind from humans, and you want to bring a dangerous predator into our home?" How bad can a little snake be? At worst, she just refuses to show people her tail. Lucian kept looking. Meanwhile, Stella vanished. Julian sent people to find her, but she was gone. But Lucian finally found the little snake. She was standing next to the snake man from the clinic, looking at items on a store shelf. Like a normal couple. So natural. So intimate.
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