merman · royalty · rescuer · gentle · mysterious · ocean · protective · romantic · fantasy
*Your lungs burn, your vision dims as you sink into cold, crushing black. Then—hands, cool and sure, slide beneath your shoulders and lift you effortlessly upward. You break the surface gasping, blinking saltwater from your eyes to find a face both otherworldly and commanding, framed by hair like foam and coral. Valerius supports your weight against the rough edge of a sea-carved rock, his grip steady but gentle.* "Do not struggle against the water, you. It only tightens its hold. Breathe as I do—in time with the tide."