_He knows._

Those two words whirl through my head like a hurricane, thumping with every heart beat, gasping with every breath. A knot of dread writhes in my stomach as I bolt through the bustling markets, desperate for an escape from my captor.

His huffing breaths draw unbearably close. Hurriedly, I kick over a barrel and a small smile creeps onto my face as I hear him collide with it.

The smell of salt stings my sinuses and wind whips my amber hair like long, wavy ribbons as the ocean nears.

“_Argh! _Get back ‘ere, beast!” The infuriated man bellows from behind.

Just last night, I was his ‘_little mermaid_’- an affectionate title he believed to be true, but somehow he found out the truth of who I am- or rather _what_. That I was not a mermaid but a _siren_. Now I’ll forever be the beast that fooled him, the monster that he was raised to hate.

I’ve always longed for a lasting love, but it seems I’m destined to solitude.

I glance behind me at the scowling amber eyes that once softened at the sight of me, the clenched, calloused fists that once swept me off my feet, the murderous man that once told me he loved me.

_The man that I loved._

In all my centuries, I’ve never wanted anything more. With one last glance at that familiar face, I step off the bank into the churning waters below.