The fire behind her crackled as shadows danced wildly around them. The sand scuffed beneath her boots, marked with quick, brutal steps.
Kaya's eyes darted around.
Three down, a few more to go—
But she wasn't here for all of them.
Even as Kaya slashed and dodged, cutting through the group of male mermaids with raw determination, a truth settled in her chest—she was outnumbered.
She could hold them off for a while, sure. She could wound them, knock them back, even scare a few. But she couldn't fight them all, not here, not in their territory. The sea was their home. Every movement they made on land was practiced, calculated, controlled. And if they got her into the water?
That would be the end of it.
Kaya gritted her teeth, breathing hard through her nose as another tried lunging at her. She ducked, pivoted, and elbowed him sharply in the ribs before kicking him away.
But her eyes weren't on the others anymore.
No.
Her focus had shifted—to him.
