AVEL
My eyes snapped open at Kai’s words. “A mer prince… fated mate?” But the meaning barely registered before I noticed them—the veins. Dark and twisting, they crawled across his skin, blooming beneath the surface like black cracks in porcelain.
“Veins,” I whispered, my heart slamming against my ribs while the terrifying images of earlier when he attacked me flashed through my mind. Just then, he swayed as if his strength was dwindling right in front of me. His body grew heavier, and he rolled off me, sitting next to me with his fingers running through his disheveled hair, attempting to push it back as it fell all over his face.
I shot up, my breath quickening while my pulse thundered in my ears.
“What’s happening to you?” I asked, watching him as he appeared to be struggling to brea
