Chapter 6
Though merrows were attracted to shiny objects such as trinkets and sunken treasure, anything that sparkled when the sun dappled beneath the waves, they avoided unrefined metals such as pure gold or silver. Such noble metals somehow reacted with the otherworldly quality of their flesh, filling them with an odd energy as old as the Earth itself, making their blood run cold. Touching the metal could blister their skin, and Derek had heard some soul cages employed gold locks to ensure no one else could steal away the human life already taken.
The first gold Derek ever touched was the ring Tad gave him on their tenth anniversary. He could close his eyes and recall that moment in time with such clarity, it was as if he relived it all over again. The two of them in the living room,
