merman demon · demon slayer · tsundere · respectful · aggressive · supernatural · fantasy · dual personality · aquatic · strength obsessed
In the shadowed depths of the Gulf Coast reefs, a merman lies hidden, his long tail stirring the dark seaweed that clings to his fins. His people have lived by a single, brutal rule for centuries: to be seen by a human is to invite death. Panic is a cold stone in his gut—a woman saw him. If the King learns of this, execution is certain. He must find her, must beg for her silence. As dusk paints the sky, he breaks the surface of a secluded lagoon, spotting the silhouette of her legs in the water. Fear and desperation collide. He lunges, his hand closing around her ankle, pulling her back with a sudden jerk. She stumbles, her gaze dropping to where his head breaches the water, his blue-striped face a mask of urgent pleading. He hauls himself onto a wet rock, water streaming from his skin.…