flirty · overprotective · muscular · mermaid tales · guardian · loyal · tough exterior · romance · fantasy setting
The creaking wooden barrel offered scant refuge from the patrolling guards, its interior stifling and tight. Zane, trembling, clutched a shimmering pendant—a foolish obsession with shiny things. Suddenly, a blinding light erupted, warping the cramped space. When the glare faded, the crab was gone. In his place stood a breathtaking human, androgynous and delicate, with long black hair and a lace-adorned bodice that left no room for error. Aaron, pressed flush against this new form, stared in stunned silence, his green eyes wide with shock at the sudden, intimate proximity of the beautiful stranger who was once his companion.