It feels kind of wrong to kiss someone in the middle of an apocalypse, especially when we've just buried Gramps and Maddie's parents three feet under the ground. But everything about this world has gone beyond our control. There is never a right moment to do this—is there even a next time where I can do this?

Their deaths tell me I should cherish my time now. And so, I've decided that I'm going to live everyday like it's my last.

I've never been kissed until now. I used to think kisses were disgusting and sloppy, because I've seen boys gnawing at their girlfriends' faces. Ew.

However, Zarius is proving me...wrong.

His kiss is soft and warm, slowly growing from tender to eagerness. He even nibbles on my bottom lip. My heart was about to combust earlier but now, I think I'm going to shoot up like fireworks.

But he breaks the kiss far too soon and pulls away, leaving me breathless. The spark of desire in his eyes sets my innermost soul on fire, enough to burn me alive. My lips, although now untouched, are still searing with heat.

"You're not mutating," Zarius says quietly. "But I would like to think we both have feelings for each other. Am I right?"

Is he right?

Have I blindly mistaken my adoration for him as a symptom of myself turning into a monster like an idiot? — Yes.

But Zarius has a mate.

I jerk myself away from him so quickly that I hit my head against the bed frame. "Ow!"

"Delia?" Zarius sits up, startled, and stares at me with wide eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Fine. I'm fine."

I shake my head, still in a daze. We're still on the floor and out of Maddie's sight, which makes me feel like I've done something taboo behind a parent-figure's back. I hope she hasn't heard us talking or me yelping, but from her snoring, she seems to be still asleep. Thankfully.

Zarius shifts me properly so that I'm lying on top of him. I place my head against his chest, hearing the steady rhythm of his heart pulsing. We don't speak for a couple of minutes, but my head is buzzing with electrifying thoughts.

O. M. G.

Zarius likes me. A merfolk. This half-human who doesn't even know how to swim, and doesn't know much about his home and race. He even has a mate whom he shares a mark with, but one that he hasn't yet committed to.

This world is so messed up. We're so messed up.

Zarius speaks up, sounding a little hesitant. "Delia?"

"Hm?"

"You should sleep now. You need it. It will be a long day tomorrow again."

How does he expect me to go to sleep after a kiss like that? "What about you? I don't think I've ever seen you sleep properly."

"You do not have to worry about my wellbeing. A pureblooded merfolk is not as weak as you think."

"Ha-ha" I laugh dryly. "Show-off."

I can hear a smile in his voice. "Says the halfling."

I shift my head to find the most comfortable spot. My forehead feels less hot now and I'm calmer now. "Can I stay here? With you?" I whisper. "I'm scared."

"Of course," he replies, patting my back. "Rest well."

He holds me close to his chest and hums a soft lullaby, soothing me to sleep and chasing the nightmares away.

***

Someone nudges my toe in the middle of my sleep. I crack an eye open and peer up, only to find an intimidating face staring down at Zarius and me.

Oh shoot.

And then I remember the intimate position I'm currently in. Lying on top of Zarius. My head on his chest, my fists digging into his clothes. My thighs intertwine with his.

Maddie raises her brows at us questioningly. It feels like my mom has caught me hiding a boy in my room, which I've never done before.

Crap. I've some explanation to do.

I scramble off Zarius's body quickly while he sits upright. In the last couple of hours, none of us slept soundly. I remember my mind slipping in and out of my sleep several times, probably because I'm terrified that the creatures would attack us in the middle of the night.

Switching to her teacher-mode, Maddie crosses her arms. Clearly thinking we both are out of our minds. "Really, you guys?" she hisses, tapping her foot in annoyance. "I just take my eyes off you for a few hours and this happens? Do we need to have the talk?"

Horrified, I cover my ears. "Oh my god. N to the flipping O! Stop, Maddie. This is so embarrassing!"

"I could say the same to you as well. Imagine waking up to this!" My embarrassment crawls to my cheeks just as Maddie gestures at us wildly and points a finger at Zarius. "And you! Don't get too close to my baby cousin."

"We—"

I'm about to retort back when Zarius places a finger on his lips with a warning look. "Hush. The sun hasn't barely risen and we're being too loud," he says matter-of-factly.

His reminder has us falling into immediate silence, just listening to the noises out there, until Zarius curses for the first time. "Poseidónas. They heard us."

The second after he finishes, the window that we have blocked earlier explodes. A dark, snarling creature dives through the gap and heads straight for Maddie, who can't seem to move from her spot in time.

Zarius's speed is phenomenal. He grabs her quickly and jerks her to the side. "Move," he instructs us. "Head downstairs."

I grab my backpack and dagger immediately before going for Maddie's hand. I unlock the attic's door and we hurry down the stairs into the kitchen where the basement door is located. More hungry growls appear behind us, but I know Zarius is keeping them away.

I worry about his safety, but I trust his strength. If we stayed with him upstairs, he would have a tough time trying to protect us while taking out those creatures.

I slam the basement door behind us, locking us in the darkness. When Maddie switches on her flashlight, she stares at me with shocked eyes, particularly at the door which I've just shut behind us.

She clutches her side and tries to catch her breath. "Oh my god. That guy–"

I place a finger on my lips to remind her we've to be extra quiet. "Don't worry," I murmur. "He will be fine."

"That's impossible!" she whispers in a trembling voice. "That boy is going to die saving us."

I bite on my bottom lip. If we make it out of this place alive, we can't keep Zarius's secret from her. Or mine either. She would definitely be suspicious. "Trust me. Let's wait."

And then we hear a slight movement in the basement, coming from the bottom of the stairs. When Maddie whips her flashlight around, a flickering image of a creature with a gaping mouth full of sharp teeth leaps straight at us. A half-fish monster.

Instinctively, I scramble forward so that I'm standing in front of my cousin. The creature buries its teeth in my arm and bites down hard. I scream as pain shoots through me. When I try to shake it off, it plunges another bite at me on my left thigh, and I can feel my warm blood running down like a steady stream.

"Delia!" My cousin takes her flashlight and shines it directly into the creature's eyes. Blinding its vision.

Survival adrenaline jolts through me. Using all my strength, I slam down my dagger into one of its eyes and a nasty scream reverberates around us. I feel the creature's hold on me weaken and pull back my dagger once more, just to thrust it down again—this time right into its skull.

There's a tingling sensation running across my arms and into my fingertips, followed by a rush of energy flowing into my chest. A flash of blue light bursts forth from the dagger and into the creature's body before it releases me.

The next thing I know, we fall into the darkness.