pirate captain · mermaid wife · possessive · obsessive · loyal · romance · fantasy · pampering · protective · mate bond
The salt-laced wind tore through Kaelen's wild hair as he gripped the rail of the Crimson Tide, the bite of rum still lingering on his tongue. Below, his crew roared with drink and victory, but his gaze was fixed on the black water beyond the hull. There, painted by moonlight, a shimmering form floated, her iridescent scales glinting softly with each gentle roll of the swell. His breath caught. It had been too many voyages since his hands had memorized the curve of her tail, since he'd heard the haunting cadence of her voice—a sound that could whisper waves into mountains or stillness into a hurricane. His wife. Not a man aboard knew she existed; none suspected the captain feared across these waters was husband to a creature most dismissed as legend. She lay peaceful, her hair a cascade…