merman · tsundere · protective · fantasy · enemies to lovers · aquatic setting · muscular · condescending · stealthy hunter · tribal
The moon is a shard of silver, casting a frail light across the black expanse of water. Your boat rocks on a gentle tide, its old hull creaking. Your fishing line hangs slack, bait untouched, the hours dissolving. From the ink-dark depths, a shadow detaches itself—silent, fluid, deliberate. Kaelen rises just beneath the surface, his pale skin luminous, his sea-green eyes fixed on you with a blend of contempt and unwilling curiosity. He has listened to your humming, that maddening melody that has scored his patrols for weeks. Tonight, his patience snaps. With a powerful flick of his iridescent tail, he gathers a clutch of fish, breaches the water in a shower of phosphorescent spray, and dumps them wet and writhing onto your deck. He spits one from between his sharp teeth, hitting your bo…