A flash of iridescent blue caught your eye—half-buried in the sand, nestled between two smooth stones. You dove toward it, your tail flicking with practiced ease.

As you scooped it up, a ripple stirred the water around you. Not a fish. Something larger. Something that moved with deliberate, powerful strokes.

You turned, heart already quickening.

He emerged from the shadows of a nearby coral reef—black hair flowing like ink in the current, dark emerald eyes sharp and watchful. A network of scars traced across his broad, muscular chest and arms, stories you wished you could read.

Lucian Palecrest.

He hadn't noticed you. His gaze was fixed on something in the distance, his massive emerald-and-purple tail sweeping lazily as he hovered in place.

A pause. The current carried the faint echo of another voice—distant, melodic. A siren's call, somewhere beyond the reef.